Political Science
College of Arts & Sciences
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Introduction to American Politics
CAS PO 111
Undergraduate core course. Study of the national political structure; emphasis on Congress, the executive, administrative agencies, and the judiciary. Relations between formal institutions, parties, and interest groups. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 9 am-12:30 pm -
Introduction to Comparative Politics
CAS PO 151
Undergraduate core course. Examines different patterns of political development and contemporary politics in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Introduces the comparative method in political science and competing theories of political development and political change. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (IND) Mon./Wed. 1-4:30 pmNasir AlmasriMeets w/CAS IR 251 -
Introduction to International Relations
CAS PO 171
Undergraduate core course. Explores major issues in international relations, including conflict, cooperation, and governance. Addresses dominant international relations theories and their application. Investigates state system, international law and organization, transnational actors, state behavior, and globalization. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (IND) Mon./Wed./Fri. 1-3:30 pmFlorian BodamerMeets w/CAS IR 271 -
Race and the Politics of Criminal Justice Policy
CAS PO 316
Online offering. Considers the following questions: How many people are affected by the criminal justice system? What is the relationship between crime and race? What criminal justice policies, if any, should change? Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 1 (May 12-June 26)
O1 (IND) ArrangedSpencer PistonOnline section O1: Meets online every Wed 1-3 pm for a live class. Nonstandard course dates. Meets w/CAS AA 319Summer 2 (June 29-August 14)
O2 (IND) ArrangedSpencer PistonOnline section O2: Meets online every Wed 1-3 pm for a live class. Nonstandard course dates. Meets w/CAS AA 319For information about technology requirements for online courses at Boston University, see bu.edu/online/technology. BU Virtual can be reached at buvirtual@bu.edu or 617-358-1960 for additional information. -
The Politics of Science, Care, and the Environment
CAS PO 322
Undergraduate Prerequisite: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). This interdisciplinary course explores political conflicts over environmental problems as conflicts over science and care. Content ranges from concrete cases of U.S. environmental challenges (toxic exposure, wildlife in suburbs) to environmental political theory and the politics of climate change. Effective Summer 2026, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Social Inquiry II, Creativity/Innovation. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 1-4:30 pmLida MaxwellMeets w/CAS EE 322 -
Special Topics in Comparative Politics
CAS PO 330
Topic for summer 2026: Ethnonationalism and Ethnic Conflict. Undergraduate prerequisite: junior standing or consent of instructor. What is it about ethnic affiliations that make them conducive to severe conflict? Students will study the foundational concepts of ethnic identity, the origins and spread of nationalism, and the root causes of ethnic conflicts and the emergence of alt-rights and far right movements. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (IND) Mon./Wed. 1-4:30 pmSandra McEvoyTopic: Ethnonationalism and Ethnic Conflict -
Bombs and Bombshells: Gender, Armed Conflict, and Political Violence
CAS PO 346
Undergraduate Prerequisites: sophomore, junior, or senior standing. - Interdisciplinary course surveying women's relationship to political violence with a focus on the evolution of women's international participation in non-state, religiously-motivated groups. Women's roles in political violence throughout Western Europe, North America, and the Middle East are explored. Effective Summer 2025 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 1-4:30 pmSandra McEvoyMeets w/CAS WS 325 -
Causes of War and Peace
CAS PO 357
War is the most destructive social act in which humanity engages. Why does this happen? This question is addressed by focusing on a variety of scholarly explanations. Theoretical discussions are paired with an examination of historical cases. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Social Inquiry 2. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (IND) Mon./Wed./Fri. 1-3:30 pmFlorian BodamerMeets w/CAS IR 347 -
International Nuclear Politics
CAS PO 358
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Prereq: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120). Examines politics, history, and technologies surrounding nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. Foregrounds the "global atomic marketplace" with emphasis on the challenges and opportunities for nuclear proliferation and nonproliferation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Writing-Intensive Course. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 9 am-12:30 pmRosella Cappella ZielinskiMeets w/CAS IR 315 & CAS HI 335 -
Religion and Politics
CAS PO 379
Introduction to the comparative study of the political role of religious institutions and beliefs. Covers issues such as religion's relationship to violence and terrorism, democracy and human rights, group identity, gender and sexuality, and modernity and secularism. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 1-4:30 pmTimothy LongmanMeets w/CAS IR 337 & CAS RN 379 -
Special Topics in Political Theory
CAS PO 390
Topic for summer 2026: Environmental Justice. Undergraduate prerequisite: junior standing or consent of instructor. This course will cover questions regarding both the theory and practice of environmental justice, examining the foundations of climate change as a social, economic, cultural, and political problem. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (IND) Mon./Wed. 9 am-12:30 pmTopic: Environmental Justice -
Catastrophe and Memory
CAS PO 394
Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (IND) Mon./Tues./Wed. 9-11:30 amMeets w/CAS AA 221 & CAS HI 221