200 to 400 Level

A sociological introduction to globalization. Explores the roles of technology, transnational corporations, and the state. Considers globalization’s impacts on the workplace, the environment, and other institutions as well as the emergence of global social movements. Carries social sciences divisional credit in CAS.

Satisfies CAS social sciences divisional studies requirement.

Introduction to basic concepts of international politics: the state system and types of states, modern ideologies, legal frameworks of international transactions, and political regions. Also raises key issues such as population, the environment, war, and international law.

What do intelligence agencies do and why? Intelligence is a crucial but widely misunderstood element of foreign policy decision-making. Addresses intelligence gathering, analysis, and covert action, as well as key legal and ethical issues.

• Syllabus

Globalization and world poverty; how and why over 80% of the world remains poor and inequality increases despite economic modernization and democratization. Addresses urbanization, immigration, religion, politics, development politics, foreign aid, women, drugs, environment, and food security. Special attention to Latin American, African, and Asian experiences.

Provides an overview of the challenges and problems of West European cooperation and integration since 1945. Fundamental events, data, and political systems of the European Unification process.

Examines different patterns of political development and contemporary politics in Western Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the former Soviet bloc.  Introduces the comparative method in political science and competing theories of political development and political change.

Undergraduate required principal course. Satisfies CAS social sciences divisional studies requirement.

Study of basic factors in international relations, Western state systems, the concept of balance of power, nationalism, and imperialism. Primarily for concentrators.

The dynamic growth of Pacific Rim countries poses an impressive array of challenges for the U.S. and the world. Analyzes Japanese trade and defense policies, the rise of the “mini-dragons” (Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore) and “new mini-dragons” (Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia), “Confucian Capitalism,” democratization (and its failure in China), and legacies of the Indochina war.

(Meets with CAS HI 331). Drug trafficking has become a dominant issue in U.S.- Latin American relations. This class examines the War on Drugs from both U.S. and Latin American perspectives in order to draw out racial, socio-economic, political, and gender-based dimensions and explore alternatives.

Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, and Ethical Reasoning.

Undergraduate required principal course. Prerequisite: CAS EC 101 and EC 102.

Basic issues of international finance. Topics include the balance of payment adjustment, theories of exchange rate determination, and case studies in international economic policy. Geared for international relations students; does not count toward economics requirements for economics concentrators.

This course covers electoral campaigns in Latin America, Europe, and Asia; changes in campaigns over time; the role of international political consultants; the influence of party systems, electoral systems, campaign finance regulation, vote-buying, and mass media; as well as campaign effects on voting behavior and public opinion.

Traces the emergence of sustainable development as the defining environmental challenge of our times. Surveys and evaluates policies for balancing ecological sustainability and economic development in various parts of the world and at the global level.

Employs social science theories to explain the political development of the Middle East since World War I. Part 1 examines state formation and competing explanations for authoritarianism. Part 2 analyzes social movements ranging from Islamist groups to mass mobilization.

Explores global and regional policy responses to the twin challenges of sustainable development and adaptation to climate change from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective. Critically examines existing policies and radical alternatives to these challenges at global, regional, and national scales.

Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning, and Critical Thinking.

This course surveys pertinent topics relating to the socio-economic and political development of the Middle East and North Africa throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will explore and critically analyze themes relating to colonialism and state formation and state-building, regime types, oil and rentierism, civil society, authoritarianism and democratization, military spending, gender relations, Islamist movements, elections, revolutions and social movements, territorial disputes, foreign intervention, as well as sectarianism and identity politics.

Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Oral and/or Signed Communication, and Critical Thinking.

This course examines how states administer their nuclear weapons and energy programs at the domestic and international levels. It explores the bureaucracies, military services, and government officials responsible for creating and maintaining nuclear weapons and energy.

Looks at the Eastern Mediterranean as a center of Great Power confrontation, and considers its impact on wider international relations; the domestic political results; the role of sea power; and the origins, conduct, and resolution of wars.

The twentieth-century history of the non-Arab Muslim Middle East (Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia). Analysis of the constitutional revolutions in Turkey and Iran, Kemalism, the Islamic revolution in Iran, and communism in the Soviet Union and Afghanistan.

This course is designed to get students familiarized with the “art of the possible,” emphasizing how the diplomatic practice has evolved so far. Students will be able to understand how foreign policy is formulated and promulgated and how diplomacy works on a daily basis. Students will demonstrate a clear understanding of the role and importance of multilateral diplomacy/international organizations (liberalism) in today’s world and examine how multilateral diplomacy functions. They will be able to grasp the core principles of diplomatic negotiations and demonstrate them in simulations.

Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy, and Teamwork/Collaboration.

Examines rising powers have affected global politics from the 19th to the 21st century. What are rising powers? What accounts for their foreign policy behavior? Is war with a rising power inevitable? How should current great powers manage them?

Examines the important role of non-state actors in international relations. Non-state actors include sub-national governments, international organizations, multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations, religious groups, violent groups, for-profit security firms, social movements, and grassroots organizations.

Comparative study of the public policies of advanced societies in such areas as health training, unemployment, poverty, and budget. Explores why countries develop different solutions to policy needs and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various national approaches.

Intellectual, cultural, political, diplomatic, and military history of the region between Germany and Russia from the Middle Ages to the present.

This course is designed as an introduction to the issues dominating African political life today. Core course debates revolve around recent trends in African economic growth, democratic governance, and armed conflict, in addition to several other issues of contemporary concern.

War is the most destructive social act in which humanity engages. Why does war happen? This question is addressed by focusing on a variety of scholarly explanations. Theoretical discussions are paired with an examination of historical cases.

History of international human rights since the eighteenth century. Examines political, social, economic rights, the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and related international conventions, enforcement, regionalism, globalization, and NGOs. Analyzes tensions between national sovereignty and human rights.

Undergraduate required principal course.

Explores the causes and consequences of the First World War; the search for postwar reconstruction and stability during the twenties; economic collapse, revolutionary nationalism, and fascism during the 1930s; the Second World War; and the advent of the bipolar world.

Undergraduate required principal course.

The causes and consequences of the Soviet-American Cold War from its origins in Europe to its extension to Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The rise of the multipolar international system, the emergence of the nonaligned blocs, and inter-and intra-alliance conflicts.

Introduction to the international relations of post-colonial Africa. Core themes include the politics of post-independence international alignments, the external causes and effects of authoritarian rule, and Africa’s role in the global political economy.

Studies the growing international influence on politics of human rights principles, documents, and organizations, drawing especially on African cases such as Congo, Zimbabwe, and Sudan.  Topics include universality vs. cultural relativism, individual vs. group rights, and issues in human rights enforcement.

Introduction to gender and global politics, across both developing and advanced industrial democracies. Focuses on political and economic underpinnings of gender inequality. Students propose and analyze policy solutions to address political gender inequality around the globe using data and cases.

Comparative study of politics in member states of the European Union, with emphasis on political development, institutions, major issues in contemporary politics, and the impact of European integration.  Selective references to original and new member states of the EU.

Focuses on China’s political, economic, and strategic development since 1949. It examines three questions: In what ways is China rising? How did it happen? What are the impacts of China’s rise on the U.S. and the global system?

Introduction to the patterns and complexities of Latin American politics and international relations. Focuses on the distinctive Latin American political experience and alternative explanations for it, including colonization, the international economy, and human and material resource capacity and utilization.

Prerequisite: CAS EC 101, EC 102, OR EC 111, EC 112.

An introduction to the economics of Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Topics include Japanese firms, labor markets, finance, monetary and fiscal policies, industrial policies, and Taiwanese and Korean post-1960 economic development.

Prerequisite: CAS IR 271 or CAS PO 251.

Examines Southeast Asia as an important emerging political, economic, and security region in world politics. Background materials, including the region’s history, cultural diversity, and geo-strategic position are given weight in the course.

Introduction to modern Chinese politics including the development of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the political development of the PRC since its founding in 1949. The focus is on the party’s official policy and its changing relationships with the people of China.

Introduction to South Asia and regional conflict and cooperation. Focus on India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka inter-state relations; great power interventions; power distributions; norms; political, military, and economic conflict and cooperation.

Provides an overview of major theoretical perspectives on the creation and function of international organizations, comparative case studies of selected organizations, and an examination of present and future roles of international organizations in selected issue areas.

Satisfies CAS social sciences divisional studies requirement.

Analysis of the factors determining national and international security. Examines the historical relationship between military power and politics. Topics include causes of war, the conduct of war, and the prevention of war.

International law and international organizations are central to the conduct of international relations, generating both cooperation and conflict. This course provides a historical and theoretical introduction to the rules, principles, and institutions of public international law.

Explores America’s tradition and heritage in foreign policy, American foreign policy during the Cold War, conflicting approaches to the formulation of American foreign policy in the current international environment, as well as domestic and institutional actors in policy formulation: Congress, media, Presidency, CIA, military.

Examines U.S. role in South Asia since 1940. Explores policies during various phases of the Cold War, including nonalignment and anti-communist movements, interstate wars, nuclear weapons programs of India and Pakistan, and the Afghanistan war.

Explores the intelligence process and its role in democratic societies; the organization and functions of the U.S. intelligence community; techniques of intelligence collection, analysis, counterintelligence and covert action; as well as assessment of problems and attempted solutions in the U.S. and other democracies.

Examines the tension between political leadership and the professional military force in the United States and throughout the world. During the course, students will analyze civil-military relations theory, the historical context of civil-military relations, and the roles of the responsibilities of the military, civilian leadership, and the U.S. public.

• Syllabus

Explores how U.S. foreign policy is made. After a historical introduction, this course focuses on the external bureaucratic, societal, and leadership forces that combine to shape broad policy lines and particular initiatives that produce feedback influencing the future.

Introduces the contemporary Middle East, including the Arab World, Iran, Israel, and Turkey. Examines the systems of government, the role of external powers, the origins of the state system, the sources and objectives of opposition forces, the prospects for political reform, including democratization; and the prospects for future cooperation or conflict.

Examines factors determining national and international security, and relationships between military power and politics. Topics include causes/conduct of war, civil-military relations, coercion in international relations, and grand strategy. Students cannot receive credit for both IR 374 and IR 385.

Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Writing-Intensive Course, and Critical Thinking.

Explores the Haitian Revolution; the British Caribbean, leadership, governance, and power in Africa during the period of legitimate trade; visionaries, dictators, and nationalist politics in the Caribbean; chiefs, western elites, and nationalism in colonial Africa; as well as the road to governance in post-colonial Caribbean and Africa.

This course examines the dynamic behind the change from the old Third World to the new Global South and its reframing of North-South relations. The “Wealth Shift” from the North Atlantic to the Asia-Pacific will be its core.

Provides a geographical/historical background to the country. Explores social structure, ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversities; Anglo-Russian interventions; consequences of tobacco concession; constitutional revolution and reform; Qajar legacy; centralization, secularization, modernization under Pahlavis; oil and Mossadeg; autocracy and revolution; as well as liberals, communists, fundamentalists, and Islamic revolution.

Examines financial globalization through the lens of the “money view,” focusing on the cash inflows and outflows of all private and public actors in the global economy. Applies this analysis to issues including development finance, shadow banking, and financial crises.

Capstone course for Latin American Studies Program concentrators.

Seminar on a key issue in contemporary Latin America. Includes presentations by Latin American Studies faculty on the topic from the specific perspectives of their academic specialties.

Studies women in nonindustrial countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, stressing empirical research, theory, and methodology. Explores comparisons between regions and industrial countries. Focuses on sex segregation, female labor force participation, migration, fertility, family roles, and women and political power.

Examines the roles and methods of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in social change and international development. Reviews theory and practice of NGOs in development, NGO strategies, and internal management. Students will engage directly with international development NGOs. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, The Individual in Community, and Critical Thinking.

This course will examine principles that are particularly relevant to negotiations among governments, the legal underpinnings of international agreements, negotiating dynamics, the unique characteristics of multilateral negotiations, and the special challenges of mediation.

Public diplomacy is the principal way in which states engage with overseas publics. This course examines the principles, functions, and practices of public diplomacy, as well as how they are affected by technological and political change.

Examines various approaches to and challenges in the prevention of genocide, including the ability of existing international institutions to develop early warning systems. Explores the evaluation of the effectiveness of unilateral military action and multilateral options at the UN and regional levels to stop genocide.

Explores transnational immigration and economic development in Asia, focusing on China, India, and South Korea. Cases examined include the rise of manufacturing prowess in China, India’s software industry, and Korea’s corporate competitiveness in the world.

Prerequisite: junior standing and consent of instructor.

Explores European politics through the lens of culture, using materials from literature, film, and the social sciences, including live sessions with European writers/artists.

This Forced Migration and Human Trafficking seminar focuses on the history, processes, and institutions of European and EU migration, as well as the evolving European integration of border and internal security issues.

Traces the United States’ engagement in world affairs by evaluating U.S. grand strategy – its theory of how to ‘create’ security for itself in an often-threatening world. Using history and theory, this course identifies changes in U.S. strategy and evaluates policies today.

Examination of American Cold War foreign policy from its origins at the end of World War II through its conduct–Marshall Plan, Detente, Cold War II–to the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union. Reading seminar.

Explores crises of legitimacy that led to six world-altering revolutions and wars that changed the international system: the Protestant Reformation and wars of religion, and wars of revolution in France, Russia, Nazi Germany, China, and Iran.

Examines human development in low- and middle-income countries from an applied economics perspective. Topics include: (1) economic growth, inequality, and poverty; (2) health, nutrition, and education; (3) agriculture, environment, and resource management; and (4) social and political factors in economic development.