Home

International Relations

View courses in

  • CAS IR 581: The Evolution of Strategic Intelligence
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: limited to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. First-Year Writing Seminar (CAS WR 120 or equivalent) and CAS IR 271. - With emphasis on U.S. intelligence activities from the American Revolution through the Cold War, IR 581 examines various aspects of intelligence practices, principles, organizations, activities, and events and the impact intelligence has had on global events. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS IR 582: Taiwan: Politics and Transformation
    (Meets with CAS PO 553.) Examines Taiwan's history, economic development, ethnic identity, democratization, and its controversial position in international politics as a key to understanding questions of political economy, democratic transition, and East Asian security.
  • CAS IR 583: Strategies of Defense Planning
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: open to juniors and seniors in International Relations and Political S cience who have completed the First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or 120) and Writing, Research & Inquiry (WR 150, 151, 152). - It is highly-recommended that students have previously taken a 200 or 300-level IR course. Students who have not met these requirements need instructor approval to take this course. Addresses principles and practices of U.S. defense planning. Investigates how the Department of Defense receives and develops strategic direction, builds military capability and executes operational missions. Examines the requirements, acquisition, and resource allocation process for new weapon systems. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing- Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS IR 584: Global Trade and Development
    Provides deep understanding into the impact of global trade on socio-economic development, emphasizing the role of global and regional institutions. Special attention is given to the transformative rise of global supply chain trade and its intricate links to development outcomes. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Social Inquiry I, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Social Inquiry I
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS IR 585: Problems and Issues in Post-Mao China
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Meets with CAS PO 549. An in-depth examination of politics in post-Mao China, this course focuses on several critical issues, uses various conceptual frameworks to try to understand why the reform process broke down, and examines prospects for the future.
  • CAS IR 586: Financing Development in Africa
    This course provides background information regarding Africa’s infrastructure development challenges, key sectors, trends, key actors and institutions financing development. Key frameworks covered in the course include the project development life cycle, project financing and public private partnership (PPP) structures.
  • CAS IR 587: Global Energy History
    Prerequisite: one Social Inquiry I course. - This course traces global energy history from the Industrial Revolution to our era of climate change. We examine where energy resources come from, how they are acquired and moved, and why societies transition from one source of energy to another. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy, Social Inquiry II.
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS IR 589: North Atlantic/European Security Issues
    Meets with CAS PO 582. Examination of the post Cold War security environment in the North Atlantic and greater European context. Exploration of threats to security, mechanisms in place and emerging (NATO, CSCE, CFE, WEU), and challenges posed by changes since fall 1989.
  • CAS IR 590: Political Economy of Latin America
    (Meets with CAS PO 562.) Historical and contemporary issues in Latin American political economy. Uses case studies and cross-regional comparisons to assess competing explanations. Analyzes the current political and economic situation facing Latin America in its quest for economic growth and development.
  • CAS IR 591: Political Economy of Gender Inequality
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing; or consent of instructor. - Gender inequality is an enduring social phenomenon, despite variation over time and place. This course analyzes the political, economic, and social dimensions of gender inequality. It follows a comparative approach, focusing particularly on empirical analysis while also addressing fundamental normative issues of fairness. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS IR 592: Economic Development and International Institutions
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor. - Examines the role of international institutions in economic development. Analyzes how development- related international institutions makes rules and affect national policy choices. Applies those lessons to concrete policy challenges, including possibilities for institutional reform.
  • CAS IR 593: Technology and Economic Inclusion in the Developing World
    How can firms and governments use new technologies to provide clean energy, drinking water, and other services to rural and frontier communities in the developing world' The course investigates how rural communities, particularly those without access to formal and other services, manage their money, provide energy and other services they need, and general live their lives. We will then examine how firms and governance can design products, governance mechanisms, and policies which can most effectively tap into such communities. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Social Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS IR 594: Global Environmental Negotiation and Policy
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Provides an overview of key actors, issues, and treaties in global environmental governance, paying particular attention to historical and contemporary differences in perspectives and interests of industrialized and developing countries. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Social Inquiry II.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS IR 596: Globalization and Contemporary Capitalism in Advanced Industrialized Nations
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Considers the impact of globalization on advanced industrialized nations. Explores global and regional governance of finance, trade, and multinationals. Examines changes in national economic practices in Europe, Asia, and the US, and their effects on jobs, inequality, welfare, and democracy.
  • CAS IR 597: Development and Environment in Latin America
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASIR292 OR CASIR590 OR CASEE100) and junior standing or consent of instructor. - (Meets with CAS GE 597.) Provides an empirically based understanding of the social and environmental aspects of economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) for purposes of analyzing the numerous trade and development policies that nations in LAC are currently considering.

Related Bulletin Pages

Beyond the Bulletin