CAS PO 309 Women and Politics (4 credits)
Prerequisite: CAS WS 213; or consent of instructor

Readings, discussion, and field research on issues of women’s relationship to  the processes of political influence, change, and empowerment. Analysis of public policy related to women and children. Meets with CAS WS 350.

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.

CAS PO 313 The Politics and Policy of HBO’s The Wire (4 credits)
(BU Hub Pathway: Social & Racial Justice)

HBO’s television series The Wire is used to explore politics and policy. A number of interdisciplinary topics are covered, including the war on drugs, urban elections, bureaucracy, rational choice theory, and the decline of American cities. This course meets with CAS AA313. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:

  Ethical Reasoning
  Social Inquiry II
  Teamwork/Collaboration

CAS PO 316 Race and Politics of Criminal Justice Policy (4 credits)
(BU Hub Pathway: Social & Racial Justice)
Prerequisite: CAS PO 111 or CAS PO 141.

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? In this course, students will grapple with these questions. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:

  Social Inquiry I
  Ethical Reasoning
  Critical Thinking

CAS PO 320 Special Topics in Public Policy (4 credits)
Topics vary. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: Law, Courts, & Public Policy, Local Public Policy, Analysis, & Research.

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.

CAS PO 321 Foundations of American Public Policy (4 credits)
Investigates the social and political roots of U.S. policy solutions. Cross-national comparisons and historical perspectives are used to shed light on seemingly unique American solutions to pressing social and economic problems.

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.

CAS PO 324 Comparative Public Policy (4 credits)
Prerequisite: CAS PO 141 or CAS PO 151; or consent of instructor.

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

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.

CAS PO 408/GRS PO 608 Higher Education and American Political Development (4 credits)
Prerequisite: Junior standing and one previous course in American Politics or History; or consent of instructor.

The history of American higher education and its relationship to the development of American society and state and critical problems in the larger U.S. context.

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.

CAS PO 513 Interest Groups, Public Opinion, and the Policy Process (4 credits)
Focuses on public opinion and interest group activities as they affect the policy-making process in the United States. Attention is paid to the role of the media, of lobbying, of litigation, and of the electoral process.

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.

CAS PO 520 Readings in Public Policy (4 credits)
Topics vary. Topics have included The Politics of National Security—Theory and Practice, Urban Public Policy Analysis Lab.

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.

CAS PO 528 SEMINAR: The Political Economy of Advanced Industrialized Societies (4 credits)
Prerequisite: CAS PO 321 or CAS PO 324; or consent of instructor.
Grad Prerequisite: Graduate Standing.

Economic development creates certain requirements for government action, yet policies differ widely across countries. This course investigates the interaction between politics and economics in advanced industrialized societies.

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.

CAS PO 540 Prohibition, Regulation, and Bureaucracy (4 credits)
The American experience of Prohibition is used to understand a variety of political and policy issues, including the War on Drugs, crime and law enforcement, bureaucracies, regulation, taxation, and social movements. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area(s):

  Historical Consciousness
  Social Inquiry II