CAS AA 103: Introduction to African American Literature—Maryanne Boelcskevy
Tues/Thurs 9 am-12:30 pm
What is the African American literary tradition? How does it change over time? This course introduces the cultural, political, and historical contexts of the African American experience through readings of literature. Readings include poetry, slave narratives, essays and speeches, tales, short stories, and novels. In examining these texts, students consider how culture, politics, and history shape African American literature. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
Meets with CAS EN129.
CAS AA 112: Black Power in the Classroom: The History of Black Studies—Paula Austin
Mon/Wed/Fri 9:05am-9:55am
Centers Black experiences, cultures, knowledge production and identity formation in the United States and in the African Diaspora across time and space. Examines and traces the genealogies of Black Studies as a discipline: its political, ideological, and practical foundations on college campuses and in communities. Also explores earlier traditions and contemporary work in Black radical thought and activism that lay the groundwork for and build on the founding principles of Black Studies by mobilizing an intersectional and diasporic lens.
Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AA 114: Kongo to Cuba: Art, Exchange, and Self-Determination in Africa and Latin America—Cynthia Becker
Mon/Wed/Fri 1:25pm-2:15pm
This course introduces the arts of Africa and Latin America. It explores the rich diversity of each continent's artistic production and highlights the impact of their intertwining histories on visual expression in the wake of transcontinental exchange and globalization.
Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
Meets with CAS AH114.
CAS AA 132: Write Back Soon: Blackness and the Prison—Ianna Hawkins Owen
Tue/Thurs 2:00pm-3:15pm
This course interrogates the theme of black containment from slavery and Jim Crow to, principally, mass incarceration. The topic is explored in tandem with the development of open letter writing skills. This epistolary form allows both for the intimate engagement of individual, familiar contact and the deft inclusion of targeted eavesdroppers in order to raise the consciousness of listeners and affirm the value of personal relationships. Course texts include letters to and from prison, poetry, short stories, memoir, social science, documentaries, and critical theory.
Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
Meets with CAS EN132.
CAS AA 207: Sociology of Race and Ethnicity—Professor TBA
Tue/Thurs 3:30pm-4:45pm
Examines the fundamental theoretical and empirical approaches regarding race/ethnicity and the current state of race relations in the U.S. that explore both contemporary social problems.
Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The ividual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.
Meets with CAS SO207.
CAS AA 234: African Americans in Global Perspective: Slavery and the Creation of Race—Joyce Hope Scott
Tue/Thurs 9:30am-10:45am
A study of how chattel slavery in the Americas led to racialization as a primary tool in the creation of American society and New World capitalism.
Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS AA 296: Religion and Hip Hop—Margarita Guillory
Mon/Wed/Fri 10:10am-11:00am
Uses digital media studies to explore diverse religious expressions in hip hop culture. Through critical reading, community field trips, and hands-on technology usage, students consider an often overlooked element in the study of hip hop culture: religion.
Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
Meets with CAS RN296.
CAS AA 304: Introduction to African American Women Writer—Maryanne Boelcskevy
Tue/Thurs 2:00pm-3:15pm
Pre-req: First-Year Writing Seminar (ex. WR 120)
This course studies the cultural contexts and the ongoing relevance of significant works by African American Women Writers. Works by Jacobs, Butler, Harper, Hurston, Brooks, Kincaid, Morrison and Marshall complemented by critical articles lay out this rich tradition.
Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
Meets with CAS EN 377.
CAS AA 313: The Politics and Policy of HBO's The Wire—Katherine Levine Einstein
Tue/Thurs 11:00am-12:15pm
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. Also offered as CAS PO 313.
Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
Meets with CAS PO313.
CAS AA 319: Race and the Politics of Criminal Justice Policy—Spencer Piston
Tue/Thurs 12:30pm-1:45pm
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.
Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS AA 371: African American History—Paula Austin
Mon/Wed/Fri 11:15am-12:05pm
Pre-req: sophomore standing.
Surveys the history of African Americans from their African origins to the present, investigating their critical role in shaping the meaning of race, rights, freedom, and democracy during slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the civil rights era.
Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
Meets with CAS HI298.
CAS AA 383: African Diaspora Religions - Margarita Giullory
Mon/Wed/Fri 12:20pm-1:10pm
This course introduces students to religions of the African Diaspora, with a specific focus on the Caribbean and the Americas. Religious traditions such as Africanized Christianity, Cuban Santer?a, Haitian Vodou, Brazilian Candombl? and African American Spiritualism will be explored.
Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
Meets with CAS RN383, RN683, and AA683
CAS AA 404: Seminar on Sociology of Families—Nazli Kibria
Thurs 8:00-10:45 am
Pre-req: junior or senior standing and at least two previous Sociology courses; or consent of instructor. First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent)
Explores the rise of "modern" families and the plurality of contemporary family forms and processes including gay and lesbian families and new reproductive technologies. Particular attention to social and economic inequalities and their implications for family life.
Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
Meets with CAS SO404, GRS SO804, and GRS AA804
CAS AA 408: Seminar: Ethnic, Race, and Minority Relations—John Stone
Tues 12:30pm-3:15pm
Formation and position of ethnic minorities in the United States, including cross-group comparisons from England, Africa, and other parts of the world. Readings and field experience. Pre-req: CAS AA 207 (or CAS SO 207) or consent of instructor.
Meets with GRS AA808, CAS SO408, and GRS SO808
CAS AA 507: Literature of the Harlem Renaissance—Maryanne Boelcskevy
Fri 11:15am-2:00pm
An exploration of the literature of the "New Negro Renaissance" or, more popularly, the Harlem Renaissance, 1919-1935. Discussions of essays, fiction, and poetry, three special lectures on the stage, the music, and the visual arts of the Harlem Renaissance. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
Pre-req: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., EN 120 or WR 100 or WR 120).
Meets with CAS EN588.
CAS AA 519: Inequality and American Politics—Katherine Levine Einstein
Thurs 8:00am-10:45am
This course examines the role of income inequality in shaping American politics and policy. Combining research from history, political science, economics, and public policy scholars, we will consider a range of important topics, including inequality in public voice, money and politics, and attitudes towards redistribution. We will apply this knowledge as part of a final paper project in metropolitan Boston. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Writing- Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.
Pre-req: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
Meets with CAS PO519
CAS AA 591: Black Thought: Literary and Cultural Criticism in the African Diaspora—Louis Chude-Sokei
Mon/Wed/Fri 1:25pm-2:15pm
An introduction to literary and cultural thinking in African-America and the Black Diaspora. The course hones in on specific trends, themes, and characteristics of this work and assesses its relationship to broader political and social contexts. Also offered as CAS EN 537.
Pre-req: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing.
Meets with CAS EN537
Pre-approved Elective Fall 2023 Courses
The following courses have been pre-approved for elective credit towards the AFAMBDS major and minor. To receive credit, please complete this petition form. Find the full list of our pre-approved elective courses here.
CAS IR 510: Comparative Immigration and Racial Politics
CAS PH 436: Gender, Race, and Science
CFA MH 409: Music of Black Americans
COM JO 505: Race & Gender in the News Media