University Catalogues

Context & Perspectives

Context and Perspectives in the Arts and Sciences

The courses designated in the Context and Perspectives requirements help students gain insights on becoming a well-educated working professional and civic minded individual. Students acquire the tools to make informed, ethical decisions and gain invaluable insights on the world. Students are required to take one course in each of the six categories (18 credits) of Context and Perspectives in the Arts and Sciences: Culture, Change and Behavior; Globalization; Institutions and Power; Race, Gender and Inequality; Scientific Inquiry; and Values, Ethics and Society.

  • Students must take one course in each of the six Context and Perspectives categories.
  • Courses must be taken in at least three different departments. Courses with different designators taken in the same department (e.g., NAS and PSY courses in Natural and Applied Sciences Department) count as being from the same department. 
  • Context and Perspectives courses can be shared with majors or minors. A single course cannot count, however, for both a major and a minor.
  • A single course may not count in more than one minor.
  • A single course may be used no more than three times across the entire Bentley curriculum. 
  • Courses that satisfy the Context and Perspectives requirements may not be double counted as required Arts and Sciences electives within major requirements.
  • Only some courses that satisfy the Context and Perspectives requirements also may satisfy the modern language requirement for Bachelor of Arts majors. 

Culture, Change and Behavior 

Students analyze culture through the various material and symbolic forms it takes and how cultural forms create meaning and impact change; identify and evaluate the factors that make societies persist or change over time; and analyze various theoretical and empirical ways of thinking about the relation between reality, mind, and body and how this analysis informs conceptions of knowledge and action.

Please note: this is a full comprehensive list and all courses are not offered every semester.

English and Media Studies

Course Title Credits
EMS 200Introduction to Film, Literature and Media3
EMS 220Introduction to Cultural Studies3
EMS 224Lies, Promises, and Insults3
EMS 240Introduction to Media Production3
EMS 241Introduction to Video Production3
EMS 260English Romanticism, 1790-18503
EMS 273Modern American Literature3
EMS 301The Short Story3
EMS 304Graphic Novel3
EMS 311Revisions and Retellings3
EMS 321Shakespeare3
EMS 332Writing Fiction3
EMS 333Writing for Drama/Screen3
EMS 340American Icons3
EMS 370Cultural Studies and the Body3
EMS 393Intercultural Communication3
EMS 436Podcasting3

Global Studies

Course Title Credits
GLS 114Cross-Cultural Understanding3
GLS 251Latin American Cinema3

History

Course Title Credits
HI 236History of Ireland: From St. Patrick to "The Troubles"3
HI 264History of China: Before Confucius, After Mao3
HI 265History of Japan: Samurai and Salarymen3
HI 279Modern South Asia3
HI 305Arts and Society3
HI 311Revolutions and the Modern World3
HI 323The Medieval West3
HI 331Modern British History3
HI 334The Soviet Union and After3
HI 348History of American Technology3
HI 355American Environmental History3
HI 357America and Its Arts3
HI 367History and Culture of North Korea3
HI 370History of American Sports3
HI 373History on the Road: Exploring Massachusetts in Five Field Trips3
HI 384Nazi Germany3

Modern Languages

Course Title Credits
MLFR 206Spoken Contemporary French3
MLFR 302French for Business3
MLFR 304French Cinema3
MLIT 302Italian for Business3
MLIT 304Italy through Films3
MLIT 305Migration in Italian Literature3
MLSP 302Spanish for Business3
MLSP 306Hispanic Cityscapes3
MLSP 307Migrations and the Hispanic World3
MLSP 404Spanish Identities and Cultures in Modern Peninsular Literature3
MLSP 406Multicultural Spain Through its Regions3
MLSP 407Multicultural Spanish America3

Natural and Applied Sciences

Course Title Credits
PSY 230Positive Psychology3
PSY 235Social Psychology3
PSY 265Psychology of Self3
PSY 315Cyber Psychology3

Philosophy

Course Title Credits
PH 103Ultimate Questions3
PH 216Modern Philosophy: Knowledge and Values3
PH 252Theories of Knowledge3
PH 253Theories of Reality3
PH 255Inquiry and Injustice3
PH 270Consciousness and Experience3
PH 271Other Minds3
PH 272Perception and Perspectives3
PH 275Loneliness and the Self3

Sociology

Course Title Credits
SO 225Drugs and Society3
SO 264Technology, Society and Work3
SO 266Culture and Money3
SO 273Evolution of Humans and Societies3
SO 285Sociology of Sports3
SO 287Media, Culture and Society3
SO 289Popular Culture in Consumer Societies3
SO 292Sociology of Native American Peoples3
SO 320Immigrant Entrepreneurship3
SO 333Sociology of the Edge3

Globalization  

Students explain the various ways in which peoples, countries, and regions differ in terms of language, environment, religion, culture, economics, and politics and some of the consequences of those differences; explain the ways in which peoples, countries, and regions are interdependent and interconnected; and identify and critically evaluate global challenges (e.g., climate change, regional conflicts, or the coordination of formal institutions and informal social networks), and global processes (e.g., the diffusion of industry and culture, colonialism, imperialism, or mass migration). 

Please note: this is a full comprehensive list and all courses are not offered every semester.

English and Media Studies

Course Title Credits
EMS 261The Victorian Period3
EMS 381Diasporic Literature and Culture3
EMS 382Caribbean Literature3
EMS 391International Cinema3
EMS 392Youth Cultures in International Cinema3

Global Studies

Course Title Credits
GLS 101Globalization3
GLS 110Global Regions3
GLS 116International Relations3
GLS 226US Foreign Policy3
GLS 243The Developing World3
GLS 303Democracy or Authoritarianism? Political Regimes in Global Perspective3
GLS 325Global Transportation and Tourism3

History

Course Title Credits
HI 200The Making of Our Contemporary World3
HI 261Latin America (1800-present)3
HI 266Middle East: Islamic and Contemporary3
HI 280The Caribbean: Past, Present, Future3
HI 308Drugs Trades in World History3
HI 310Historic Approach to Modern Terrorism3
HI 314History of the World Economy3
HI 315Fashion Film and Food in South Asia3
HI 316Women and Gender in South Asia3
HI 349History of Modern U.S. Foreign Policy, 1945-Present3
HI 374Topics in the History of Medicine3
HI 387Origins of American Internationalism3
HI 388Europe Reborn: From Cold War to the War in Ukraine3

Modern Languages 

Course Title Credits
MLCH 201Continuing Chinese I3
MLCH 202Continuing Chinese II3
MLCH 204Chinese for Business - Exploring Real Companies3
MLCH 208Chinese for Business II -- Exploring Real Companies3
MLCH 404Chinese/English Interpretation3
MLFR 201Continuing French I3
MLFR 202Continuing French II3
MLFR 203French Writing in Context3
MLIT 201Continuing Italian I3
MLIT 202Continuing Italian II3
MLSP 201Continuing Spanish I3
MLSP 202Continuing Spanish II3
MLSP 203Advanced Spanish Grammar and Composition3
MLSP 206Advanced Spanish Conversation3

Philosophy

Course Title Credits
PH 315East Asian Philosophy3
PH 320Human Rights and Global Governance3

Institutions and Power  

Students identify the institutional bases of power in economic, political, and social life; articulate how institutions, such as governments, for-profit and nonprofit enterprises, civil society organizations, and other groups wield power; and analyze how individuals interact with institutions and participate in institutions to affect change.

Please note: this is a full comprehensive list and all courses are not offered every semester.

English and Media Studies

Course Title Credits
EMS 400The Television Industry3
EMS 401Disney+: Content + Platform3
EMS 402Hollywood Production Cultures3
EMS 403Hollywood Convergence3
EMS 422Money, Power, Communication3
EMS 423Video Game Studies3
EMS 424Popular Music Studies3

Global Studies

Course Title Credits
GLS 100US Government and Politics3
GLS 102Politics and Power Worldwide: Intro to Comparative Political Analysis3
GLS 105US State and Local Government and Politics3
GLS 230Politics and Public Policy3
GLS 237The U.S. Presidency3
GLS 245Power, Politics & Policy in International Development3
GLS 248Media and Politics3
GLS 270Contemporary Europe3
GLS 272European Politics and Societies3
GLS 280Gender & Politics Worldwide3
GLS 312International Organizations3

History

Course Title Credits
HI 241Minutemen and their World3
HI 244Constitutional History of the United States3
HI 304History of Espionage3
HI 306War and Society3
HI 342The Revolutionary Generation in the United States (1750-1815)3
HI 344Constitutional History of the United States3
HI 371Baseball as American History3
HI 382World War I3
HI 383World War II3
HI 385The Vietnam War3

Interdisciplinary Studies

Course Title Credits
ID 150Introduction to Nonprofit Organizations3

Natural and Applied Sciences

Course Title Credits
NAS 308Health of Nations: Anatomy and Function of Health Systems in the United States and Around the World3
NAS 334U.S. Space Program: Going Beyond3

Philosophy

Course Title Credits
PH 308Capitalism and its Critics3
PH 317Democracy and Power3

Sociology

Course Title Credits
SO 132Issues and Investigations in Sociology3
SO 221Homelessness and Society3
SO 242Social Problems3
SO 252Health, Illness and Everyday Life3
SO 263Sociology of Work and Organizations3
SO 324Sociology of Markets3

Race, Gender and Inequality  

Students explain how multiple dimensions of identity create a diversity of human experiences; explain how power, privilege, and oppression operate through informal and formal institutions to create and sustain inequalities among groups; and identify diversity and difference in the world around them, articulating how their unique experience of the world is structured through different dimensions of identity and recognizing their own use of power or privilege and/or experiences of discrimination.

Please note: this is a full comprehensive list and all courses are not offered every semester.

English and Media Studies

Course Title Credits
EMS 202Introduction to Cinema Studies3
EMS 312Horror/Sci-Fi in Film and Television3
EMS 334Creative Nonfiction/Essay Writing3
EMS 344American Cities in Literature3
EMS 346Sitcom Nation: The American Family in Fiction and Film3
EMS 350Black Lives Matter: African American Literature and Culture3
EMS 351Latina/o/x Literature3
EMS 352Native American Literature and Culture3
EMS 354Black Cinema3
EMS 359Passing in American Literature3
EMS 360Women in Literature3
EMS 361Women and Film3
EMS 362Wonder Women3
EMS 363The Male Image in American Film3
EMS 364LGBQ American Literature3
EMS 365Transgender American Literature3
EMS 366Queer and Trans Media Studies3
EMS 371Literature and Medicine3
EMS 380Money, Love, and Death: Colonialism in Literature and Culture3
EMS 405Hollywood Genres: Classical Forms and Contemporary Re-Inventions3

Global Studies

Course Title Credits
GLS 205Social Policy3
GLS 225Urban Politics and Policy3
GLS 238Immigration3
GLS 333Politics Through Film3

 History

Course Title Credits
HI 340Colonial America (1400-1750)3
HI 343Modern United States History (1920-present)3
HI 346Economic History of the United States3
HI 347Work and the American Worker3
HI 350Serfs, Slaves and Sojourners: The Minority Experience in the United States3
HI 353History of Capitalism in Modern America3
HI 354The New Nation3
HI 356The United States: From Nation to Empire (1865-1920)3
HI 358U.S. Women's History3
HI 359Immigration in U.S. History3
HI 372History of Boston3
HI 381The Civil War3

Interdisciplinary Studies

Course Title Credits
ID 211Sex, Gender, and Power3

Modern Languages

Course Title Credits
MLSP 403Latinos in the U.S.A.3

Natural and Applied Sciences

Course Title Credits
PSY 240Cross-Cultural Psychology3
PSY 260Understanding Learning Differences and Disabilites3
PSY 245Gender Psychology3

Philosophy

Course Title Credits
PH 140Disability, Values & Society3
PH 316Feminist Theory3
PH 319Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality in America3

Sociology

Course Title Credits
SO 241Race and Racism in the United States3
SO 243Capitalism and Slavery3
SO 246Criminal and Social Justice3
SO 271Self, Diversity and Society3
SO 295Film and Society3

Scientific Inquiry  

Students distinguish between reliable scientific data and unreliable data, and between scientific evidence and social/personal explanation; construct logically coherent, evidence-based positions and communicate potential implications and outcomes to specific audiences; and analyze overlapping complex systems to understand their effects on the natural environment.

Please note: this is a full comprehensive list and all courses are not offered every semester.

Mathematical Sciences

Course Title Credits
MA 214Intermediate Applied Statistics3
MA 255Design of Experiments3
MA 346Data Science3
MA 347Data Mining3
MA 380Introduction to Generalized Linear Models and Survival Analysis in Business3

Natural and Applied Sciences

Course Title Credits
NAS 110Human Biology4
NAS 132Astronomy: Solar System4
NAS 135Astronomy: Stars and Universe4
NAS 140Energy and The Environment4
NAS 145Principles of Geology4
NAS 150Environmental Science and Sustainability4
NAS 155Chemistry of Sustainable Products4
NAS 318Global Health Challenges3
NAS 319Health Risk and Prevention3
NAS 322Human Inheritance3
NAS 324The Biological Fate of Drugs3
NAS 333Life in the Universe3
NAS 336Water and the Environment3
NAS 340Oceanography3
NAS 342Ecology: Principles and Applications3
NAS 344Energy Alternatives3
NAS 345Science of Sustainability3
NAS 346Wind Energy3
NAS 348Global Climate Change3
NAS 350Industrial Ecology3
NAS 352Science of Environmental Policy3
PSY 200Pioneers in Psychology3
PSY 250Health Psychology3

Values, Ethics and Society  

Students understand the difference between facts and values; identify and analyze ethical issues that arise in private or public life; and articulate and critically assess features of society, such as laws, regulations, social norms, business practices, or personal beliefs, actions and characteristics from competing moral perspectives.

Please note: this is a full comprehensive list and all courses are not offered every semester.

English and Media Studies

Course Title Credits
EMS 222Introduction to Communication Studies3
EMS 270American Traditions3
EMS 271American Literature: Realism and Naturalism3
EMS 272The Roots of American Activism in American Literature3
EMS 343American Landscapes3
EMS 406Films, Franchises, and Fandom: Superheroes in Popular Culture3

Global Studies

Course Title Credits
GLS 228Science, Technology & Society3
GLS 315Human Rights in Global Media3

History

Course Title Credits
HI 309Genocide in Modern History3
HI 317South Asian Religions3
HI 351The American Religious Experience3
HI 362Ten Ideas That Shook the World3

Interdisciplinary Studies

Course Title Credits
ID 260Sex and American Culture3

Modern Languages

Course Title Credits
MLSP 305Spanish Translation3

Philosophy

Course Title Credits
PH 102Practical Ethics3
PH 130Business Ethics: Corporate Social Responsibility3
PH 131Business Ethics: Philosophy of Work3
PH 133Business Ethics: International Business Ethics3
PH 134Healthcare Ethics3
PH 138Environmental Ethics3
PH 142Sports, Games & Values3
PH 160Technology and Values3
PH 170Life and Death3
PH 312Liberty, Morality and Law3

Sociology

Course Title Credits
SO 275Cultures of Business3
SO 300Community Involvement3