Course Descriptions

The Course Descriptions catalog describes all undergraduate and graduate courses offered by Michigan State University. The searches below only return course versions Fall 2000 and forward. Please refer to the Archived Course Descriptions for versions prior to Fall 2000.

Course Numbers Policy
Definitions of Course Characteristics (pdf)
Course Descriptions Frequently Asked Questions

Course Search




Keyword Search



Course Descriptions: Search Results

ISS 210  Society and the Individual (D)

Semester:
Fall of every year, Spring of every year, Summer of every year
Credits:
Total Credits: 4   Lecture/Recitation/Discussion Hours: 4
Description:
Evolution of human behavior with an emphasis on the individual and society. Family and kinship, social organizations. Societal types, personality, and the life cycle.
Effective Dates:
FALL 2014 - Open


ISS 215  Social Differentiation and Inequality (D)

Semester:
Fall of every year, Spring of every year, Summer of every year
Credits:
Total Credits: 4   Lecture/Recitation/Discussion Hours: 4
Description:
Types, causes and consequences of stratification in human societies. Age, class, gender, race and other factors which define social position. Education, occupation, political economy.
Effective Dates:
FALL 2014 - Open


ISS 220  Time, Space and Change in Human Society (D)

Semester:
Fall of every year, Spring of every year, Summer of every year
Credits:
Total Credits: 4   Lecture/Recitation/Discussion Hours: 4
Description:
Evolutionary, ecological, and spatial theories of adaptation and change. Cultural evolution from prehistoric foraging to the post-industrial age. Continuity and change in the emergence and development of contemporary ways of life.
Effective Dates:
FALL 2014 - Open


ISS 225  Power, Authority, and Exchange (D)

Semester:
Fall of every year, Spring of every year, Summer of every year
Credits:
Total Credits: 4   Lecture/Recitation/Discussion Hours: 4
Description:
Power, authority, and exchange in organizing societies. Costs and limitations of power. Institutionalization of authority. Systems of exchange: planned vs. market economies.
Effective Dates:
FALL 2014 - Open


ISS 230  Government and the Individual (D)

Semester:
Fall of every year, Spring of every year, Summer of every year
Credits:
Total Credits: 4   Lecture/Recitation/Discussion Hours: 4
Description:
Critical examination of the role of government in regulating individual behavior. Implications for cultural values and beliefs and modes of behavior. Analysis of consequences of different theories for resolving, or creating problems in public policy.
Effective Dates:
FALL 2014 - Open


ISS 235  Liberal Democracy as a Way of Life (D)

Semester:
Fall of every year
Credits:
Total Credits: 4   Lecture/Recitation/Discussion Hours: 4
Description:
Cultural tendencies of liberal democracy that form the characters and constitute the ways of life of individuals in liberal democracies.
Effective Dates:
FALL 2014 - Open