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Online Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Social Sciences

Courses & Degree Requirements

The courses offered in the online Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Social Sciences encompass a wide variety of disciplines and thematic areas, along with a core set of courses unique to the ISS program.

All courses in the program have been developed specifically for ISS. They combine outstanding instruction and cutting-edge curricula with the latest online learning tools and technologies.

ISS Core Courses

The five ISS core courses help guide you in integrating the full range of coursework that you’ll complete during your time in the program. These courses, accounting for 20 credits, are:

Social Sciences Courses

All ISS students will take at least eight social science courses (40 credits). See below for the full list of courses offered.

Thematic Areas of Inquiry

ISS courses are divided into seven thematic areas of inquiry, ensuring a diverse and comprehensive educational experience.

  • Information and Technology (IT): Engage with new technologies and analyze economic and ethical developments related to them
  • Populations and Movement (PM): Learn how population patterns are changing and the complex political, economic and cultural factors shaping these patterns
  • Conflict and Cooperation (CC): Explore the diverse social factors that shape human conflict and peace
  • Diversity and Global Justice (GJ): Investigate how social hierarchies — including race, class, sexuality and gender — are reproduced, reworked and resisted globally
  • Health and Risk (HR): Understand how health risks, practices and outcomes relate to broader social, cultural and global relations
  • Inequalities and Power Relations (IP): Examine the intersecting power dynamics that contribute to social inequalities both locally and nationally
  • Societies and Environments (SE): Probe the social dimensions of the environmental challenges facing humanity and the collective global interest in sustainability

You must complete at least one course in five of the seven thematic areas to fulfill your degree requirements.

Course Instructor Thematic Area(s)
AES/COM/GWSS 389: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in the Media LeiLani Nishime IT, CC, GJ, IP
AES/COM/GWSS 489: Black Cultural Studies Ralina Joseph GJ, IP
ANTH 308: Anthropology of Gender, Women’s Health, and Reproduction Rachel Chapman GJ, HR
ANTH 377: Anthropology of International Health James Pfeiffer GJ, HR
ANTH 378: Sustainability, Resilience, and Society UW Faculty HR, SE
ANTH 460: History of Anthropology (and the Future of Social Science) Celia Lowe PM, SE
COM 220: Introduction to Public Speaking Matt McGarrity IT
COM 318: The Creative Advantage Nancy Rivenburgh IT
COM 325: Communication, Cities, and Sustainability Nancy Rivenburgh IT, SE
COM 339: The Business of Media in the Digital Age UW Faculty IT
COM 420/POL S 468/JSIS B 419: Comparative Media Systems UW Faculty IT
COM 468: Media Ethics UW Faculty IT, CC
ECON 200: Introduction to Microeconomics UW Faculty IT
ECON 201: Introduction to Macroeconomics Dennis O'Dea IT
ECON 282: Using Econometrics: A Practical Approach UW Faculty IT
ENVIR/POL S 385: Political Ecology of the World Food System Karen Litfin HR, SE
GEOG/JSIS D 323: Globalization and You UW Faculty GJ, HR
GEOG 337: Migration and Development in China Kam Wing Chan PM, GJ
GEOG 478: Social Justice and the City UW Faculty PM, CC, GJ, IP
HSTAS/JSIS A 454: History of Modern China Madeleine Yue Dong GJ
HSTCMP/JSIS A 205: Filipino Histories Vicente Rafael PM, CC, GJ, IP
HSTCMP/CHID 485: Comparative Colonialism Vicente Rafael PM, CC, GJ, IP
ISS 381: Advanced Research Writing in the Social Sciences ISS Teaching Team IT
JSIS A/POL S 435: Japanese Government and Politics Robert Pekkanen CC
JSIS B 310/POL S 320: State-Society Relations in Third World Countries José Antonio Lucero CC, GJ, SE
JSIS B 320: Yoga: History, Practice, and Health Christian Novetzke HR
JSIS B 331: Political Economy of Development Sunila Kale CC, GJ
JSIS B 351: The Global Environment Celia Lowe HR, SE
JSIS B 406/POL S 432: Political Islam and Islamic Fundamentalism UW Faculty CC, GJ, IP
JSIS B 416: Putting the World on a Couch: Psychoanalysis and International Studies Deborah Porter GJ
JSIS B 420: Failed States Scott Radnitz CC
LSJ/POL S 327: Women's Rights as Human Rights Rachel Cichowski CC, GJ, IP
PHIL 102: Contemporary Moral Problems Michael Blake CC, GJ
PHIL 343: Ethics and the Environment UW Faculty CC, SE
PHIL 362: Topics in the Philosophy of Science Lynn Hankinson Nelson IT, HR, SE
POL S 312: Survey of American Political Thought Jack Turner CC, IP
RELIG 380: Theories in the Study of Religion James Wellman CC
SOC 362: Race Relations Alexes Harris GJ, IP