The Interdisciplinary Social Science (ISS) program is one of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s (COSSPP) largest undergraduate majors, with over 600 students. ISS empowers students to study the world’s complex issues and problems holistically. The program was founded in 1974 within Florida State University’s College of Arts and Sciences, and the major was named social sciences. It was initially designed to provide training for public service and a practical background for citizenship within U.S. democracy with contributions from the Departments of Economics, Geography, History, Political Science and Sociology.
Florida State’s ISS major has grown to be the 12th largest major at the university today. It has eight dedicated faculty and staff and a successful alumni network with thousands of graduates worldwide.
One of the first-known program directors, Robert E. Crew, Jr., Ph.D., served as program director from 1989 until his retirement in 2020. Dr. Crew focused his teaching and research on American state politics, public policy, and Florida’s government. While at Florida State, he founded and directed the Master of Applied American Politics and Policy (MAAPP) program and served as associate dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy.
In January 2021, after serving as associate director and teaching faculty for the program since 2014, Lisa Turner De Vera, Ph.D., was named the new ISS director. Dr. Turner De Vera has a background in real estate development and international development programs in Southern Africa. She earned her Master of Science in Planning (MSP) in 2007 and her Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning in 2013, both from Florida State. Dr. Turner De Vera teaches in ISS and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, focusing on interdisciplinary approaches to research, learning, and planning for developing areas. Under her leadership, the program has grown to include an active, dedicated multidisciplinary faculty that continues to build innovative specializations and opportunities for interdisciplinary undergraduate research.
Undergraduate Programs
ISS is an undergraduate program where students can earn a B.A. or B.S. through coursework that breaks down and applies a multidisciplinary view of contemporary social issues and problems. Students are encouraged to apply various perspectives to specific societal issues or problems.
The ISS major is a flexible program that allows students to pursue their specialized and professional interests. The program offers students different areas to explore their undergraduate involvements and draws on the disciplines of the social sciences.
General and Specialized Undergraduate Track
Students completing a B.A. or B.S. in Interdisciplinary Social Science can pursue a general or specialized degree track.
The general track follows disciplinary priorities and requires a primary, secondary, and tertiary coursework concentration. The primary concentration consists of 18 credit hours in a social science department of interest. The secondary concentration consists of 12 credit hours in another social science discipline that complements or supplements student interests from a different perspective. Students choose a tertiary arrangement of courses distributed among any other departments. Students can choose from classes in eight social science departments – including Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology, and Urban, and Regional Planning. This coursework structure allows students to pursue their interest in particular topics with a multidisciplinary advantage.
Students can also follow one of seven specialized tracks – including Environmental Studies, Inequalities and Society, Law and Society, Public Policy, Public Service, Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship, and Urban Studies. The specialized tracks provide a curated course list that guides learning and investigations into specific topics of interest.
The environmental studies specialization provides an overview of human interaction with the environment and its outcomes. Students can learn about the social and political aspects of environmental issues, resilience strategies for climate problems, and resource management planning.
The inequalities and society specialization is an in-depth study of disparities in society. This specialization allows students to utilize theory, research, and practices to understand social inequality. ISS students learn to use data and research to study multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary interpretations of social problems. Students also learn to use balanced perspectives, approaches, histories, practices, and critiques to view society’s inequalities.
The law and society specialization is an interdisciplinary study of the interaction of law, legal institutions, and contemporary society. Students explore the connection between society’s social, economic, and political elements and their role in shaping the law and vice versa.
The public policy specialization examines how social science concepts and research can help us understand public issues in the U.S. This specialization uses multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives to study public policy, the primary mechanism through which governments mitigate collective action problems. Students can learn skills for analyzing public policy and its impacts, analyzing information about public issues, and thinking critically about alternative methods of resolving these problems.
The public service specialization provides a framework for studying the politics of national, state and local governments with emergency management, leadership and administration skills. ISS students learn to understand the relationship between public affairs, policy, and administration. This specialization provides an ideal background for many employers, particularly in state and local government agencies. It also helps to prepare undergraduates for graduate work in public administration, emergency management, and urban and regional planning.
The social innovation and social entrepreneurship specialization lets students pursue opportunities to create and sustain innovative products, service and ventures to address a variety of the world’s social issues. Students learn about creating entrepreneurial solutions for society’s many challenges.
The urban studies specialization explores the complex relationship between the built environment and social life. It provides the multidisciplinary study of urban policy, urban services, and the consequences of urban development through environmental, social, political, and economic coursework. Students are introduced to urban planning concepts in domestic and international contexts and can learn about the profession of urban planners. Students can also discover crucial urban development problems, such as environmental issues, urban politics, and urban governance.
Other Programming
FSU students can also pursue the Undergraduate Certificate in Public Policy to develop their abilities as policy advocates and analysts by focusing on important areas of public policy for Florida and the U.S. To pursue the certificate, students must apply and, if accepted, take 21 credit hours in various courses. The certificate prepares students for roles involving leadership, emergency management, civil liberties, and more.
ISS students also have the chance to pursue a minor in law and society. The minor examines the interaction of law, legal institutions, and contemporary society through an interdisciplinary study.
Faculty Research and Mentorship
Though the 12th largest major at FSU, the ISS program provides students with individualized mentorship from one of six dedicated faculty members who each work to guide students and make advancements toward their academic goals.
Faculty members engage in teaching and other exploratory activities. Each faculty member has a firm dedication to social science disciplinary work and interdisciplinary values for teaching and mentoring students. Assistant Teaching Professor Camilo Rubbini, Ph.D., is active in economics research. His recent article, “Price Discrimination: Teaching New Results with Simple Exercises,” was published in The Journal of Economic Education in 2023. The piece aims to clarify the relationship between a traditional description of group pricing and how it is used in the economic world.
Radha Modi, Ph.D., ISS assistant director and associate teaching professor, also contributed to “Caste and the Diaspora” in The Oxford Handbook of Caste in 2023. The book delves into various essays displaying how caste, a traditional hierarchy in South Asia, has evolved. Dr. Modi also mentored three students who presented at the 2024 Spring Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) Symposium to display their experience and research engagement.
Distinguished Faculty
Many dedicated and notable faculty members have contributed to the program’s prestige over the last 50 years, some of which is noted through teaching awards given by the college and the university.
Assistant Teaching Professor Alexandra Cockerham, Ph.D., received the 2024 College of Social Science and Public Policy Outstanding Teaching Award. This award, given at the end of each spring semester, recognizes teaching excellence for those who lead as positive role models to students. Dr. Modi was nominated for this year’s Florida State Honors Mentoring Award for her dedication to her students, classroom involvement, and extracurricular leadership.
Effective Fall 2024, Tracy Woodard, Ph.D., received a promotion and will assume her new role as an associate teaching professor. With a specialization in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Woodard has served as an assistant teaching professor for the social sciences interdisciplinary social innovation and entrepreneurship specialization since joining FSU in 2021.
For more information about the program’s current activities, visit coss.fsu.edu/iss. For more information about our college’s history as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, visit coss.fsu.edu/50th.