ISS 310: People and the Environment, Online
Fall 2025: Semester: Syllabus & Schedule

Course site: FS25-ISS-310-730 - People and Environment

Instructor, 730: Dr. Jeff Wilson

Email: wilso443@msu.edu (preferred means of contact)

Office hours: By appointment, please email me to arrange a meeting

Syllabus Outline:

Integrative Studies in Social Science:

Integrative Studies in Social Science Objectives:

Course Goals:

Course Requirements and Recommendations:

Course Netiquette:

Course Organization:

Your course faculty, course staff, and onGEO staff

Units, Lessons, and Lectures

Review quizzes

Graded quizzes

StoryMap Project

Mid-semester evaluation

Course Policies:

MSU privacy statement (and use of course materials)

Academic honesty

Plagiarism

Spartan Code of Honor

Attendance Policy

Grading:

Calculating your final grade

**Fall 2025: Semester: Schedule**

Integrative Studies in Social Science:

You know you are taking a course in Integrative Studies in the Social Sciences (ISS). However, do you know what that means? All Integrative Studies courses are related in that they aim to teach concepts from a unique perspective, as described below:

“Integrative Studies is Michigan State's unique approach to general education, offering courses that integrate multiple ways of knowing into an enhanced appreciation of our humanity, creativity, knowledge, and responsibilities for ourselves and our world.  Integrative Studies courses introduce students to college level work and important new ways of thinking” (“Integrative Studies,” About CISGS - Integrative Studies in General Science).

ISS courses consider how the social sciences explore and develop our understanding of the human condition; the life experiences common to all of humanity.

 “The Social Science Integrative Studies core curriculum provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the body of knowledge, theory, practice, and methods that the social sciences bring to an understanding of the human condition. These sciences form a vital and integral part of a liberal education. The Social Science Integrative Studies core consists of course options designed to:

1. Assist students in distinguishing their personal assumptions and beliefs from conclusions based upon critical thought and the analytical exploration of human behavioral patterns and trends.
2. Expand students' awareness of the ways that enduring and universal social issues and resolutions can be distinguished from those that are the consequence of specific or transient contemporary conditions.
3. Provide multicultural, international, and national perspectives on human behavior that address the particular challenges and opportunities for a multi-racial and multi-ethnic American society.” (“What is Integrative Studies?,” About CISGS - Integrative Studies in General Science)

Integrative Studies in Social Science Objectives: 

The following learning objectives were set by the Center for Integrative Studies in Social Sciences for 300-level ISS courses. We attempt to address as many of these objectives as possible in our course. After taking this course, you will be able to:

1. Understand how social scientists apply critical thinking skills
2. Use concepts, methods, and theories of social sciences to account for social phenomena, and interpret behavior and social processes
3. Demonstrate the ability to make linkages or connections between diverse facts, theories, literatures, and observations across social science fields
4. Translate social sciences knowledge into local, national, and global citizenship
5. Respect and use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and scholarly or scientific approaches to social behavior. Evaluate the quality of information, including differentiating empirical evidence from speculation, opinion, or belief
6. Locate, organize, synthesize, and communicate information from multiple sources and perspectives
7. Actively participate in the creation, identification, exchange, and transformation of knowledge in an ever-changing world.

Course Goals:

This course is a survey of global and regional interactions among people, their geographic location and utilization of space, and the physical environment. Particular emphasis is placed on the relationship between natural systems and human society. In this sense, ISS310V is a merger of human and physical geography, taught in an online environment. As such, this course aims to:

1. Develop students' ability to critically evaluate the dynamic relationships between human societies and the environment. By examining real-world examples and exploring diverse perspectives, students will hone their analytical skills, enabling them to assess the environmental implications of personal, societal, and global decisions.
2. Cultivate a sense of global citizenship by fostering an understanding of the interconnectedness of environmental issues on a global scale. Through exploration of topics like food systems and urbanization, students will develop an awareness of their role as active participants in a broader, interconnected world, equipped with the knowledge to contribute meaningfully to global conversations and solutions.
3. Empower students with practical knowledge to address environmental challenges in their daily lives and communities. From energy choices to waste management, the course aims to equip students with the tools necessary to engage with and contribute to sustainable solutions, encouraging a proactive and responsible approach to environmental issues.

Course Requirements and Recommendations:

All materials required to complete this course will be provided for you through the course website in D2L.

PLEASE NOTE:

• All course emails will be sent to your Michigan State (mail.msu.edu) account only via the D2L system. You will need to check your Michigan State account at least once a day for emails from your instructor and Online Geography staff. If you need to, please set your Michigan State account to forward your emails to an account that you check frequently.
• We highly recommend that you view this course website in Firefox, Chrome, or Internet Explorer, as the site was designed specifically for use in these browsers.
• You are encouraged to communicate and engage with your instructor and classmates respectfully and courteously on course discussion forums.  
• To take this course, at minimum, you must be partially proficient in using common computer software programs and navigating the Internet. This course takes place entirely online, and both material and assessments are housed in a learning management system. If any part of that makes you uncomfortable, we strongly encourage you to reconsider taking this course.
• It is recommended that you spend the same amount of time on this course as you would on a traditional lecture course; this includes both classroom time and study hours. According to the University, as a general rule, students budget a minimum of 12 hours attending and working on a 4-credit course each week during a full semester.  

Course Netiquette:

An entirely online course is quite different from the traditional courses you have taken at Michigan State University. In an online course, the only contact you are likely to have with your Instructor or with others in the class is through email, discussion boards, chat rooms, et cetera. In general, this system works very well, and many students prefer it to a traditional (lecture) class because they can ask questions freely without feeling intimidated. We have also discovered, however, that this same feeling of freedom can be a negative thing, particularly because some students feel they can be rude. We ask that you make a special effort to be respectful in all of your correspondences during this course.

Students who make rude, profane, racist, homophobic, sexist comments or other intimidating comments will not be tolerated and will be warned the first time by email. REMEMBER: THE ONLY BASIS YOUR INSTRUCTOR HAS FOR GRADING AND DISCUSSIONS IS THROUGH YOUR WORDS ON A COMPUTER SCREEN. Your Instructor has no other context in which to understand your thinking. Therefore, it is important to be concise, informative, and polite while conversing with your Instructor and other students in the class.

Course Organization:

While a team of faculty and staff developed this course for online instruction, an Instructor teaches each section. Moreover, this course is delivered through a series of online lessons composed of two or more video lectures. Course assessments are accomplished through online assessments (quizzes and assignments) based on the video lecture material and course/program goals.

Your course faculty, course staff, and onGEO staff

Dr. Jeff Wilson is your course Instructor.  Dr. Wilson is responsible for the day-to-day management of the course, which includes grading assignments, reviewing quiz activity, responding to emails, and issuing final grades. ALL email correspondence and other forms of communication should go to Dr. Wilson. Emails will generally be answered daily during the week, so you can expect a response within one to two days, depending on when your email is sent.  

Juliegh Bookout and Beth Weisenborn are staff members of Online Geography (onGEO), part of the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences at Michigan State University; you may see their name on certain aspects of the course.

Units, Lessons, and Lectures

The table below shows this course consists of five units, 12 lessons, and 28 lecture videos. Note that lecture videos range in length from approximately 9 minutes (the shortest) to 28 minutes (the longest), and anywhere in between.

Review quizzes

There are two types of quizzes in this course, review quizzes and graded quizzes. Each video lecture (that is, those that are required and count toward your final grade) has an associated review to help you prepare for the lesson quiz. It will be available for you to take as many times as you need. The purpose of the review quiz is to help you assess (for yourself) what you have learned, to get accustomed to quiz questions, and to get used to taking online quizzes in D2L. Review quizzes are not graded, however, completing review quizzes can (and will) only help you on the graded quiz and will demonstrate to your Instructor that you are interested in learning the course material.

Graded quizzes

There will be 12 quizzes during the semester, each quiz covering one lesson (including all video lecture content).  

Quizzes will consist of a set number of one-point questions based on the amount of material covered, and the time limit will be set accordingly. You can expect to see a variety of multiple-choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank type questions. All questions are selected at random from a larger pool of questions. All answer options for each question are also ordered at random. Please take note that your quiz is unique and completely unlike any other student's quiz.

The dates of the quizzes are listed on the schedule and the D2L Calendar. Your instructor will also notify you by email of an upcoming quiz and provide you with any additional information you may need, such as quiz open/close date and access times.

All quizzes will generally run the same way. Each quiz will turn on at noon (Eastern Time) on the day the lesson is assigned unless otherwise noted (see schedule for quiz open/due dates). When you are ready to take the quiz, you will click on the quiz to read the instructions and begin taking it. Each quiz will be offered until the end date and time specified (again, refer to the schedule for specific dates). You may log into the quiz at any time during that window. Once logged into the quiz, you have a set time limit to complete your quiz and turn it in. If you are still working on your quiz and the time limit has passed, it will be automatically submitted by D2L at that time and no further changes will be recorded.

When a quiz period ends, your instructor will review grades and submissions. Official grades for the quiz will appear on your D2L grade report in most cases within one to two days following the close of a quiz.  You can also review your graded submission at that time by returning to the quiz on either the Content or Assessments page.

StoryMap Project

Over the course of the semester you will be required to complete a three-part assignment submitted via the D2L course website. Each part will have its own requirements, outlined in the assignment guide, with each subsequent submission building up to the final project. Your submissions are due at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the dates specified on the Course Schedule.

Although the project is based on topics covered in this course, you will be required to conduct additional research to fulfill the requirements of the assignment. The total number of points available for each part varies and is available on the Course Schedule. Your grade will be based on how well you complete the assigned task and the quality of your work (see the rubric in the writing assignments module in D2L for more details). Also, any form or degree of plagiarism will NOT be TOLERATED and will result in 0 points, no questions asked! In most cases, grades and feedback will be available on the course website about seven to ten days following the assignment due date and time.

Mid-semester evaluation

You are required to complete an evaluation of your performance in the course by 11:59 PM (ET) on the due date provided on the schedule. This is a short assignment worth five points. It is intended to help you in two ways:

1. You are required to take stock of how you are doing in the course and assess the amount of work you are putting in.
2. You will earn what should be five, easy points that will count toward your final grade.

There is no excuse for not completing this assignment. LATE Submissions will NOT be accepted for any reason.

Course Policies:

MSU privacy statement (and use of course materials)

From the D2L Help Page:

MSU expects that you will respect the rights of faculty and other students as you participate in the educational process. Participating in a D2L course means that you may have access to personal information and academic work produced by other students and faculty members, such as discussion board postings, drafts of papers, and other work produced in the course. Academic norms and MSU policy require that you must not reveal any information about classmates, coursework content, or its authors to anyone outside the course.

Students should be aware that their use of D2L materials and communication tools in a particular course may be observed and recorded by the instructor of the course. These observations and records may include a student's access to online library materials linked through the D2L course website. Use of these observations and records must conform to the use and release of confidential student records as described in Michigan State University's Access to Student Information. Students may link to library resources directly, without linking through D2L, using the Library website.

ALL of our course material in D2L is the copyrighted property of Michigan State University. This means that ALL course material in the course site is protected and, other than one copy of the material for your own personal use, this material should not be distributed or posted in any form. If material (lessons/assignments/exams/et cetera) from the course site is posted outside of D2L it is considered misuse of the material, therefore, the course staff can give you a 0 (even after the fact) for the assignment from which the material came.

Academic honesty

From Michigan State University's Office of the Ombudsperson:

Article 2.III.B.2 states: “The student shares with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards.” In addition, the Department of Geography, Environment, & Spatial Sciences adheres to the policies on academic honesty specified in General Student Regulation 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades; the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance 17.00 Examinations.

Therefore, unless authorized by your instructor, the following are considered academic misconduct: falsification/fabrication, cheating, and sharing work. Specific examples of academic misconduct include but are not limited to

• submitting forged or fraudulent excuses (written documents or otherwise) for an absence or missed due date(s),
• collaborating with another student on an assessment, or using outside sources other than your own notes to complete a quiz or exam,
• using a copy of a current or past quiz or exam to aid in preparing for or completing your current quiz or exam, and
• providing a copy of course materials of any type to another student or making them available to other students on a website (or elsewhere).

Students who violate MSU regulations on the Protection of Scholarship and Grades and engage in any type of academic misconduct will receive a failing grade in the course or on the assessment(s).

Faculty are required to report all instances in which a penalty grade is given for academic dishonesty.  Students reported for academic dishonesty are required to take a course on the integrity of scholarship and grades and a hold will be placed on the student's account until the student completes the course.  This course is overseen by the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a specific type of academic misconduct defined as the effort to fundamentally use someone else's ideas as your own. Studies show that plagiarism is common at most universities, especially in online classes since it is easy to copy directly from the course site (or other websites) and put those exact words, or most of the words, in an answer. When completing written work, including answering essay questions on quizzes/exams and writing assignments, it is essential that you provide references where needed (that is, you properly cite all information that did not come from you) and that your responses are phrased in your OWN, original words. Failure to properly cite course materials (lessons and the textbook, if applicable) and using your own work previously submitted in another course without permission, are also unacceptable. If your instructor suspects that part or all of an answer has been plagiarized in any way or form, you will be contacted immediately—plagiarized content is given 0 points.

According to Michigan State University's Office of the Ombudsperson,

Plagiarism may be accidental or blatant or self-plagiarism. However, students are held to the same standards whether or not they knew they were plagiarizing or whether or not they were plagiarizing themselves or someone else.

It is your responsibility to read and understand our course policies (provided here) and educate yourself so that you know what actions are considered acts of plagiarism (and academic misconduct, in general). A short quiz about academic plagiarism is located in the Getting Started folder of the course. We strongly encourage you to read the associated materials and take the quiz before beginning the course. Please be conscientious of academic integrity and do not hesitate to contact your instructor if you have any questions.

Course Policy on AI-Generated Content & Tools. As educators, both your instructor and onGEO staff acknowledge the wide array of AI-generated content and tools available to you. While these resources may appear to offer a convenient solution for crafting written work, it is essential to highlight some important considerations before using them to complete your work.

AI-generated content and tools should not serve as a substitute for your personal critical thinking and writing abilities. While they can serve as useful aids for brainstorming ideas or identifying potential writing errors, they must never supplant your authentic original thinking and writing.  You should rely on your own critical thinking and writing skills to complete your assignments and if you choose to use AI-generated content and tools, it should only be as a supplement not a replacement for your own work

AI-generated content and tools are not foolproof. These tools make errors and may produce content that is not accurate or appropriate for your assignment. It is important to use AI-generated content with caution and to carefully review and edit any content generated by these tools before incorporating it into your assignments.

I have access to and can/will use AI-powered plagiarism detection software if I suspect that any portion of an assignment has been generated by AI tools. If any part of your work is found to have a high likelihood of being written using AI, you will receive a 0 on the assignment and an Academic Dishonesty Report will be filed with the University. Academic integrity is of the utmost importance in this course and any work you submit must be your own original work that includes in-text citations and a reference list for all sources used. This includes the use of AI-generated content or tools (yes, attribution must be given to them as well).  

Spartan Code of Honor

As a Spartan, I will strive to uphold values of the highest ethical standard. I will practice honesty in my work, foster honesty in my peers, and take pride in knowing that honor is worth more than grades. I will carry these values beyond my time as a student at Michigan State University, continuing the endeavor to build personal integrity in all that I do. (Spartan Code of Honor)

Student conduct that is inconsistent with the academic pledge is addressed through existing policies, regulations, and ordinances governing academic honesty and integrity: MSU Policies, Regulations and Ordinances Regarding Academic Honesty and Integrity.

Any student who commits an act of academic misconduct (including academic dishonesty, violations of professional standards, or falsification of academic records; click here to read the University policy), will be reported to the University via the Academic Dishonesty Report portal. The type of misconduct and penalty, as well as a detailed account of the violation, are submitted and will be accessible to the student’s Associate Dean, designee, and Instructor-of-Record.

Attendance Policy

While attendance is not required, the University considers attendance intrinsic to academic performance. Students who are not completing activities, including submitting quizzes and writing assignments, will be contacted via email by the instructor. If the student fails to respond, the instructor may initiate an administrative drop in compliance with federal regulations governing financial aid and veterans education benefits (see below).

From the Academic Programs Catalog, General Information, Policies, Procedures and Regulations, Attendance:

REPORTING NON-ATTENDANCE. In compliance with federal regulations governing financial aid and veterans education benefits, instructors are required to report students who stop attending or who have never attended class. After the first week of classes, through the middle of the term of instruction, instructors who identify a non-attending student should notify their departmental office. Upon receiving a report of non-attendance, departmental representatives are encouraged to initiate an administrative drop.

Attendance is defined as physical attendance or participation in an academically related activity, including but not limited to the submission of an assignment, an examination, participation in a study group, or an online discussion. Instructors who do not take attendance may utilize key assessment points (e.g. projects, papers, mid-term exams, and discussions) as benchmarks for participation.

DROP FOR NON-ATTENDANCE. Students may be dropped from a course for non-attendance by a departmental administrative drop after the fourth class period, or the fifth class day of the term of instruction, whichever occurs first.

Limits to Confidentiality

Instructors are mandatory reporters and must share certain information with the appropriate university offices if it is disclosed to them. This includes suspected child abuse or neglect, incidents of sexual misconduct, relationship violence, stalking, or credible threats of harm to self or others. Reporting helps ensure the university can provide appropriate care and keep our community safe; you do not have to interact with the Office for Civil Rights or do anything further if you do not want to. If you choose to share something like this with me, I will also support you and help connect you with resources.  For confidential support, you can also visit: Resources for Survivors.

Grading:

Calculating your final grade

Your final grade is calculated using the following assessments:

Final grades will be assigned based on this scale:

Percent        Grade

        90 to 100        4.0

        84 to 89        3.5

        78 to 83        3.0

        72 to 77        2.5

        66 to 71        2.0

        60 to 65        1.5

        52 to 59        1.0

        Less than 52        0.0

To view all your grades in this course, select Grades from the Assessments menu in D2L

Extra credit

At this time, there  are no extra credit opportunities in this course.

Honors option

We do not offer an Honors Option for students taking the online version of the course.

ISS 310-V: People and the Environment, Online                Fall 2025: Semester: Schedule

Important Dates

Monday, September 1: Holiday - University Closed

Thursday, September 18: Last Day for Tuition Refund

Monday, October 13: Middle of Semester

Monday, October 20 and Tuesday, October 21: Break Days

Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28: Holiday - University Closed

The table below contains the course schedule for the spring semester. Rows are listed in order by date; the three columns from left to right are date, content, and additional information.

All quizzes and assignments open at noon (ET) on the day the lesson is assigned and close at 11:59 P.M. (E.T.) on the due date.