Thematic Programs
The College of Social Science hosts several thematic programs that foster research and education in cross-cutting subjects.
Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection Program
The Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection Program (A-CAPPP) is the first and preeminent academic body focusing upon the complex global issues of anti-counterfeiting and product protection of all products, across all industries, in all markets on strategies to work effectively to detect, deter, and respond to the crime.
Brand owners, government agencies, professional associations, and others all share in the challenge of responding to counterfeit goods and product protection issues. A-CAPPP is an independent, interdisciplinary evidence-based hub, offering research, educational programs, information, and partnership opportunities designed to assist in protecting brands and products of all industries worldwide.
Described by the FBI as the crime of the 21st century, product counterfeiting accounts for an estimated $600 billion in global trade and wreaks dire global health, safety and economic consequences on individuals, corporations, government and society.
Chicano/Latino Studies Program
The Chicano/Latino Studies (CLS) Program promotes research and education across disciplines on the histories and the cultures of Chicanas/Chicanos and Latinas/Latinos.
It focuses on the historical, cultural, and social contributions of the diverse indo-afro-hispano citizens of the United States over the last 500 years as well as the status and conditions of ethnic minorities and emerging populations in the United States.
The CLS program coordinates the Ph.D. program in Chicano/Latino Studies and the undergraduate specialization in Chicano/Latino Studies.
The program also oversees curriculum development; mentors and advises students; and promotes close faculty, staff, and student relations. In addition, it sponsors academic and cultural activities for the university and the larger community.
Environmental Science and Policy Program
The Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) promotes the production and circulation of environmental scientific knowledge. Through the graduate specialization that can be pursued in combination with a graduate program in any disciplinary field, it trains scientists to be efficient producers and conduits of that knowledge.
ESPP connects MSU scientists — from the social and natural sciences; agriculture; communications; engineering; human, osteopathic and veterinary medicine; humanities; and law — and provides a conduit for them to integrate inter-disciplinary resources in a new way, encouraging new ways of understanding environmental problems and developing tomorrow’s most innovative solutions.
Global Urban Studies Program
The Global Urban Studies Program (GUSP) serves as a research center for faculty and students to address dynamics and problems in cities across the world, with emphasis on facilitating urban areas to learn from each other.
Research projects associated with GUSP cover a range of topics addressing urban policy issues and governance, the effects of globalization on urban areas, and urban issues in comparative perspective.
Scholars in the program also look at the urban impacts of global trends, such as changing manufacturing structures, immigration patterns, and population gain and loss.
The program also includes a graduate specialization that can be taken in combination with any other graduate degree program in any disciplinary field such as economics, political science, sociology, or geography.
