In this program, students learn how contemporary societies have developed and how they function, with a focus on the key challenges these societies are confronted with (e.g. economic globalization, the growth of megacities, ethnocultural diversity, and the rise of the critical citizen). None of these issues can be fully grasped, let alone addressed, through the prism of a single social science. A comprehensive understanding will only come from integrating insights from all the social sciences, together with relevant facts identified by the natural sciences. Ultimately, the aim of the ISS program is to train students in gaining an all-rounded perspective of the social sciences and on human behavior and social organization.