PPE Certificate Requirements

Program preparation

Preparation for participation the gateway PPE class should normally include the following prerequisites: a) Economics 1D, Introduction to Economics or Economics 51D, Economic Principles and b) Philosophy 107 Political and Social Philosophy or Political Science 123 Introduction to Political Philosophy. However, students without this previous preparation may enroll in the gateway PPE class with the permission of the instructor.

Program requirements

8 specified classes distributed across the three disciplines in accordance with the table below, including gateway and capstone classes.

Gateway class

All students in the certificate program will take the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics introductory class. This class will be cross-listed in the three departments. It would deal with a common theme from the perspective of the three disciplines. For example, it might treat the economics, politics and philosophy of distributive justice, or the problems in each discipline raised by variations on the prisoner’s dilemma. The class will be expected to provide students with the opportunity to come to grips with some classic texts in these three fields, for example, Hobbes and Hume, Smith and Marx, Mill and Rawls. Ideally, this class will usually be taken in the spring of a student’s second year. (A course authorization form for this class has been submitted to the committee on courses)

Capstone class

In the spring semester of their senior years, student will take the PPE capstone class. The capstone class would be cross listed and provides students in the PPE program an opportunity to integrate and synthesize the analytical framework and the factual studies provided in their other PPE classes to produce a substantial research paper that can contribute to research on the intersection of the three disciplines.

PPE Core classes

Beyond the gateway, and prior to or concurrent with the capstone class, all students will take a common core of microeconomics, rational choice, and ethical theory/political philosophy, and the history of economic thought.

6 additional required classes:
2 Economics classes: 55, 146 or 148 or 190
2 Political science classes: 139 or 168, 230,
2 Philosophy classes: 116, 117,

Three-year semester-by-semester projection

Course	Frequency	Enrollment Cap
Econ 55	Every Fall and Spring	400
Econ 105	Every Fall and Spring	200
Econ 148	Every Fall	35
Econ 146	Annually or Biennially	40
Econ 190	Every Fall and Spring	18
Phil 107	Annually	35
Phil 116	Annually	35
Phil 117	Annually	35
Poli 139	Annually
Poli 168	Biennially
Poli 123	Annually
Poli 230	Annually

Guide to course numbers in above curriculum

Economics:
1D/51D Introductory Economics
55 Intermediate economics
146 Adam Smith
148 History of economic thought
190 Development of modern economic thought

Political Science:
123 Political Philosophy
139 Conflict, collusion, coop
168 Decision making
230 Intro positive political theory Ethical Theories

Philosophy:
107 Soc/Pol Phil
116 Systemat. Ethics
117 Ancient/Modern