Introducing the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics minor

The PPE minor combines focused multi-disciplinary coursework with integrated learning at the introductory and capstone levels. All PPE minors complete an interdisciplinary foundational course (PPE 1100) and an introductory course in economics (ECO 1000), select from a list of upper-level elective courses in philosophy, political science, and economics, and participate in a capstone seminar (PPE 4000) that invites students to apply the disciplinary frameworks, diverse perspectives, and expertise gained through elective coursework to the integrated study of some of the themes and issues first introduced in PPE 1100.

As a PPE minor, you will:

  • integrate and apply knowledge of philosophy, politics, and economics to the study of complex and contested ‘real world’ issues.
  • engage in focused multi-disciplinary learning oriented to critical reflection and problem solving.
  • examine diverse perspectives on key concepts, institutions, and values that are fundamental to political and economic life, including: power, order, and authority; democracy and collective action; property and markets; individual motivation and behavior; freedom, equality, and justice.
  • engage multiple methodologies utilized in research across the social sciences and humanities.
  • build a foundation for leadership by fostering practical and ethical reasoning and thoughtful deliberation about complex and multi-dimensional issues of public policy.
  • develop a set of conceptual tools, analytical lenses, and evaluative logics that can be used to understand and assess the world around you.

Outcomes

Upon completion of the minor, students will be able to:

  • evaluate the ethical and political dimensions of economic phenomena, as well as evaluate the way that politics is shaped by economic practices and normative commitments.
  • articulate a range of meanings associated with concepts/values like democracy, freedom, equality, and justice, and explain the political and economic significance of the meanings we attach to these terms in a given time and place.
  • utilize various conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches in PPE to analyze and evaluate contemporary political and economic issues in relation to ethical claims.
  • identify and assess concepts and arguments in classical and contemporary texts in Philosophy, Political Science/Political Theory, and Economics.
  • consider how diversity—economic, political, philosophical, gender, racial, religious, etc.—matters for conceptualizing values and valuing, including how these matter for thinking about and through issues of economics, politics and philosophy.