Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Program Guidelines
The PPE Program enables students to pursue a rigorous course of study that explores significant historical, methodological, and theoretical interconnections between philosophy, politics, and economics. It is designed to help students understand the theoretical and normative foundations of political and economic analysis.
The PPE Program is overseen by the PPE Committee, made up of one faculty member from each of the PPE departments. Each PPE major must choose a member of the PPE Committee to serve as their PPE Major Advisor. The PPE Committee (as a whole) must approve the individual Course of Study Proposal of each PPE student. Students who are interested in pursuing a major in PPE should contact a member of the PPE Committee shortly after they arrive on campus.
Faculty
Committee
John McHugh (Director), Jessica Bean, Heather Pool
Faculty
Philosophy
Chloe Armstrong, Chelsea Bowden, Barbara Fultner, Zachary Joachim, Jonathan Maskit, John McHugh, Mark Moller, Lindsey Schwartz
Politics
Paul Djupe, Anthony Ives, Andrew Katz, Andrew McWard, Malliga Och, Heather Pool, Scott Smitson
Economics
Belinda Azenui, Jessica Bean, Ted Burczak, Pedro Cadenas, Quentin Duroy, Zarrina Juraqulova, Botir Okhunjanov, Hyun Woong Park, Katherine Snipes, Luis Villanueva, Adam Walke, Andrea Ziegert
PPE Major
The course requirements for the PPE Program are divided into three sections:
- Core Courses (13 courses)
- Electives (5 courses)
- Senior Research (one semester)
Core courses are chosen to provide students with a basic understanding in each of the three disciplines. Also included in the core is PPE 201, a course in which students independently design the final portion of their PPE studies by developing a topic of focus that unifies their five elective courses and senior research. Electives allow students to concentrate on a specific area or topic of interest, while the senior research project offers a capstone experience where students integrate work in the three disciplines. In effect, the PPE major is a double major distributed across three departments.
Core Courses
| Code | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy (4 courses) | ||
| The following two Philosophy courses: | ||
| PHIL 121 | Ethics: Philosophical Considerations of Morality | |
| PHIL 126 | Social and Political Philosophy | |
| And any two of the following: | ||
| PHIL 250 | Philosophy of Law | |
| or PHIL 275 | Philosophy of Feminism | |
| or PHIL 294 | Topics in Ethics | |
| or PHIL 295 | Topics in Social and Political Philosophy | |
| or PHIL 321 | Metaethics | |
| or PHIL 326 | Theories of Justice | |
| ---------------------------------- | ||
| Politics (4 courses) | ||
| PPA 132 | Introduction to Theorizing About Political Life: Normative Issues Common to Democratic Systems | |
| Plus any one of the following two courses: | ||
| PPA 102 | Introduction to Policymaking in Democracies | |
| or PPA 122 | Introduction to Global Governance | |
| Plus any one of the following courses: | ||
| PPA 381 | Ancient Political Theory | |
| or PPA 382 | Modern Political Theory | |
| or PPA 383 | Contemporary Political Theory | |
| or PPA 385 | American Political Thought | |
| Plus one additional upper-division PPA course (300-level) that is not PPA 381, PPA 382, PPA 383, or American Political Thought. | ||
| ---------------------------------- | ||
| Economics (4 courses) | ||
| The following two Economics courses: | ||
| ECON 101 | Introductory Macroeconomics | |
| ECON 102 | Introductory Microeconomics | |
| And any two of the following: | ||
| Economic Justice | ||
or ECON 401 | History of Economic Thought I | |
or ECON 402 | History of Economic Thought II | |
or ECON 466 | Evolution of the Western Economy | |
PPE Course of Study Proposal
All PPE majors must satisfactorily complete PPE 201 - Course of Study Proposal, a half-credit, partial-semester course in spring of their sophomore year. In the course, students will complete a Course of Study Proposal (COSP), which is meant to outline a topic of focus within the PPE disciplines that will unify the student’s five major elective courses and senior research project into a coherent whole. In working on the COSP, students will learn how to identify a PPE topic of focus, brainstorm and workshop possibilities with their classmates, and reflect upon the relationship between their studies and their plans for life after Denison. Continuation in the PPE major requires a “Satisfactory” grade in the course.
Electives
A student must select five additional advanced courses (generally, 200-level or above) in at least two of the three departments. The courses which satisfy this requirement must be approved by the PPE Committee. Under special circumstances, and with the approval of the PPE Committee, a student may be permitted to fulfill up to two elective requirements with courses outside of the Philosophy, Politics and Public Affairs, and Economics departments. It is the responsibility of each student's PPE advisor and ultimately, the PPE Committee, to see that the student's course of study realizes the overall goals of the PPE Program.
Senior Research
In addition to completing the course sequence indicated above, each PPE student must complete at least one semester of senior research culminating in a senior research project linking the three areas.
Courses
PPE 201 - Course of Study Proposal (0.5 Credit Hours)
This is a half-credit, partial-semester course that all PPE majors are required to take in spring of their sophomore year. In the course, students will complete a Course of Study Proposal (COSP). The main purpose of the COSP is to outline a topic of focus within the PPE disciplines that will unify the student’s five major elective courses and senior research project into a coherent whole. In working on the COSP, students will learn how to identify a PPE topic of focus, brainstorm and workshop possibilities with their classmates, and reflect upon the relationship between their studies and their plans for life after Denison. Continuation in the PPE major requires a “Satisfactory” grade in the course, which is conditional upon approval of the COSP, completion of all course assignments, and full participation in course activities.
PPE 361 - Directed Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
A student in good standing may work intensively in areas of special interest under the Directed Study plan. A Directed Study is appropriate when, under the guidance of a faculty member, a student wants to explore a subject more fully than is possible in a regular course or to study a subject not covered in the regular curriculum. A Directed Study should not normally duplicate a course that is regularly offered. Directed Studies are normally taken for 3 or 4 credits. A one-semester Directed Study is limited to a maximum of 4 credit hours. Note: Directed Studies may not be used to fulfill General Education requirements.
PPE 362 - Directed Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
A student in good standing may work intensively in areas of special interest under the Directed Study plan. A Directed Study is appropriate when, under the guidance of a faculty member, a student wants to explore a subject more fully than is possible in a regular course or to study a subject not covered in the regular curriculum. A Directed Study should not normally duplicate a course that is regularly offered. Directed Studies are normally taken for 3 or 4 credits. A one-semester Directed Study is limited to a maximum of 4 credit hours. Note: Directed Studies may not be used to fulfill General Education requirements.
PPE 363 - Independent Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
Independent Study engages a student in the pursuit of clearly defined goals. In this effort, a student may employ skills and information developed in previous course experiences or may develop some mastery of new knowledge or skills. A proposal for an Independent Study project must be approved in advance by the faculty member who agrees to serve as the project advisor. Note: Independent Studies may not be used to fulfill General Education requirements.
PPE 364 - Independent Study (1-4 Credit Hours)
Independent Study engages a student in the pursuit of clearly defined goals. In this effort, a student may employ skills and information developed in previous course experiences or may develop some mastery of new knowledge or skills. A proposal for an Independent Study project must be approved in advance by the faculty member who agrees to serve as the project advisor. Note: Independent Studies may not be used to fulfill General Education requirements.
PPE 451 - Senior Research (4 Credit Hours)
Students may enroll in Senior Research in their final year at Denison. Normally, Senior Research requires a major thesis, report, or project in the student's field of concentration and carries eight semester-hours of credit for the year. Typically, a final grade for a year-long Senior Research will not be assigned until the completion of the year-long Senior Research at the end of the second semester. Each semester of Senior Research is limited to a maximum of 4 credit hours. Note: Senior Research may not be used to fulfill General Education requirements.
PPE 452 - Senior Research (4 Credit Hours)
Students may enroll in Senior Research in their final year at Denison. Normally, Senior Research requires a major thesis, report, or project in the student's field of concentration and carries eight semester-hours of credit for the year. Typically, a final grade for a year-long Senior Research will not be assigned until the completion of the year-long Senior Research at the end of the second semester. Each semester of Senior Research is limited to a maximum of 4 credit hours. Note: Senior Research may not be used to fulfill General Education requirements.