Minor in PPE
What is PPE?
“The study of economics and politics and their applications to social philosophy, cannot, in the end, be divorced.” – John Stuart Mill
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) began as an interdisciplinary degree program at Oxford in 1924, and, 100 years later, it has spread to well over a hundred universities around the world as either a major or minor area of study.
One way to see the interdisciplinary connection is to note that economics and philosophy provide the tools that help us explain, predict, and evaluate behavior under alternative political institutions.
Another focus of PPE is on the effects of political institutions on economics—on studying how markets work and how the division of labor that markets promote affects human welfare and intellectual progress. Political economists such as Hume, Smith, Marx, and Mill each recognized that market exchange typically operates in the context of a political system that determines what can be owned and traded, which contracts will be enforced, and which activities will be permitted or prohibited.
Any PPE program would be incomplete without a consideration of the philosophical underpinnings that govern decisions. For example, while we may have moral concerns about exchanging sex or drugs or human organs for money, arguments for making these activities illegal are a more delicate matter. We might start with the kinds of questions with which moral philosophers are familiar: do these exchanges harm others in morally significant ways? Do the harms have compensating benefits? Regardless of any harms (or social costs) associated with them, do individuals have natural rights to the things they obtain through voluntary exchange, or is the system of exchange just a social convention for maximizing human welfare? When economists ask whether a consumer good should be taxed or banned or permissibly traded, they tend to rely exclusively on an efficiency standard. (Roughly, efficiency tracks the utilitarian view that social welfare is maximized when more aggregate preferences are satisfied.) But philosophers have a lot to say about which preferences count and whether things other than preferences might matter.
Collective action problems occur when there are benefits to coordinating our activities but incentives to free ride on the efforts of others, when there is (as in many cases) imperfect information about the motivations and actions of other people with whom we need to coordinate to achieve a common goal, and when preferences or utilities align in ways that disrupt rational decision methods.
PPE students will encounter a collective action problem such as anthropogenic climate change or antibiotic resistance (both of which are global and intergenerational) and be able to use the tools of game theory to figure out whether it is best modeled as a prisoner’s dilemma, an assurance game (stag hunt), a game of chicken, or something else altogether. They will also be able to think through whether a particular set of actions is an equilibrium (or stable point) in the game, whether there are Pareto-superior outcomes, and whether we might be able to use social norms or legal sanctions to move to such an outcome at a sufficiently low cost. In other words, PPE helps us model problems that arise when we interact with one another and then evaluate the tradeoffs among the politically feasible and morally desirable set of solutions. Sometimes the solution is simply to allow people to communicate and share information; other times norms or laws are needed to solve the problem.
PPE students also study how economic tools such as game theory and utility theory can illuminate problems in political philosophy. Economists emphasize that in markets, people get what they pay for, but in politics, citizens get what other people vote for. This simple observation has significant consequences for how people gather and sift through information in the market and in the political realm. If voters tend to be “rationally ignorant” about politics because they have little chance of affecting the outcome of an election with their votes, this raises normative questions about the proper scope of democracy, the appropriate role of constitutions and courts, and the optimal rules for financing campaigns and crafting policy.
Minor in PPE
Our world is shaped by institutions and organizations that have a profound impact on our lives. It is crucial that we understand how they work, appreciate their interactions, see their impact, and can assess their value.
The mission of the PPE minor is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of social, economic, political, and moral problems in relation to one another. In doing this, PPE follows in the tradition of great thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, David Hume, Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Thomas Malthus, John Stuart Mill, and David Ricardo. PPE students cross the borders of key academic disciplines, integrating the methods, tools, and insights from philosophy, politics, and economics.
Political decisions arise when members of a community need to choose a course of action. Citizens deliberate on questions of policy, but also on broader questions that frame our common life, such as what it takes to live well. Students need an education that prepares them for life and for responsibility in their communities. The B.A. in Civics fosters intellectual habits and resources that enable students to deliberate on questions such as technology, education, diplomacy and war, the environment, arts and culture, and the general welfare.
The American project is fragile. The effort to secure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness depends on citizens who can think and act for the common good. The SCL equips students to participate in our shared institutions and to meet innovation with prudence. Students develop the ability to engage enduring texts of the ancient world, modernity, and the American story. These texts—and the promise and challenge they convey—become resources for students as they prepare to take responsibility in their communities.
The B.A. in Civics introduces students to the intellectual inheritance of Western Civilization and to the American story. From the first intellectual foundations through a capstone thesis and internship, students gain experience that informs a life of service.
Students take up a sequence of Intellectual Foundations of Civics courses that address Perennial Problems in Civic Thought, Origins of American Institutions, Democracy and Capitalism, and Excellence of Character: The Virtues.
Students develop competency across three major areas of coursework: Constitutionalism, Western Civilization, and Civic Leadership.
Constitutionalism courses introduce students to the history of rights, freedoms, and the rule of law. Central questions include: What are rights? Who bears them? What is law? What makes government legitimate? What do I owe to others? How have thinkers in the American tradition answered these questions?
Western Civilization courses introduce students to the quest for wisdom about how to live well and how to achieve liberty and order in community. Important questions include: What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be an individual or a member of a community? What’s a good life? What, if anything, is sacred? What is friendship?
Civic Leadership courses give students practice resolving questions through ethical analysis, economic analysis, and strategy and statecraft. Important questions include: How should I live and lead? How do I resolve ethical questions? What are the factors and metrics of economic dynamism? How can nations relate to one another? What are the possible courses of action when those relationships break down?
In dedicated Skills courses and throughout the program, students mature their capacity for understanding, rhetoric, inquiry, and textual analysis.
All students complete a thesis, an internship, and electives.
- Thoughtful, responsible—thrive in life and service
- Kinds of work
- Business, nonprofit, public service, humane prep for medicine, arts, journalism
- Sense of responsibility
- Intellectual humility with confidence
- Oriented toward fulfilling one’s potential
- Competent communicator
- Literate in principles and practices of Western and American civic life
- Literate in ethical and moral traditions
You can expect faculty members who:
- Respect students and wish to see them thrive in life and in service
- Hold students to high standards of thinking and communicating
- Provide the support students need to excel
- Delight in teaching and research
- Offer purposeful work and honest evaluation
Fill In Info
The School of Civic Leadership Scholars Program offers scholarships of $10,000.
- Criteria?
- Essay
- Interview [committee’s option]
- Criteria?
Starting August 1, 2024, the SCL will accept applications for its inaugural cohort of 50 students. Pending approval of its curriculum proposal, the SCL will offer a B.A. in Civics starting in August 2025. Students who apply in fall 2024 will enter as undeclared majors. >>>
- Request an introductory conversation
- Join the mailing list to see if we’re coming to your city (sign up list with option to select for nearest metro area [that we intend to visit]: Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, Waco, Amarillo, etc.
Minor Requirements
- PPE 301, Introduction to PPE
- PPE 320, Foundations of PPE
- ECO 304K, Introduction to Microeconomics
- ECO 321, Public Economics
- ECO 323L, Political Economy
- ECO 324, Labor Economics
- ECO 325, Health Economics
- ECO 327, Comparative Economic Systems
- ECO 330T, History of Economic Thought
- ECO 333K, Development Economics
- ECO 334M, Migration Economics and Policy
- ECO 349K, Topic: Law and Economics
- ECO 353K, Antitrust Law and Economics
- ECO 353M, Empirical Public Economics
- ECO 354M, Experimental Economics
- ECO 355, Development Problems and Policies in Latin America
- ECO 368, Survey of the History of Economic Thought
- ECO 370M, Behavioral Economics
- ECO 371M, Social Economics: Outside the Market
- PHL 318K, Introduction to Political Philosophy
- PHL 322K, History of Ethics
- PHL 325D, Environmental Ethics and Philosophy
- PHL 325K, Ethical Theories
- PHL 325L, Business, Ethics, and Public Policy
- PHL 325M, Medicine, Ethics, and Society
- PHL 325N, Organizational Ethics
- PHL 342, Political Philosophy, Topic 1: Natural Law Theory. Same as Government
- 335D, PHL 342T, Advanced Political Philosophy, PHL 342L, Origins of Liberalism.
Same as Core Texts and Ideas 331, PHL 342P, Four Modern Political Theories - PHL 347, Philosophy of Law
- GOV 314E, Classics of Social and Political Thought
- GOV 314C, Competing Visions of the Good Life
- GOV 320K, United States Constitutional Development: Structures
- GOV 320N, United States Constitutional Development: Rights
- GOV 324C, Political Ideologies and Manifestos
- GOV 331L, Law and Society
- GOV 335D, Natural Law Theory
- GOV 335Q, Global Justice
- GOV 335R, Intellectual World of the American Founders
- GOV 341M, Decision Theory
- GOV 342N, Public Choice
- GOV 347, Introduction to Political Theory
- GOV 350K, Statistical Analysis in Political Science
- GOV 351C, The Classical Quest for Justice
- GOV 351D, The Theoretical Foundations of Modern Politics
- GOV 351E, Contemporary Political Theory
- GOV 351G, Critics of Modern Liberalism
- GOV 351J, Might and Right among Nations
- GOV 351L, Morality and Politics
- GOV 351L, Morality and Politics
- GOV 357C, Constitutional Interpretation
- GOV 357F, Constitutional Structure of Power
- GOV 357G, Structure of Individual Liberties
- GOV 357I, Constitutional Design
- GOV 357J, Law of Politics
- GOV 335G, African American Political and Social Thought
- GOV 357D, Civil Liberties
- GOV 360E, International Political Economy
- GOV 360O, Business and Society
- GOV 365R, Institutions and Comparative Political Economic Development
- GOV 365S, Comparative Legal Systems
- GOV 366D, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy
- GOV 371R, Politics and Religion in the United States
- GOV 366G, British Politics and Government
- PPE 301, Introduction to PPE
- PPE 320, Foundations of PPE
- ECO 304K, Introduction to Microeconomics
- ECO 321, Public Economics
- ECO 323L, Political Economy
- ECO 324, Labor Economics
- ECO 325, Health Economics
- ECO 327, Comparative Economic Systems
- ECO 330T, History of Economic Thought
- ECO 333K, Development Economics
- ECO 334M, Migration Economics and Policy
- ECO 349K, Topic: Law and Economics
- ECO 353K, Antitrust Law and Economics
- ECO 353M, Empirical Public Economics
- ECO 354M, Experimental Economics
- ECO 355, Development Problems and Policies in Latin America
- ECO 368, Survey of the History of Economic Thought
- ECO 370M, Behavioral Economics
- ECO 371M, Social Economics: Outside the Market
- PHL 318K, Introduction to Political Philosophy
- PHL 322K, History of Ethics
- PHL 325D, Environmental Ethics and Philosophy
- PHL 325K, Ethical Theories
- PHL 325L, Business, Ethics, and Public Policy
- PHL 325M, Medicine, Ethics, and Society
- PHL 325N, Organizational Ethics
- PHL 342, Political Philosophy, Topic 1: Natural Law Theory. Same as Government
- 335D, PHL 342T, Advanced Political Philosophy, PHL 342L, Origins of Liberalism.
Same as Core Texts and Ideas 331, PHL 342P, Four Modern Political Theories - PHL 347, Philosophy of Law
- GOV 314E, Classics of Social and Political Thought
- GOV 314C, Competing Visions of the Good Life
- GOV 320K, United States Constitutional Development: Structures
- GOV 320N, United States Constitutional Development: Rights
- GOV 324C, Political Ideologies and Manifestos
- GOV 331L, Law and Society
- GOV 335D, Natural Law Theory
- GOV 335Q, Global Justice
- GOV 335R, Intellectual World of the American Founders
- GOV 341M, Decision Theory
- GOV 342N, Public Choice
- GOV 347, Introduction to Political Theory
- GOV 350K, Statistical Analysis in Political Science
- GOV 351C, The Classical Quest for Justice
- GOV 351D, The Theoretical Foundations of Modern Politics
- GOV 351E, Contemporary Political Theory
- GOV 351G, Critics of Modern Liberalism
- GOV 351J, Might and Right among Nations
- GOV 351L, Morality and Politics
- GOV 351L, Morality and Politics
- GOV 357C, Constitutional Interpretation
- GOV 357F, Constitutional Structure of Power
- GOV 357G, Structure of Individual Liberties
- GOV 357I, Constitutional Design
- GOV 357J, Law of Politics
- GOV 335G, African American Political and Social Thought
- GOV 357D, Civil Liberties
- GOV 360E, International Political Economy
- GOV 360O, Business and Society
- GOV 365R, Institutions and Comparative Political Economic Development
- GOV 365S, Comparative Legal Systems
- GOV 366D, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy
- GOV 371R, Politics and Religion in the United States
- GOV 366G, British Politics and Government
Course offerings
Introduction to PPE synthesizes common strands in philosophy, politics and economics to better understand the interdisciplinary nature of many of the complex problems that society faces.
Content description:
This course introduces the interdisciplinary cluster of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. The goal of this course is to introduce some of the key intellectual tools from each of these disciplines, and to show how they can be used together to shed light on important theoretical and practical debates in morality, economics, and politics. Topics to be discussed include the nature and justification of property rights, the uses and limits of market prices in coordinating economic activity, the role of government regulation in correcting market failure, and the moral dimensions of economic growth, exploitation, and repugnant transactions. In addition, the course provides students with the tools they need to understand and apply causal inference to a wide variety of policy issues.
Catalog/Course schedule description:
This course cultivates an awareness of the relevance of ethics, politics and economics, as well as an appreciation for the limitations of each discipline and the necessity of thinking through their interactions.
Course Textbook/Readings:
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: An Anthology
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: An… by Anomaly, Jonathan (amazon.com)
other readings as posted on Canvas.
Possible Assessments:
Launch Notes – 25% of grade for each class, you must prepare a set of brief notes for each set of class readings. You will be called on to answer the following questions and must be ready to answer them for each text assigned to be considered prepared for class: 1. What is the author’s central question of the text? a. Is there explicit text giving a concise statement of this question? What is it? 2. What is the author’s conclusion or thesis? (Answer to the main question.) a. Is there an explicit sentence capturing this? What is it? 3. What is the big picture structure of the argument? 4. Are there any central terms/concepts that the author uses that are key to the argument? 5. What was most interesting to you? why? 6. What questions do you have for discussion? Write your central question for discussion on the board. You will turn in your launch notes on a weekly basis.
Exams (3): Each exam is worth 25% of your grade.
The exams are essays. You will receive a set of prompts in advance of each exam and will utilize a blue book to write on one of the prompts. The prompt that you will write on is determined by the roll of two dice at the start of the examination period.
Expected learning outcomes:
- Students will learn to synthesize ideas across multiple disciplines.
- Students will learn to how to apply casual inference to a wide variety of policy scenarios.
- Students will become deep thinkers, capable of understanding nuanced arguments.
- Students will learn to dispassionately evaluate arguments
Restriction Statement:
N/A
Foundations to PPE is an in-depth exploration of philosophy, politics and economics. The course explores the great debates that span this interdisciplinary intersection.
Content description:
The goal of this course is to systematically explore three key elements found in the study of philosophy, politics, and economics: distributive justice, collective action, and the rule of law.
Distributive justice concerns how rights, resources, and responsibilities should be distributed in a just society. We will also pay special attention to dilemmas of collective action, examining why and under what conditions individuals engage in collective action, even when individual strategies appear more rational. Finally, how does the concept of the rule of law relate to other core political concepts such as democracy, sovereignty, jurisdiction, constitutionalism, and individual rights?
Catalog/Course schedule description:
This course examines distributive justice, collective action, and the rule of law. We reflect on how these approaches amplify and also limit civil discourse.
Course Textbook/Readings:
Matt Zwolinski, Arguing About Political Philosophy, 2nd edition (Routledge), other readings as posted on Canvas.
Possible Assessments:
Key Ideas Presentation – Throughout this course, we will be examining a variety of key ideas in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. In groups of up to four students, you will be responsible for researching one of these ideas, and making a 10-minute presentation on the topic to our class. Your presentation should provide an explanation of the idea, and demonstrate its relevance to some current social, political, or economic issue. (20% of grade)
Research Paper – In this 10-page paper, you will use both economic and philosophical methodologies and insights in order to address a political problem. Your paper should be both analytical and argumentative, and should draw on external research in addition to the material covered in this course. (40% of grade)
Participation – PPE is best learned through active conversation with others. It is therefore important that you be a regular participant in classroom discussions. Keep up with the reading. In order to play a constructive role in the conversation, it is vital that you do your homework beforehand. I want to hear your opinion, but I want it to be your informed opinion. Please finish all assigned reading before the beginning of class. (20% of grade)
Daily Reflections – You will create portfolio of your notes/thoughts from every class. (20% of grade)
Expected learning outcomes:
- Students should be able to describe, in essay form, the moral and economic dimensions of key concepts in PPE.
- Students should be able to apply these concepts to key issues of public policy.
- Students should be able to articulate their opinions/thoughts verbally.
- Finally, students should be able to critically engage with normative public policy debates involving these concepts.
Restriction Statement:
Complete PPE 301 with a C or better or with the approval of the Director of the PPE Program.
This capstone course is a small seminar consisting of students working on their PPE capstone projects. Students write a substantial research paper and present their findings publicly.
Content description:
This course offers students in pursuing the PPE minor the ability to apply the interdisciplinary set of skills they have acquired to a more focused set of issues or problems in order to produce a substantial piece of research. Proposals for alternative types of capstone projects, such as policy papers in conjunction with an internship project will be considered and may be undertaken with the approval of the Director of the PPE program. For both capstone options, students will be expected to make a public presentation of their research, in a class setting to fellow students and the faculty supervisor or in a wider public setting.
Catalog/Course schedule description:
This seminar course supports students as they become better researchers and prepares them to share their findings for public discourse related to philosophy, politics, and economics.
Course Textbook/Readings:
Under the guidance of the faculty member, each student will select an appropriate research topic and produce an extensive bibliography of sources.
Possible Assessments:
Defense of Thesis Proposal – The student will present their research outline to the seminar, solicit input and invite comments on potential ways to improve the proposal. (20% of grade)
First Draft – A fully written draft will be submitted to faculty member at the mid-point of the semester. The faculty member will provide summative feedback for resubmission. (20% of grade)
Comments on each other’s first draft – Every student will provide substantive commentary on the first drafts of others. (20% of grade)
Final Submission – The final submission must include a response file that enumerates how the summative feedback is reflected in the final. (20% of grade)
Public Presentation – Each student will prepare an appropriate public presentation of their findings. (20% of grade)
Expected learning outcomes:
- Students will be able to formulate a research proposal
- Students will learn to incrementally draft of thesis.
- Students will learn to critique research proposals and offer substantive criticisms.
- Finally, students learn present their research findings for public enlightenment.
Restriction Statement:
Complete PPE 320 with a C or better or with the approval of the Director of the PPE Program
Eighteen semester credit hours, including nine upper-division hours, drawn from the following:
1. PPE 301, Introduction to PPE
2. Three semester credit hours of economics, chosen from an approved list:
ECO 304, Introduction to Microeconomics, ECO 321, Public Economics, ECO 323L, Political Economy, ECO 324, Labor Economics, ECO 325, Health Economics, ECO 327, Comparative Economic Systems, ECO 330T, History of Economic Thought, ECO 333K, Development Economics, ECO 334M, Migration Economics and Policy, ECO 349K, Topic: Law and Economics, ECO 353K, Antitrust Law and Economics, ECO 353M, Empirical Public Economics, ECO 354M, Experimental Economics, ECO 355, Development Problems and Policies in Latin America, ECO 368, Survey of the History of Economic Thought, ECO 370M, Behavioral Economics, ECO 371M, Social Economics: Outside the Market.
3. Three semester credit hours of philosophy, chosen from an approved list:
PHL 318K, Introduction to Political Philosophy, PHL 322K, History of Ethics, PHL 325D, Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, PHL 325K, Ethical Theories, PHL 325L, Business, Ethics, and Public Policy, PHL 325M, Medicine, Ethics, and Society, PHL 325N, Organizational Ethics, PHL 342, Political Philosophy, Topic 1: Natural Law Theory. Same as Government 335D, PHL 342T, Advanced Political Philosophy, PHL 342L, Origins of Liberalism. Same as Core Texts and Ideas 331, PHL 342P, Four Modern Political Theories, PHL 347, Philosophy of Law.
4. Three semester credit hours of government, chosen from an approved list:
GOV 314E, Classics of Social and Political Thought, GOV 314C, Competing Visions of the Good Life, GOV 320K, United States Constitutional Development: Structures, GOV 320N, United States Constitutional Development: Rights, GOV 324C, Political Ideologies and Manifestos, GOV 331L, Law and Society, GOV 335D, Natural Law Theory, GOV 335Q, Global Justice, GOV 335R, Intellectual World of the American Founders, GOV 341M, Decision Theory, GOV 342N, Public Choice, GOV 347, Introduction to Political Theory, GOV 350K, Statistical Analysis in Political Science, GOV 351C, The Classical Quest for Justice, GOV 351D, The Theoretical Foundations of Modern Politics, GOV 351E, Contemporary Political Theory, GOV 351G, Critics of Modern Liberalism, GOV 351J, Might and Right among Nations, GOV 351L, Morality and Politics, GOV 355J, Human Behavior as Rational Action, GOV 357C, Constitutional Interpretation, GOV 357F, Constitutional Structure of Power, GOV 357G, Structure of Individual Liberties, GOV 357I, Constitutional Design, GOV 357J, Law of Politics, GOV 335G, African American Political and Social Thought, GOV 357D, Civil Liberties, GOV 360E, International Political Economy, GOV 360O, Business and Society, GOV 365R, Institutions and Comparative Political Economic Development, GOV 365S, Comparative Legal Systems, GOV 366D, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy, GOV 371R, Politics and Religion in the United States, GOV 366G, British Politics and Government.
5. PPE 320, Foundations of PPE
6. PPE 379, PPE Capstone
