Program in Political Philosophy, Policy and Law

The major in Political Philosophy, Policy and Law (PPL) provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to pursue intensive study of the connections between political philosophy and legal theory, legal thought and historical change, law and public policy. The major is based firmly on the view that the study of law has a rich humanistic tradition and that its pursuit encourages sustained reflection on fundamental values. Because the domain of law, policy and political philosophy is huge, a principal objective of the major is the integration of diverse disciplinary perspectives. But interdisciplinary dialogue on political and legal ideas, processes, doctrine, and policies can be fruitful only if the participants engage one another from a position of disciplinary strength. The requirements for the major in PPL are grounded on this presumption.

Political Philosophy, Policy and Law is a major with four components. Majors must take prerequisite courses, required courses, interdisciplinary-core courses, and related courses in a foundational discipline.

There are three prerequisite courses for majors in PPL. Prospective majors must have completed, or be currently enrolled in, two of them upon applying for admission to the major program. The prerequisite courses are ECON 201 (Microeconomics), one course in the history of political thought, and one course in legal history and public policy. The latter two courses must be selected from the following menus:

Courses taken as prerequisites cannot be counted in fulfillment of the interdisciplinary-core requirement for the major (see II below). However, courses taken as prerequisites may be counted in fulfillment of the requirement for related courses in the foundational discipline (see III below).

There are two required courses for PPL majors (See I below). PPL 201 (Morality, Law and the State) must be taken by the spring semester of the third year, and PPL 401 (Research Seminar) must be taken during the fourth year.

Majors in Political Philosophy, Policy and Law must complete eight courses in the interdisciplinary core. (See II below). Four courses shall be selected from a menu of courses in Political Theory and Legal Theory; four courses shall be selected from a menu of courses in Legal History and Public Policy.

Majors in Political Philosophy, Policy and Law must take four related courses to establish a foundational discipline in Economics, History, Philosophy, or Politics upon declaring the major (See III below). Advanced Placement credits may not be used to fulfill this requirement. Two of the four related courses in the foundational discipline may be selected from the PPL prerequisite courses, from the PPL required courses, or from the PPL interdisciplinary-core courses; both will be counted in fulfillment of each requirement for the major. PPL majors are strongly encouraged to complete a minor in their foundational discipline but are not permitted to undertake a second major.

Completion of the major, then, requires 9 credits in prerequisite courses, 30 credits in the major subject (the required and interdisciplinary core courses), and 6 additional credits in related courses. With the advice and consent of the academic advisor, majors having a foundational discipline in Politics or Philosophy will also earn a minor in the related field by completing the PPL major requirements. Majors with a foundational discipline in Economics or History may earn a minor in the related field by taking one course beyond the PPL major requirements.

I.  Required Core (2 courses)

PPL 201 (Morality, Law and the State)  This course examines the importance of moral philosophy to the study of the legal and political institutions of the modern state. In addition to exploring the nature of morality and moral reasoning, the course deals with basic questions about the concept of law and the justification of the state. Possible topics include inalienable rights, distributive justice, civil disobedience, secession, and the priority of liberty.

PPL 401 (Research Seminar)  This seminar, designed to facilitate the production and collective evaluation of 35-page research papers, is taught annually by the Director of the PPL Program and/or by members of the Committee on Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law.  Enrollment in each section is limited to 15 fourth-year majors.

II.  Interdisciplinary Core (8 courses)

A.  Political and Legal Theory   Select four courses. Two courses must be taken in Political Theory and two in Legal Theory. Courses taken as PPL prerequisites cannot be counted in fulfillment of this requirement.

1. Political Theory (select 2 courses)

With the advice and consent of the academic advisor, PPL majors may take topical seminars offered as PLPT 424.

2. Legal Theory (select 2 courses)

B.  Legal History and Public Policy  

Select four courses from at least three different departments. Two courses must be taken in Legal History and two in Public Policy. Courses taken as PPL prerequisites cannot be counted in fulfillment of this requirement.

1. Legal History (select 2 courses)

With the advice and consent of the academic advisor, PPL majors may take topical seminars offered as HIEU 401, HIUS 401, or HIUS 403.

2. Public Policy (select 2 courses)

With the advice and consent of the academic advisor, PPL majors may take  topical seminars offered as PLAP 424.

III.  Related Courses in a Foundational Discipline (4 courses, 2 of them double counted)

Majors in PPL must establish a foundational discipline by fulfilling the designated requirements in ONE of the following departments:

Economics (select one course from each group)

ECON 201 will also count as a PPL prerequisite course; ECON 306 or ECON 431 will count as a PPL interdisciplinary-core course as well as a PPL related course in the foundational discipline. PPL majors may earn a minor by selecting two more Economics courses from the interdisciplinary-core menu, completing an approved statistics course, and maintaining a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in the minor coursework.

Politics (select one course from each group)

Any two PLAP, PLIR or PLPT courses, chosen from different subfields and selected from the interdisciplinary-core menu, will count as PPL related courses in the foundational discipline as well as PPL interdisciplinary-core courses in the appropriate category. PPL majors may earn a minor by selecting two more Politics courses in the same subfield, one of them at the 400- or 500-level, from the interdisciplinary-core menu and by earning a grade of C or better in all minor coursework.

History (select one course from each group)

Any HIEU course and any HIUS course selected from the interdisciplinary-core menu will count as a PPL related course in the foundational discipline as well as a PPL interdisciplinary-core course in the appropriate category. PPL majors may earn a minor by selecting one more History course from the interdisciplinary-core menu and completing a course in African, East Asian, South Asian, Latin American, or Middle Eastern history.

Philosophy (select one course from each group)

PPL 201 will also count as a PPL required course. PHIL 356 will count as a PPL prerequisite course or as an interdisciplinary-core course, as well as a related course in the foundational discipline. If PHIL 357 is selected instead, it will count as an interdisciplinary-core course in the appropriate category, as well as a related course in the foundational discipline. PPL majors may earn a minor by selecting two more Philosophy courses from the interdisciplinary-core menu.

Admission Procedures  TBA. First class of 30 majors will be admitted in April 2004. Contact James R. Sofka, Department of Politics, for questions and additional information at (434) 982-2952.