The minor in philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE) is designed to engage students
with the practical problems of organizing and running human society. The minor stands at the confluence of three
major fields of study--philosophy, political science, and economics--and
combines elements of these into a coherent framework in which to address
questions about the nature of citizenship and the role individuals can and must
play in making critical decisions facing society.
Students pursuing the PPE
minor are expected to develop the ability to read and listen critically, to
reason analytically concerning questions of public policy (especially economic
policy), to engage in thoughtful moral judgment, and to write and speak
clearly. The minor combines the best of
the three participating fields: confronting the ethical issues of philosophy,
the policy questions of political science, and the quantitative analytical
problems of economics.
Generally, students taking
the PPE minor will be majoring in one of the three included disciplines:
philosophy, political science, or economics, and the courses that can
be used
toward the PPE minor taken in the student's major department may be used
for
both the major and the PPE minor. In
other words, while the minor requires nine courses (27 credits),
students majoring
in philosophy, political science, or economics will only need to take
six courses
(18 credits) outside the major.
Learning Goals
At the end of this program
students will be able to:
- Identify key factors in evaluating the morality of
individual behavior and the legitimacy of regulations about that behavior.
- Explain the process through which the public
regulation of individuals and groups occurs.
- Evaluate the economic ability of institutions to
provide for the common welfare.
- Critique boundaries between private market forces and
their just and efficient public regulation.
Minor Requirements
The minor requires
students to take 3 courses (9 credits) in each of three fields of study. The
course offerings in each field are structured to give students a solid
grounding in each field, as well as a taste of what more advanced work in the
field involves.
Students are permitted to
bring in only 3 credits for each field from outside of Rutgers
University-New Brunswick. In other words, at least two of the three
classes for each field
must be taken at Rutgers University-New Brunswick; only one course in
each
field can come from transfer credit, AP credit, study abroad, or other
Rutgers
campuses. Courses that are cross-listed may be used to satisfy only one
requirement.
All courses must be
completed with a grade of C or better in order to be used for the minor.
Below are the requirements
for each field, which must be completed whether the student majors in
the field
or pursues them as other parts of the minor.
Requirements for the Economics Component of the PPE
Minor (three courses, 9 credits)Both of these two introductory courses:
01:220:102 Introduction to
Microeconomics
01:220:103 Introduction to
MacroeconomicsOne course from the
following list:
01:220:120 Inequality
01:220:327 History of
Economic Thought
01:220:331 Economics of
Crime
01:220:390 Choice and
Strategy in Politics
01:220:402 Labor Economics
(Prerequisites: 01:220:320 and 01:220:322)
01:220:417 Health
Economics (Prerequisites: 01:220:320 and 01:220:322)
01:220:432 Environmental
Economics (Prerequisites: 01:220:320 and 01:220:322)
01:220:460 Public
Economics (Prerequisites: 01:220:320 and 01:220:322)
01:220:463 Economics of
Taxation (Prerequisites: 01:220:320 and 01:220:322)
01:220:482 Game Theory and
Economics
Requirements for the Philosophy Component of the PPE
Minor (three courses, 9 credits)
Total of three philosophy
courses, no more than one at the 100 level, and two from the following list, at
least one of which must be at a 300 level or higher (other courses on a
case-by-case basis):
01:730:105/106 Current
Moral and Social Issues
01:730:107 Introduction
Ethics
01:730:249 Bioethics
01:730:250 Environmental
Ethics
01:730:251 Ethics and
Business
01:730:255 Introduction to
Social and Political Philosophy
01:730:330 Ethics of War
and Conflict
01:730:341 Ethics through
History
01:730:342 Social and
Political Philosophy through History
01:730:343 Marx and
Marxism
01:730:345 Philosophy and
the Law
01:730:347 Philosophical
Issues in Feminism
01:730:358 Philosophy of
Law
01:730:371 Philosophies of
Death and Dying
01:730:441 Ethical Theory
01:730:442 Moral
Responsibility
01:730:445 Topics in
Social and Political Philosophy
01:730:450 Topics in Moral
Philosophy
01:730:459 Advanced
Seminar in Ethics
01:730:470 Ethics and
Practical Reason
Requirements for the Political Science Component of
the PPE Minor (three courses, 9 credits)
One course in political
theory, from the following list:
01:790:101 Nature of
Politics
01:790:365 Gender and
Political Theory
01:790:371 Western
Tradition: Plato to Machiavelli
01:790:372 Western
Tradition: Hobbes to Mill
01:790:373 Legal
Philosophy Rights and Justice
01:790:374 Democratic
Political Philosophy
01:790:375 American
Political Thought to 1865
01:790:376 American Political
Thought from 1865
01:790:472 Religion and Politics
01:790:473 Critics of
Modernity
01:790:477 Critical Theory
and Society
Two courses in policy or
group relations, from the following list:
01:790:305 Public Policy
Formation
01:790:318 Comparative
Public Policy
01:790:319 Issues of American
Foreign Policy
01:790:320 Politics and Social Policy: Lessons from
Europe
01:790:322 Strategy in
International Relations
01:790:323 Defense Policy
01:790:330 Interest Groups
01:790:333 Race, Ethnicity,
and Politics
01:790:334 Politics of
Black America
01:790:335 Women and
American Politics
01:790:338 Government and
Business
01:790:350 Environmental
Policy: U.S. and International
01:790:355 Women and
Public Policy
01:790:358 Globalization,
Democracy, and Contemporary Capitalism
01:790:360 Gender and
Politics and Global Perspective
01:790:363 Conflict
Resolution in World Politics
01:790:364 Global Order
01:790:386 Political
Change in China
01:790:401 American Constitutional
Law I
01:790:404 Politics of
Criminal Justice
