Philosophy, Politics & Law Major

PPL (Philosophy, Politics, Law) is a liberal arts degree designed to prepare a thoughtful and engaged citizenry. The major exposes students to various normative questions integral to politics and the rule of law such as the nature of justice and political legitimacy, as well as debates, current and historical, concerning the nature of democracy, freedom, rights, and representative government. Students will also pursue these and aligned issues through electives housed in other departments and programs within the college, thus providing a multidisciplinary experience of philosophy, politics, and law.

NOTE: All classes that count toward the major or minor must be taken for a letter grade.

PPL Major (36 credit minimum)

To complete the major, students must earn 36 credits minimum including:

PHIL 110 Logic (4 credits)

PHIL 220 or 220W History of Political Philosophy (3 or 4 credits - historical survey of primary texts and issues)

PHIL 300 Metaphysics and Epistemology (3 credits - exploration of two philosophical sub-disciplines integral to law and politics: epistemology and metaphysics)

PHIL 321 Philosophy of Law (3 credits)

PHIL 488 Capstone Seminar on Philosophy, Politics, and Law (Must be taken in the student's senior year)

Five Electives* (the first two from other departments and programs in the college):

• One non-philosophy elective on politics (includes all POLS classes)
• One non-philosophy elective on law
• One philosophy elective at the 400-level
• Two philosophy electives at any level

*In some cases, students will need to take an additional elective in order to meet the 36 credit hour requirement.

Pre-approved Non-Philosophy Electives**

**Students wanting to use a course not on this list should seek approval from Jeremy Bell.