Document Actions
The Major & Minor Concentration in Philosophy, Politics, & Society
This major concentration is designed to enable students with interests in political and social theory, or with career objectives in law, government, diplomacy, business, philanthropy, and other practical or helping professions, to construct a major in philosophy that is tailored to their interests and objectives.
Like the current philosophy major, it requires students to take the history sequence PHILO 212, 215 and 218, 9 elective credits of which 3 credits must be at the 300-level, and 3 credits in the intensive study of a major philosopher. However, unlike the current philosophy major, 6 of the elective credits may be taken from a select group of non-departmental courses relevant to social and political theory.
Furthermore, students are recommended to do intensive study of a major philosopher whose work is relevant to social and political philosophy. For the remaining 9 credits of the 30 credit major, students will be required to take PHILO 246 (Political Philosophy), instead of being given the option of choosing between it, PHILO 244 (Moral Philosophy) and PHILO 258 (Aesthetics); they will be required to take either PHIL0 248 (International Ethics) or 250 (Problems of Ethics and Society); finally, they will be required to take PHILO 346 (Justice in Contemporary Society), instead of a course in metaphysics or epistemology. (Although it is strongly recommended that they take a logic course, it's not required.)
Recommended Prerequisite: PHILO 106 - "Philosophy, Politics, and Society"
The above course is recommended; it does not count toward the major requirements, though it (or an appropriate substitute: see Program Prerequisites, above) is a prerequisite for enrolling in 200- and 300-level classes and for declaring a major.
Major Requirements
30 credits, distributed as follows:
- 9 credits in the history of philosophy:
PHILO 212 Classical Greek Philosophy: Plato and Aristotle
PHILO 215 Foundations of Modern Philosophy
PHILO 218 Revolutions in Modern Philosophy - 3 credits in political philosophy:
PHILO 246 Political Philosophy - 3 credits in social philosophy, selected from the following courses:
PHILO 248 International Ethics
PHILO 250 Problems of Ethics and Society - 3 credits in the intensive study of a major philosopher, preferably concerning their political and/or social ideas, such as PHILO 380.10 (Plato), PHILO 380.11 (Aristotle), etc.
- 3 credits in the study of recent issues in political and social philosophy:
PHILO 346 Justice in Contemporary Society - 9 credits in electives chosen from 200- and 300-level PHILO courses (excluding PHILO 204, but including PHILO 170); 6 credits of this requirement may be taken from the nondepartmental courses listed below.
AFPRL 401 Pan-Africanism
AFPRL 402 African American Political Thought
HIST 331 European Culture in the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries
HIST 332 Modern Culture from the 18th o the 20th Centuries
POLSC 201 Ancient to Early Modern Political Thought
POLSC 202 Modern Political Thought (1600-1900)
POLSC 203 Political Thought since 1900
POLSC 204 Contemporary Issues in Political Theory
POLSC 209 Women and Gender in Western Political Thought
POLSC 301 American Political Thought
POLSC 303 Democracy and Dictatorship
POLSC 304 Contemporary Issues in Political Theory
POLSC 305 Democratic Theory
POLSC 307 Theory of Revolution
POLSC 309 Feminist Political Theory
POLSC 311 Utopian Theory
POLSC 316 Political Theory of Human Rights
PUBPOL 400 Capstone Seminar on Public Policy
SOC 221 Classical Sociological Theory
SOC 223 Current Sociological Theory
SOC 360 Feminist Social Theory
It is also recommended that 3 credits be taken on philosophical approaches to class, race, or gender; the following philosophy courses satisfy this recommendation: PHILO 226 (African American Philosophy) or PHILO 230 (Feminism: Philosophical Theory and Practice).
Elective credits should be carefully chosen to focus students’ programs on their present interests and future needs. The following courses are recommended for students with particular interests.
Graduate study in philosophy:
PHILO 275 Symbolic Logic
PHILO 244 Moral Philosophy
Admission to law school:
PHILO 275 Symbolic Logic
PHILO 252 Problems of Law and Morality
Careers in public administration:
PHILO 250 Problems of Ethics and Society (in satisfaction of the social philosophy requirement listed above)
PUBPOL 400 Capstone Seminar on Public Policy
An additional course relating philosophy to public policy
Careers in foreign service:
PHILO 248 International Ethics (in satisfaction of the social philosophy requirement listed above)
POLSC 316 Political Theory of Human Rights
An additional course relating philosophy to international relations
Careers in social welfare:
PHILO 250 Problems in Ethics and Society (in satisfaction of the social philosophy requirement listed above)
SOC 221 Classical Sociological Theory
SOC 223 Current Sociological Theory
Note: Certain new, ad hoc, or independent study courses may be taken in partial satisfaction of requirements listed above, if they are approved by the Philosophy, Politics, and Society major concentration advisor.
Minor
For students who wish to minor in the Philosophy, Politics, Society (PPS) concentration, see the The Standard Major & Minor Concentration page for requirements.
Non-philosophy courses listed above, which count toward the major in the PPS concentration, do not count toward the minor in PPS.
However, students who take elective courses outside of philosophy are encouraged to minor in the department which offers these courses. For students who major in the PPS concentration, minors in History or Political Science are especially recommended; minors in Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Environmental Studies, Geography, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Psychology, Public Policy, Sociology, Urban Studies, or Women’s Studies are also appropriate.
Senior Exercise
3 credits in one of the following courses is recommended for majors (in addition to the 30-credit major requirement); it is not required for the major, though PHILO 494 is a requirement for graduation with honors in Philosophy.
- PHILO 492 Independent Study in Philosophy
- PHILO 494 Honors Tutorial in Philosophy
- PHILO 498 Internship