Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) Major

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Major Requirements

The major requires at least nine courses, together with several prerequisites, distributed as follows:

Prerequisite Courses: 3 courses: one in each field of the program:
- Economics:
  ECON 050 CM - Principles of Economic Analysis
- Government:
  GOVT 020 CM - Introduction to American Politics
- Philosophy: one of the following
  PHIL 030 CM - Philosophical Questions , PHIL 033 CM - Political Philosophy , or PHIL 034 CM - Moral and Political Issues
  Normally, the prerequisites for the program should be completed by the end of the fall semester of the sophomore year.
CMC Seminars and Tutorials: 6 courses
The three seminar-tutorials are:

These courses are only open to students accepted to the PPE program.

Elective Courses: 3 courses
Majors are required to complete a minimum of three elective courses in at least two of the three constituent disciplines. One of the elective courses must be ECON 102 CM - Intermediate Macroeconomics , or another intermediate level economics course approved by the PPE faculty advisor. This course must be completed before students enroll in PPE 110.

Note:

Students are encouraged to take the other elective courses off-campus either in off-campus programs abroad, in CMC’s Washington Program, or through cross-registration at the other colleges in Claremont. The purpose of the off-campus segment of the major (typically completed in the fall of the junior year) is to increase the breadth of students’ understanding of alternative views.

Senior Thesis in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

The senior thesis is a general education requirement and should serve as a capstone experience to a student’s undergraduate education. Students must complete a senior thesis in at least one of their majors under supervision of a faculty reader who teaches within that major, unless granted a special exception.

Students interested in doing a two-semester thesis project complete a one-half credit or full credit thesis research course in the first semester and the senior thesis in the second semester. The senior thesis and the thesis research course may not be counted as courses in the major.

Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Program

Learning Goals

After an education in PPE, students should have learned to:

Develop the basic analytic and quantitative skills appropriate to each of the constituent disciplines.
Engage with theoretical problems in each of the constituent disciplines.
Apply the distinct disciplinary approaches to practical questions and problems.
Write prose that is both effective and engaging.
Engage effectively in oral discussion and debate, drawing upon resources from each of the constituent disciplines.

Student Learning Outcomes

The PPE Program gauges progress toward these goals by examining the following learning outcomes:

Competence with the relevant analytic and quantitative skills.
1. Students will be able to formulate valid and well supported arguments in support of their positions.
2. Students will demonstrate competence in the application of standard economic models.
3. Students will demonstrate the ability to collect and marshall empirical data in economics and government.
Engagement with theoretical problems in each of the constituent disciplines.
1. Students will be able to extract theoretical positions from texts.
2. Students will appreciate criticisms of theoretical positions.
3. Students will be able to offer their own views on such theoretical problems and offer reasons and/or data in their support.
Application of distinct disciplinary approaches to practical questions and problems.
1. Students will draw upon the resources of each constituent discipline to understand practical problems and the complexities surrounding them.
2. Students will understand alternative solutions to such problems.
3. Students will develop their own solutions to practical problems and demonstrate the ability to offer reasons and/or data to support their solutions.
Write prose that is both effective and engaging.
1. Students will be able to present a written defense of a position, drawing upon resources in economics, government, and philosophy where appropriate.
2. Students will be able to present in writing the positions, arguments, and data of others in a manner that is both rigorous and unbiased.
Engage effectively in oral discussion and debate.
1. Students will be able to present an oral defense of a position that is both rigorous and effective.
2. Students will be able to engage critically through debate and discussion with a position presented by another.
3. Students will be able to draw upon relevant resources from all of the constituent disciplines in oral debate and discussion with others.

Progress towards these goals will be gauged, at least initially, by student performance on an appropriately designed senior comprehensive exam and by self-assessments carried out by PPE students during their senior year.

General Education Requirements for PPE Majors

Students with interdisciplinary majors requiring courses in the humanities and/or social sciences are required to take designated courses in six different fields of the humanities and social sciences for the general education requirements. PPE majors must take courses in at least three of the four fields of the social sciences (economics, government, history, and psychology) and in three of the four fields of the humanities (literature, philosophy, religious studies, and literature in a foreign language). These courses must include ECON 050 CM , GOVT 020 CM , and PHIL 030 CM , PHIL 033 CM , or PHIL 034 CM (see Prerequisites for details). Majors may take courses in all four of the social sciences and in two of the humanities. Students with a dual or double major in PPE and another field in the social sciences or humanities will usually be required to take an additional course. For further information, see Academic Policies & Procedures .

Special Options for Majors

Dual Majors

Students may choose to satisfy the requirements of another major for a dual or double major including PPE. Dual majors including PPE must complete the three required prerequisites and the six required PPE courses at CMC. For the elective requirement dual majors must take ECON 102 CM - Intermediate Macroeconomics , or another intermediate level economics course approved by the PPE faculty advisor. This course must be completed before students enroll in PPE 110. Dual majors are encouraged to take additional electives in the other disciplines of the major and to write their senior thesis on a topic significant to their PPE major. For further information, see Senior Thesis in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics above.

Please note the restrictions on honors in the major for students with a dual major under Honors in PPE below. For further information on dual majors and the requirements for the other discipline of the dual major, please check the appropriate sections of this catalog.

Honors in PPE

To be eligible for honors in the major, PPE students must have a GPA of “B+” (10.00) or better for courses in the major. Honors are awarded on the basis of a comprehensive examination.

Students with a dual major including PPE who wish to be considered for honors in PPE will only receive honors if they:

Have completed all requirements for a full major in PPE and are granted honors, or
Qualify and receive honors in both disciplines of their dual major. See Academic Honors at Graduation for details.

Study Abroad

PPE majors are strongly encouraged to complete elective courses in the major on a study abroad program. Appropriate programs should be selected in consultation with the PPE faculty advisors. For further details on study abroad applications and requirements, see Study Abroad .