Political and Ethical Theory
As societies change and grow more diverse, how can we enact laws and build social structures that will be fair, inclusive, and respectful to everyone, and that will enable people from many different backgrounds to lead happy, flourishing lives? Students in the Political and Ethical Theory concentration will learn how to draw on classic texts and ideas from the history of philosophy, as well as empirical results from the social sciences, so as to engage with clarity, insight and intellectual seriousness in contemporary conversations about equity, inclusiveness, freedom, justice and progress.
To complete the concentration in Political and Ethical Theory, at least six of the twelve courses a student takes to complete the PPL major must come from the list of Political and Ethical Theory classes below.
A guide to completing the concentration can be found here: [PDF Guide]
Coursework
Philosophy Courses:
PHIL 140: Introduction to Ethics
PHIL 142: Intro to Political Philosophy
PHIL 147: Markets, Ethics and Law
PHIL 148: Medical Ethics
PHIL 149: Environmental Ethics
PHIL 201: Plato & Aristotle
PHIL 202: Descartes, Hume & Kant
PHIL 242: Classics in Political Philosophy
PHIL 281A: Marx, Nietzsche, Freud
PHIL 340: Ethical Theory
PHIL 342: History of Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 344: Buddhist Ethics
PHIL 403: Topics in Ancient Philosophy (of any letter/title)
PHIL 455: Advanced Philosophy of Law
PHIL 456: (of any letter/title)
PHIL 457: (of any letter/title)
PHIL 458: (of any letter/title)
PHIL 458B: Stoic Ethics
PHIL 480A: Genocide & Mass Atrocity Prevention
PHIL 480G: Global Health Impact
PHIL 480P: Levinas and Phenomenology
PHIL 482A: Philosophy Language
PHIL 488: Topics in Social and Political Philosophy (of any letter/title)
Political Science Courses:
PLSC 100: Human Rights
PLSC 115: Introduction to Ideas and Politics
PLSC 287: Special Topics in Political Theory
PLSC 325: Ethics & US Foreign Policy
PLSC 331: Constitutional Law and Politics
PLSC 333: Civil Rights and Liberties
PLSC 348: Human Rights
PLSC 373: American Political Thought
PLSC 387: Topics in Political Theory (of any letter/title)
PLSC 433: Human Rights & World Politics
PLSC 435: Politics of Development
PLSC 441: Political Economy
PLSC 487: Special Topics in Political Theory (of any letter/title)
History Courses:
HIST 281E: Machiavelli and the Renaissance
HIST 281U: Wars of Religion
HIST 300: Ancient Law and Society
HIST 333: Human Rights Since 1945
HIST 356: American Legal History
HIST 358: U.S. Legal History to 1890
HIST 359: U.S. Legal History since 1890
HIST 360: Law, Race and Social Change in US History
HIST 381G: English Civil Wars
HIST 381H: After Machiavelli: Pol Thought in Early Modern Europe
HIST 481H: Roman Imperialism and Law
HIST 484K: Gandhi, M.L.K., Fanon
Cognate Courses:
CLAS 381A: Persuasion in Ancient Greece
ECON 144: Poverty and Discrimination
ECON 160: Principles of Microeconomics
ECON 162: Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 381C: Evolution of Economic Ideas
ECON 426: History of Economic Thought [ECON majors/minors only]
ECON 461: Game Theory
PPL 280: Topics in Philosophy, Politics and Law
SOC 200: Foundations of Social Theory
SOC 378: Law and Society
WGSS 381B: Legal History of Sexuality
WGSS 481C: Queer Critical Legal Theory and Law
