Degree Requirements

Students must take a total of 12 courses to fulfill the requirements of the major, 6 of which must be upper-level.

  1. Philosophy Series (four courses)
    • PHIL 146 Law and Justice
    • Applied Ethics [either PHIL 147, 148, 149 or 150]
    • PHIL 345 Philosophy of Law
    • Seminar in Law and Philosophy [any PHIL 455, 456, 457, or 458 class)
  2. Political Science Requirement (any two courses from List B, one of which must be upper-level)
  3. History Requirement (any two courses from List C)
  4. Cognate Requirement (four additional courses from any of the lists below)

Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in courses fulfilling major requirements, and courses cannot be taken pass-fail. Courses taken at other universities may be approved by a PPL advisor, and students should seek pre-approval of courses they may take while studying abroad. Additional eligible courses that reflect recent updates to departmental offerings can be found on the Course List Updates page.  Updated: December 1, 2022.

A guide to completing the major can be found here:  [PDF Guide]

List A: Philosophy Series (four courses):

  • PHIL 146 Law and Justice
  • PHIL 147 Markets, Ethics and Law or PHIL 148 Medical Ethics or PHIL 149 Environmental Ethics or PHIL 150 Technology, Ethics, and Policy
  • PHIL 345 Philosophy of Law
  • PHIL 455 Advanced Philosophy of Law or PHIL 456 Problems in Law and Political Theory (of any letter/title) or PHIL 457 Problems in Law and Morality (of any letter/title) or PHIL 458 Problems in Law and History of Philosophy (of any letter/title)
    Note: One Seminar in Law and Philosophy is required, but additional PHIL 45x seminars can be taken as cognates. Recent seminars include:

PHIL 456A: Criminal Law & Responsibility
PHIL 456C: Lying and Politics
PHIL 456E: Equality
PHIL 456G: Access to Essential Medicines
PHIL 456H: International Law & Justice
PHIL 456K: War and Terrrorism
PHIL 456L: Theories of Freedom
PHIL 456S: Free Speech & Freedom of the Press
PHIL 457E: Justice & Gender
PHIL 457G: Sustainability
PHIL 457H: Political Authority & Disobedience
PHIL 458C: Citizenship in Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 458J: What is Justice?
PHIL 458K: What We Owe to the Global Poor

Optional Philosophy (may be taken towards the cognate requirement):

  • PHIL 121 Methods of Reasoning  
    or PHIL 122 Elementary Logic
  • 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 150 Technology, Ethics, and Policy
  • PHIL 180A Debating Basic Income
  • PHIL 180B Empathy, Ethics, and Narrative
  • PHIL 201 Plato & Aristotle
  • PHIL 202 Descartes, Hume & Kant
  • PHIL 242 Classics in Political Philosophy
  • PHIL 280A Debating Basic Income II
  • PHIL 280B Empathy, Ethics, and Narrative II
  • PHIL 281A Marx, Nietzsche, Freud
  • PHIL 340 Ethical Theory
  • PHIL 342 History of Social and Political Philosophy
  • PHIL 344 Buddhist Ethics
  • PHIL 386A Human Rights and Development
  • PHIL 403 Topics in Ancient Philosophy (of any letter/title)
  • PHIL 455 Advanced Philosophy of Law
  • PHIL 456 Problems in Law and Political Theory (of any letter/title)
  • PHIL 457 Problems in Law and Morality (of any letter/title)
  • PHIL 458 Problems in Law and History of Philosophy (of any letter/title)
  • PHIL 458B Stoic Ethics
  • PHIL 480A Genocide & Mass Atrocity Prevention
  • PHIL 480A Latin American Philosophy
  • 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)
  • PPL 471/472 Pell Honors Seminar I/Pell Honors Seminar II
  • PPL 480 Advanced Topics in Philosophy and Law

List B: Political Science Requirement (minimum of two required, at least one of which is upper-level):

  • PLSC 111 Introduction to American Politics
  • PLSC 113 Introduction to Comparative Politics
  • PLSC 115 Introduction to Ideas and Politics
  • PLSC 117 World Politics
  • PLSC 282A Intro to Environmental Policy
  • PLSC 287 Special Topics in Political Theory
  • PLSC 300 American Judicial Process
  • PLSC 301 Comparative Politics of Healthcare
  • PLSC 308 Govt & Pol. in M. East & N. Africa
  • PLSC 311 Politics of Western Europe
  • PLSC 319 Issues in World Politics
  • PLSC 321 American Presidency
  • PLSC 322 American Political Parties and Pressure Groups
  • PLSC 323 The Congress in American Politics
  • PLSC 324 Congress and the President
  • PLSC 325 Ethics & US Foreign Policy
  • PLSC 326 American State Politics
  • PLSC 327 American Foreign Policy
  • PLSC 331 Constitutional Law and Politics
  • PLSC 333 Civil Rights and Liberties
  • PLSC 340 Public Opinion
  • PLSC 341 Political Analysis
  • PLSC 342 Urban Politics
  • PLSC 348 Human Rights
  • PLSC 356 Politics of the European Union
  • PLSC 358 Russian & Post Soviet Politics
  • PLSC 360 Political Behavior
  • PLSC 366 US Labor Politics, Policy and Law
  • PLSC 369 American Electoral Behavior
  • PLSC 373 American Political Thought
  • PLSC 375 International Law
  • PLSC 380 Topics in World Politics (of any letter/title)
  • PLSC 381H Political Analysis
  • PLSC 382 Topics in American Politics (of any letter/title)
  • PLSC 384 Topics in Policy Analysis (of any letter/title)
  • PLSC 387 Topics in Political Theory (of any letter/title)
  • PLSC 389 Topics in Comparative Politics (of any letter/title)
  • PLSC 402 Dynamics of Int. Conflict
  • PLSC 405 International Politics of Third World
  • PLSC 411 Campaigns and Elections
  • PLSC 414 The US Supreme Court
  • PLSC 420 Judicial Politics and Behavior
  • PLSC 421 American Politics: Congress
  • PLSC 424 American Political Process
  • PLSC 425 The American Congress, Structure and Power
  • PLSC 426 Voting Rights
  • PLSC 433 Human Rights & World Politics
  • PLSC 435 Politics of Development
  • PLSC 441 Political Economy
  • PLSC 466 Political Islam
  • PLSC 474 Voting Behavior
  • PLSC 481 Seminar in American Politics (of any letter/title)
  • PLSC 485 Topics in Comparative Politics (of any letter/title)
  • PLSC 486 Special Topics in World Politics (of any letter/title)
  • PLSC 487 Special Topics in Political Theory (of any letter/title)

List C: History Requirement (minimum of two required):

  • HIST 103 Foundations of America (of any letter/title)
  • HIST 104 Modern American Civilization (of any letter/title)
  • HIST 106A/B East Asian Civilizations
  • HIST 130 Modern World History (of any letter/title)
  • HIST 131 World History to 1500
  • HIST 150 Modern Israel
  • HIST 180A/280A Mapping American Prejudice
  • HIST 181B Russian Culture & Civilizations
  • HIST 225 Imperial Russia
  • HIST 230 History of Modern Medicine
  • HIST 231 Animals and Society
  • HIST 237 World Environmental History
  • HIST 238 Science and Technology in the Modern World
  • HIST 262 History of Asian America
  • HIST 263 Sex in American History
  • HIST 264 Immigration and Ethnicity in the U.S.
  • HIST 266 U.S. Women since 1874
  • HIST 268 Native American Culture and History
  • HIST 273 Chinese Civilization
  • HIST 274 Late Imperial China
  • HIST 275 20th Century Middle East
  • HIST 275A Modern Middle East, 1800-Present
  • HIST 276 Modern Latin American History
  • HIST 278 Intro Latin Am & Carib Studies
  • HIST 280C History of Social Movements in the Modern US
  • HIST 280H African American History since 1825
  • HIST 281D Borderlands of East Central Europe
  • HIST 281E Machiavelli and the Renaissance
  • HIST 281H Europe, 1890 - the Present
  • HIST 281K The Nazi State
  • HIST 281Q Modern Britain and Its Empire
  • HIST 281R England and Its Empire, 1450 – 1750
  • HIST 281U Wars of Religion
  • HIST 282D Mexico, Aztecs to the Present
  • HIST 284B China and the Contemporary World
  • HIST 284C Asians in Latin America
  • HIST 284E Modern India, 1757-2023
  • HIST 284H Environment and Empire, 1750 – 1950
  • HIST 285B History of Islam
  • HIST 285E Jewish History 1500 to Modern
  • HIST 285F U.S. & Middle East
  • HIST 285G Islamic World 500-1500
  • HIST 285H Antisemitism in History
  • HIST 286D Empires at War: Britain and Spain
  • HIST 286H World Climate Catastrophes
  • HIST 300 Ancient Law and Society
  • HIST 310 Revolutionary and Napoleonic Europe (of any letter/title)
  • HIST 311 Race and Racism in Modern Europe
  • HIST 312 Gender and Sexuality in Modern Europe
  • HIST 325 Red Phoenix: Revolution & USSR
  • HIST 333 Human Rights Since 1945
  • HIST 341 China and the West
  • HIST 345A The Holocaust
  • HIST 350 Revolution and the Founding
  • HIST 354 Civil War America
  • HIST 356: American Legal History
  • HIST 357 U.S. Diplomatic 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 362 US in the Depression and World War II
  • HIST 363 War and Race in Early US
  • HIST 364 The American West
  • HIST 365 US in the Depression & WWII
  • HIST 373 Race in Latin American History
  • HIST 374 China in the 20th Century
  • HIST 380 Special Topics in U.S. History (of any letter/title)
  • HIST 381C French Revolution
  • HIST 381E Russia and Ukraine in Crisis
  • HIST 381G Sex and Society in Medieval Europe
  • HIST 381H After Machiavelli: Pol Thought in Early Modern Europe
  • HIST 381J Martyrs to Monks in Early Christianity
  • HIST 381K Mediterranean Encounters
  • HIST 381U Modern Europe 1789-1945
  • HIST 382B Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Latin America
  • HIST 385B History of Islam
  • HIST 385G Islamic World, 500 – 1500
  • HIST 385H Women and Gender in the Middle East
  • HIST 385J Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
  • HIST 385K Republic of Turkey
  • HIST 386C Human Trafficking in History
  • HIST 386D The Crusades
  • HIST 386E Sex Trafficking in Modern Europe
  • HIST 386F Gender, Genocide & Humanitarian Aid
  • HIST 386J History of Public Health
  • HIST 432 Latin America and the U.S.
  • HIST 440 Capitalism and the Jews
  • HIST 470 Latin America and the Cold War
  • HIST 473 Imperialism in East Asia
  • HIST 480 Senior Seminar in U.S. History (of any letter/title)
  • HIST 481B Slavery in the Ancient World
  • HIST 481C Charlemagne, Power, and Kinship
  • HIST 481H Roman Imperialism and Law
  • HIST 481X Ancient Environmental History
  • HIST 482B Latin American Immigration
  • HIST 484C Nationalism in East Asia
  • HIST 484F Maritime Asia
  • HIST 484K Gandhi, M.L.K., Fanon
  • HIST 484R Race & American Citizenship
  • HIST 485B Sectarianism in the Middle East
  • HIST 485G Iran, Past and Present
  • HIST 485M Socialism and the Jews
  • HIST 486 Senior Seminar in World or Comparative History (of any letter/title)

List D: Cognate Requirement (any of the following may be taken towards the cognate requirement):

  • ANTH 256 Native American Culture and History
  • ANTH 364 Political Anthropology
  • CLAS 381A Persuasion in Ancient Greece
  • ECON 144 Poverty and Discrimination
  • ECON 160 Principles of Microeconomics
  • ECON 162 Principles of Macroeconomics
  • ECON 331 Environmental Economics [ECON majors/minors only]
  • ECON 343 Intro. to Labor Economics and IR [ECON majors/minors only]
  • ECON 345 Economics of Public Programs [ECON majors/minors only]
  • ECON 350 U.S. Financial System: Markets and Institutions [ECON majors only]
  • ECON 426 History of Economic Thought [ECON majors/minors only]
  • ECON 436 International Trade [ECON majors/minors only]
  • ECON 437 International Monetary Economics [ECON majors/minors only]
  • ECON 445 Public Expenditure and Public Choice [ECON majors/minors only]
  • ECON 461 Game Theory [ECON majors/minors only]
  • ENVI 225 International Environ Policy
  • ENVI 239 Environmental Planning Policy
  • ENVI 312 Environmental Law and Policy
  • ENVI 338 Food Policy: Health & Security
  • ENVI 415 Environmental Planning
  • ENVI 460 Environmental Policy Analysis
  • ENVI 481 Ethics and Policy Seminar (of any letter/title)
  • GMAP 480 Essentials of GMAP
  • PAFF 521 Foundations of Public Service [PAFF graduate students only]
  • PPL 280 Topics in Philosophy, Politics, and Law (of any letter/title)
  • PPL 380 Topics in Philosophy, Politics, and Law (of any letter/title)
  • PPL 480 Topics in Philosophy, Politics, and Law (of any letter/title)
  • PPL 487 Topics in Philosophy, Politics, and Law (of any letter/title)
  • SOC 200 Foundations of Social Theory
  • SOC 236 Intro to Criminal and Social Justice
  • SOC 240 Women of Color in the U.S.
  • SOC 251 Deviant Behavior
  • SOC 260 Social Problems in the United States
  • SOC 262 Gender and Society
  • SOC 324 Gender and Work
  • SOC 330 Latin American Women
  • SOC 340 Women and Criminal Justice
  • SOC 370 Social Inequality
  • SOC 374 Oil Politics
  • SOC 375 Economic Sociology
  • SOC 378 Law and Society
  • SOC 380D Labor Politics in Contemporary America
  • SOC 380I US War on Drugs & Latin American
  • SOC 432 War, Crimes & Global War
  • SOC 480A Contemporary Capitalism
  • SUST 500 Sustainable Communities I [SUST graduate students only]
  • WGSS 282F Activism, Feminism, & Social Justice
  • WGSS 380A American Civics and Feminism
  • WGSS 381B Legal History of Sexuality
  • WGSS 481C Queer Critical Legal Theory and Law