IDS 4119 – Applying the PPE lens to important problems.
The PPE Capstone is the culminating course of the PPE minor, designed to help students integrate and apply insights from their studies in philosophy, political science, and economics. Drawing on topics such as political authority, property, justice, markets and voting, constitutions, and more, students will explore how societies confront the collective action problems that arise when there is a divergence between what is good for the group and what is good for the individual.
This course takes a thematic approach, focusing on the ways in which different disciplines explain and attempt to solve problems of cooperation, coordination, and conflict. Emphasis will be placed on how philosophical reasoning, political structures, and economic mechanisms intersect—and sometimes compete—in shaping policy outcomes.
Each spring, the course will also apply these theoretical tools to one or more real-world policy areas, chosen by the instructor. Examples may include:
- Public health
- Environmental sustainability
- Education reform
- Poverty and social welfare
- Law and the justice system
- Foreign intervention and global governance
Prerequisite: Introduction to PPE (IDS 2118)
Enrollment is restricted to PPE minors.
Note: While not a requirement, to get the most from this class it should be completed after the other 12 hours of the minor have been completed.