Director of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) program
Doug Norton, Ph.D., specialized faculty in the Department of Economics and director of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) program at Florida State University, attended the week-long Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) Graduate Workshop at Chapman University this past June with the support of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s (COSSPP) Specialized Faculty Professional Development Program.
The Specialized Faculty Professional Development Program is a competitive funding opportunity offered by the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy to support the professional growth and effectiveness of full-time specialized faculty. With a total allocation of $10,000 and individual awards of up to $2,000, the program is designed to fund activities that align with a faculty member’s Assignment of Responsibilities. Its purpose is to enhance teaching, research, and professional development by supporting faculty contributions to the College.
This workshop was an intensive, interdisciplinary program that brought together faculty and graduate students from across the country to engage foundational and emerging questions in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE).
“The support from COSSPP to attend this workshop has strengthened my teaching and leadership for the PPE program at FSU,” Dr. Norton said. “I believe it will produce meaningful returns for our students, college, and university.”
The interdisciplinary field of PPE began at the University of Oxford in 1920 as a modern take on classical education to “…promote the study of the structure, philosophical, political, and economic principles of society.” In recent years, PPE programs have surged in popularity worldwide. According to the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Society, FSU was the first in Florida to develop a formal PPE program; the University of Florida has since developed a PPEL (PPE and Law) major.
The Chapman University Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) Graduate Workshop reduced barriers to cross-field engagement by featuring lectures, breakout sessions, and informal conversations to deepen attendees’ understanding of how the different strands of PPE come into dialogue. Dr. Norton returned with inspiration for new activities and a strengthened teaching philosophy.
“Most Ph.D. training cultivates deep but narrow expertise, which is necessary given the focus and energy required to master a particular slice of research,” Dr. Norton said. “To engage in fruitful dialogue across disciplines requires tremendous investment: it requires the ability to engage with fields that ask different questions, use unfamiliar methods, rely on distinct vocabularies, and so on. There is real work involved in learning how these perspectives can speak to one another.”
Dr. Norton credits the workshop with forming relationships already proving valuable as he develops research on the rapid rise of PPE programs in the United States. Over the coming year, Dr. Norton will interview scholars and program leaders across the PPE landscape to understand how they perceive the value of PPE education, the challenges they have faced in building programs, and how their thinking has changed over time.
Beyond that upcoming project, this professional development opportunity has also informed two grant proposals submitted to the PPE Research Consortium. The first is on institutional change and case studies that defy the (often) pessimistic predictions of public choice; a volume of case studies that will fit well with the FSU PPE program motto, “Charting a course to a better world.”
Dr. Norton’s second proposal focuses on central planning, a topic that features prominently in the Introduction to PPE course at FSU, which includes the Socialist Calculation Debate. Both grant proposals, described by Consortium leadership as “seriously appealing,” promise to advance research in the field and produce pedagogical resources that will enhance how we teach key concepts in our classrooms.
“I am struck by how far the PPE program has come in such a short time. None of this progress would have been possible without the College’s early and ongoing support,” Dr. Norton said. “I am truly grateful to the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy for investing in this work, for believing in the promise of PPE at Florida State University, and for enabling the professional development that continues to strengthen the program. Thank you.”
Dr. Norton originally began building the FSU PPE program almost three years ago. The program has since doubled enrollment, features a robust PPE Speaker Series, and has had success in external fundraising, including an $18,000 grant from the Institute for Humane Studies, matched by the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute for Governance and Civics.
“The trajectory of our PPE program has been possible because Dean Chapin invested in co-teaching and the PPE Speaker Series. That support helped with faculty development,” Dr. Norton said. “For me, co-teaching and collaborating with Philosophy Professor Mark LeBar has been instrumental in my development. But the Speaker Series really helped build momentum among colleagues and students around the program, helping them understand what PPE is about.”
To learn more about the Florida State University Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) program, cosspp.fsu.edu/philosophy-politics-and-economics.