ppe major proposal (april) final

Index:

1. Introduction including rationale and objectives for the major and why I consider the major necessary for the goals of my undergraduate experience.

2. Outline of major courses and learning outcomes. 3. Sample program for the semesters until graduation. 4. Appendix A: Comparable programs at peer institutions + analysis 5. Appendix B: List of faculty and staff consulted. 6. Appendix C: Statement of purpose for Oxford study-abroad 7. Appendix D: 4-year plan from OAA

1. An introduction that provides a concise rationale and set of objectives for the area major, indicating why you consider the major necessary to your goals for your undergraduate experience.

The goal of my undergraduate education is to acquire the foundational knowledge and conceptual methods necessary to address matters of policy and governance, in both private and public sectors. In an increasingly complex and globalized world, such matters often have ethical, political, and economic components. Consider some of the great domestic and international issues of our time: global trade, clean energy, global and national security, migration, wealth inequality and poverty, resource sustainability, disease control. I believe a full appreciation of such issues demands both an understanding of contemporary methods in economics, political science, and ethics, each in their own right, coupled with a foundational understanding of the interplay between these disciplines. Thus far in my academic career I have accumulated a number of courses relevant to this interdisciplinary domain of policy and governance: statistics, economics, computational thinking, American history, psychology, as well as courses in ancient philosophy and political history. However, I have struggled to identify a cohesive interdisciplinary program that fully realizes the goal of my undergraduate experience. With the help and encouragement of a number of Rice professors across the University (see Appendix B), I have spent the past few months building an area major proposal in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics to serve that purpose.

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics deserve to be studied together; the foundational relationship between these disciplines lies in both their historical contexts as well as their present day applications. Economics in the modern sense was born from moral philosophy. In as much as great books like Adam Smith’s On the Wealth of Nations and John Stuart Mill’s Principles of Political Economy are works of economics, they are also squarely in the domain of moral philosophy. This legacy is evident in the first pages of any modern Economics textbook in the guiding questions of the field: how can we allocate the scarce resources of society so as to best promote the general welfare? And despite the gravitation towards the computational and quantitative aspects of Economics since the Victorian era, Economics still needs philosophy. Economists and

game theorists still debate the assumptions of rational choice theory, just as policy makers fiercely argue about the ethical implications of economic policy.

The relationship between politics and philosophy is even more direct. The United States was conceived under the heavy influence of enlightenment thinking. The founding fathers drew from John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Montesquieu as they envisioned a government and society conceived in liberty. Just as the Greeks formed a democracy rooted in the belief that all men were imparted with an equal share of dike, justice, and aidos, concern for their fellow man, so too did the founding fathers create a democracy on the principle that all men are created equal. Political philosophy is the DNA of American democracy; a full understanding of government in this country requires an understanding of its ideological roots.

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics are indeed foundationally related, historically and today. It has become increasingly clear that they are important to study in tandem, since our most urgent problems require an understanding of how political and economic institutions work, how people respond to incentives, and how different institutions require us to take moral tradeoffs seriously. In the wake of the First World War in Great Britain, professors at the University of Oxford designed a program, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (abbreviated PPE) that would combine the three disciplines, so as to breed a new generation of political leaders for that nation. Then and now, the program intends to give its students a fundamental understanding of the interplay between the three disciplines, as well as an introduction to the contemporary methods of political science and economic analysis as well as modern and ancient philosophy.1 The program has since spread across Europe and the United States, and exists with new twists at several of Rice’s peer institutions including Yale, The University of Pennsylvania, Duke, Tulane, UNC-Chapel Hill, Carnegie Mellon, and as of Fall 2015, the London School of Economics. The program in England has produced many notable alumni, including current British Prime Minister David Cameron, and former US President Bill Clinton (who studied PPE on his Rhodes Scholarship).

Rice University has strong and extensive offerings in each of the relevant PPE disciplines, and these offerings have deepened with the addition of the new Policy, Law, and Social Thought minor. That being said, I believe that no existing program or reasonable combination of programs will have the same reach and scope of my proposed major. My 16-course major features many of the same elective options as the PLST minor, coupled with extensive requirements and electives in Economics (Microeconomics, Macroeconomics at the introductory and intermediate levels, with associated quantitative methods, as well as Political Economy, and electives in International Economics and Trade), electives in contemporary Political Science (International Organization, International Conflict, etc.), and Statistics (Introductory Applied Statistics and Methods for Data Analysis and Systems Optimization). My major will leverage the PLST minor and achieve many of the same learning objectives, but will cover more ground in Economics, Statistics, modern applications of Political Science,

1 In early February I was accepted to a full-year study abroad program at the University of Oxford. I will be a visiting student in PPE at Lady Margaret Hall College. Professor Gillian Peele in the Politics department at LMH will help me choose six elective courses to take at Oxford that will fit into my major proposal at Rice when I arrive at Oxford.

political thought in history (using the Oxford program during a yearlong study-abroad), and Ethics. Although a triple major in the relevant fields, or some double major combination with a minor may ostensibly reach many of the same courses as my proposed major, I believe the learning outcomes of such a program would differ from the ones I have identified. The courses in my major were chosen carefully according to the PPE program’s interdisciplinary ethos. Furthermore, a multiple major option would not give me the opportunity to engage in a senior project in PPE as I have outlined. I believe that if a multiple major program were an effective substitute for PPE, then the program would not exist at other institutions. In this case, studying multiple things concurrently is not a substitute for a truly interdisciplinary program.

I believe this major is necessary to achieve my undergraduate goal of acquiring foundational knowledge, practical methods, and conceptual skills across PPE and the social sciences. A related goal of my college years is to leave Rice with many opportunities open to me in the form of graduate study, as well as public and private sector work. I envision a number of specific opportunities in each of these areas that would flow naturally from my program in PPE. This year I have gone to information sessions to learn more about dual degree MBA/MPP programs at Harvard and Stanford. I have also sought more information about jobs and internships at political think tanks, international non-profit organizations, government agencies, and management consulting firms at Rice career fairs and elsewhere. I am excited by the number of doors that this major may open for me, at Rice and beyond. Specific objectives for my area major:

1. To acquire a foundational understanding of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics in terms of historical underpinnings and modern applications.

2. To consider the interplay of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and its applications for policy and governance.

3. To acquire a strong background in the contemporary methods for Political Science, Economics, and Ethics, in the form of Statistics, Microeconomics, and Macroeconomics.

4. To acquire strong analytical, communicative, and conceptual skills (and related objectives of a liberal arts education).

2. Detailed outline of academic program, including faculty advisers, core courses, and electives, learning outcomes, and a full list of courses that potentially will fill the requirements for the major. Faculty Advisers: Philosophy – Dr. Gwendolyn Bradford Political Science – Dr. Rick Stoll Economics – Dr. Antonio Merlo Core Courses at Rice pt. 1 (5 Courses, 17+ hours): ECON 100 – Principles of Economics (regularly offered)

POLI 212 – Intro to Comparative Politics or POLI 211 Intro to International Relations (regularly offered) STAT 280 – Elementary Applied Statistics (regularly offered) STAT 385 – Methods for Data Analysis and System Optimization2 (regularly offered) Core Courses at Rice pt. 2 (3 Courses, 9 hours): PHIL 307 – Social and Political Philosophy (regularly offered) ECON 432 - Political Economy3 (regularly offered) PHIL 306 – Ethics (regularly offered) Proposed Oxford Courses (6 Tutorials, 36 hours): Political Thought: Plato to Rousseau (Transfers as PLST 3xx4 or TRAN 300) Political Thought: Bentham to Weber (Transfers as PLST 3xx or TRAN 300) Microeconomics (Required, transfers as TRAN 100) Macroeconomics (Required, transfers as TRAN 100) Ancient Philosophy (Transfers as PHIL 3xx or TRAN 300) Modern Philosophy (Transfers as PHIL 3xx or TRAN 300) A note on Oxford tutorials: I am guaranteed to take Micro and Macroeconomics. However, the tutorials in Philosophy and Politics may change depending on availability, but will follow the general theme of the samples identified above. How does the tutorial system work? “The tutorial system is at the heart of Oxford's approach to university education. While most universities in the U.S. and the U.K. rely on lectures, classes and seminars as their main mode of teaching, Oxford places the emphasis on tutorials. Other methods are used, but they are secondary to tutorials. Oxford's tutorial system consists of an hour in-depth discussion between one student or a pair of students and a tutor assigned by the college. Tutorials that take place once a week are called the primary or major tutorial, and tutorials that take place once every other week are called a secondary or minor tutorial. Visiting Students take one primary and one secondary tutorial per term. At the center of each tutorial is an essay that a student researches and prepares in the week prior to the meeting. In the traditional tutorial, students will read the essay aloud to the tutor, although today many tutors might ask to take the essay home with them or will request the essay early in order to read it prior to the meeting. Discussion of the essay will often lead to further conversation of the topic at hand or a related topic.”5

2 Prerequisite: STAT 280 or STAT 305 or STAT 310 or STAT 312 or ECON 307 3 Prerequisite: (ECON 200 or ECON 301 or ECON 370) and (ECON 205 or ECON 305 or ECON 400 or ECON 405). Permission to special register as a senior granted by Professor Merlo in Dec. 2015. 4 Transfer credit will be determined with Professor Emden upon return from Oxford. 5 http://www.ifsa-‐butler.org/oxford-‐university/lady-‐margaret-‐hall.html

Tutorial meeting times are traditionally arranged between the tutor and the student upon arrival. Tutorials can also be held in a variety of locations: a college room, university building or even in the tutor's own home.” Although 36 credit hours over six tutorials seems like a daunting amount, I am confident that I will be able to maintain a very healthy work/life balance while at Oxford, giving me ample time to become immersed in the culture of the town of Oxford and England overall. Furthermore, as a visiting student, I am mandated to take exactly 6 tutorials in the fields that I identified when I applied: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Whether or not these tutorials are included as major requirements will have no bearing on whether or not I take them. Three Elective Courses at Rice in a Chosen Concentration+ Capstone (4 Courses, 12+ hours): These are courses from across Rice that fall under the PPE umbrella. Four electives are required at 300 level or above in the major that fill a chosen concentration. HIST 365 - World Economic History HIST 370 - European Intellectual History GERM 333 - Nietzsche GERM 322 - Marx, Freud, Einstein PHIL 327 - History of Social and Political Philosophy PLST 316 - Democracy and Political Theory in Ancient Greece HIST 359 - U.S. in the 20th Century World HIST 461 - WWII: A Political History HIST 464 - Cold War U.S. Foreign Policy HIST 387 – U.S. & the World: 1750 – 1900 HUMA 303 - Persuasion and Political Rhetoric PLST 301 - Modern Political Thought GERM 349 - German Political Thought HIST 373 - 19th Century Social and Political Thought POLI 457 - Conditions of Democracy POLI 357 - Democracy and Democratization POLI 421 - Contemporary Issues in American Politics PHIL 316 - Philosophy of Law POLI 365 – British Politics ECON 420 – International Trade POLI 373 – International Conflict POLI 375 – International Organization POLI 379 – Problems of International Relations POLI 470 – International Relations POLI 338 - Policy Analysis ANTH 340 – Neoliberalism and Globalization FREN 324 – From Decolonization to Globalization

POLI 360 - Western European Democracies PLST 302 - Contemporary Political Theory POLI 378 – Politics of American National Security HIST 536 – America and the World HIST 418 – Science, Technology and the Cold War POLI 473 – The Craft of Intelligence Here are two potential concentrations, one in Globalization and the other in Global Conflict and Security. Alternative concentrations and electives will be chosen with the help of the major advisers prior to the beginning of my senior year. Globalization concentration (Choose 3, at least 1 from Economics and at least 1 from Political Science): ECON 420 – International Trade ECON 422 – International Economics and Finance POLI 373 – International Conflict POLI 375 – International Organization POLI 379 – Problems of International Relations POLI 470 – International Relations HIST 365 - World Economic History ANTH 340 – Neoliberalism and Globalization FREN 324 – From Decolonization to Globalization HIST 387 – U.S. & the World: 1750 – 1900 HIST 359 - U.S. in the 20th Century World HIST 461 - WWII: A Political History Global Conflict and Security concentration (Choose 3, at least 1 from Economics and at least 1 from Political Science): POLI 373 - International Conflict POLI 473 - The Craft of Intelligence HIST 418 – Science, Technology and the Cold War HIST 536 – America and the World POLI 378 – Politics of American National Security POLI 375 – International Organization POLI 379 – Problems of International Relations POLI 470 – International Relations HIST 461 - WWII: A Political History ECON 420 – International Trade ECON 422 – International Economics and Finance HIST 359 - U.S. in the 20th Century World HIST 365 - World Economic History The major includes a senior capstone course aligned with PPE and the concentration. I will identify a supervising faculty member for a culminating senior thesis of 25-50 pages as the product of the capstone at the beginning of my senior year.

Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: 1. The student has a foundational understanding of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics in both historical and contemporary contexts. The student has a strong grasp on contemporary methods for Political Science and Economics, including methods for microeconomics, macroeconomics, parametric statistics, and data analytics. 2. The student can develop and articulate his or her own arguments about PPE, in papers, presentations, and discussions. Furthermore, the student is able to compare authors and complex texts and offer up their own critical analysis and interpretation. 3. The student has selected a concentration in a relevant theme in the PPE domain. They have acquired a comprehensive knowledge in the theme, and delivered a thesis that contributes to the body of knowledge on this topic. 3. Sample Program for the semesters until graduation Here is a sample program assuming the concentration in Globalization: Already taken: STAT 280 – Elementary Applied Statistics ECON 100 – Principles of Economics Spring 2016: PHIL 306 – Ethics STAT 385 – Methods for Data Analysis and System Optimization HIST 365 – World Economic History Fall and Spring 2016/2017 (Studying abroad at Oxford): Political Thought: Plato to Rousseau (Transfer credit for PLST 3xx) Political Thought: Bentham to Weber (Transfer credit for PLST 3xx) Microeconomics (Transfer credit for ECON 200) Macroeconomics (Transfer credit for ECON 203) Ancient Philosophy (Transfer credit for PHIL 301) Modern Philosophy (Transfer credit for PHIL 302) Fall 2017: PHIL 307 - Social and Political Philosophy (or Spring, depending on availability) ECON 428 - Political Economy (or Spring, depending on availability) POLI 211 - Intro to International Relations Spring 2018:

ECON 420 – International Trade (or Fall, depending on availability) POLI 375 – International Organization (or Fall, depending on availability) “PPE 4xx” – PPE Capstone w/ senior essay Outline of program + Final Note: 4 Introductory Courses at Rice (14 hours) 3 Core Courses at Rice (9 hours) 6 Tutorial Courses at Oxford (averaging 6 hours each) 3 Concentration Elective Courses at Rice (9 hours) Capstone/Senior Thesis (1+ hours) 16 Courses total covering 68 hours + 1 Senior Thesis covering 1+ hour A Rice Philosophy Major requires 10 courses A Rice Political Science Major requires 12 courses A Rice Economics Major requires 14 courses Although 16 courses seems like a gratuitous amount for a social science major in light of the requirements of some other Rice programs, I feel strongly that this number of courses is reasonable for an area major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. The number of hours in the major is misleading in that the tutorials that I take at Oxford will average 6 hours each (were they to count for 3 each, the major would be reduced to ~ 51 hours). Consider that comparable programs at Rice’s peer institutions like UPenn and Yale require roughly this number of courses (16, and 14, respectively, plus a capstone). Overall, considering how much this major is trying to accomplish in terms of academic and learning outcomes, I feel that the program is both effective and feasible at this number of courses (especially considering how many courses I will already have completed by the end of this year). 4. Appendix A: comparable programs at peer institutions Index: 1. UPenn 2. Yale (Note to reader: I cannot access the names of courses without a Yale student account. I included the written program overview instead.) 3. Oxford 4. Tulane 5. LSE 6. Duke (Certificate) 7. Carnegie Mellon 8. UNC-Chapel Hill (Minor, please see note at the end) 9. Analysis

***Important Note*** The information included in this appendix is quite lengthy and can be difficult to interpret. I tried to simplify the process by making a spreadsheet with a comparative analysis of the major programs, which is attached at the end of this proposal. Also, see the essay at the end of this appendix for a written comparison. 1. UPenn Program: 1 Rigorous Reasoning pre-requirement. Some examples: MATH 104 – Calculus, Part 1 MATH 114 – Calculus, Part 2 MATH 115 – Calculus, Part 2 MATH 180 – Analytical Methods in Economics, Law, and Medicine PHIL 5 – Introduction to Formal Logic STAT 101 – Introductory Business Statistics STAT 102 – Introductory Business Statistics STAT 111 – Introductory Statistics STAT 112 – Introductory Statistics ECON 103 – Statistics for Economists SOC 120 – Social Statistics 7 Courses from the following, 2 in each Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics, as well as 1 in Psychology. PHIL 008 – Social Contract PHIL 002 – Ethics PHIL 005 / 015 – Logic PHIL 073 – Biomedical Ethics PHIL 073 – Topics in Global Ethics PHIL 273 –Business Ethics PHIL 277 – Philosophy and the Constitutions PSCI 181 – Modern Political Thought PSCI 182 – Freedom, Power & Equality PSCI 183 – American Political Thought PSCI 110 – Comparative Politics PSCI 150 – Intro to International Relations PSCI 272 – American Constitutional Law II ECON 001 – Microeconomics ECON 002 – Macroeconomics PSYC 253 – Judgments and Decisions PSYC 170 – Social Psychology Four Mandatory courses:

PPE 201 – Strategic Reasoning PPE 202 – Public Policy Process PPE 203 – Behavioral Economics and Psychology PPE 204 – Philosophy of Social Science Four courses in a thematic concentration (chosen with help from PPE adviser) from the following: Choice and Behavior Globalization Distributive Justice Public Policy and Governance Ethics and the Professions And one capstone PPE seminar, also chosen with regard to the Theme PPE 475 - Capstone Sample program for a student doing the Globalization concentration: PHIL 002 – Ethics PHIL 008 – Social Contract ECON 001 – Intro Micro ECON 002 – Intro Macro PSCI 182 – Contemporary Political Theory PSCI 150 – International Relations in Theory and Practice PSYC 153 – Judgments and Decision PPE 202 – Public Policy PPE 201 – Strategic Reasoning PPE 204 – Philosophy of Social Science PPE 203 – Behavioral Psychology and Economics PSCI 116 – Political Change in the Third World ECON 024 – Development Economics PSCI 314 – Transitions to Democracy PSCI 224 – Political Economy of Development PPE 475 – The Politics of Contemporary Iraq 2. Yale Program: “To complete the Ethics, Politics and Economics major, students must take fourteen term courses. Six introductory courses survey central issues in ethics and political philosophy and provide a basic familiarity with contemporary economic analysis. Every student in the major must take introductory macroeconomics and introductory microeconomics,

introduction to political philosophy, introduction to ethics, and an introductory statistics course. Every student must also take an intermediate Microeconomics course. Four core courses comprise the center of the major. All students must take “Classics of Ethics, Politics and Economics” as one of their core courses. Students must complete two seminars, one each in two of the remaining three fields and at least one Advanced Seminar. Ordinarily three of the four core classes must be completed before the beginning of the senior year. We suggest students take Advanced Seminars later in their program, after they have determined their concentration. Four concentration courses, drawn from any part of the university, must cohere together into a unified area of concentration. Each student conceives of his or her area of concentration in personal consultation with the director of undergraduate studies during the second half of their junior year. The purpose of the concentration is to enable students to frame an important problem and shape a systematic course of inquiry, employing analytic methods and substantive theories drawn from the various disciplines. The concentration be constructed with the senior essay in mind. At least three of the four concentration courses must be seminars; only one can be a lecture. In addition, all students in the major must write a senior essay. The essay may be written in the context of a concentration seminar, or it may be written independently. If it is written independently, it may be written over the course of either one term or the entire academic year. Independent essays, written in consultation with a faculty adviser, may count as one course towards the concentration.”6 3. Oxford Program: 1st Year General Philosophy Moral Philosophy Elementary Logic Theorising the Democratic State The Practice of Politics Political Analysis Microeconomics Macroeconomics Mathematical Techniques used in Economics 2nd and 3rd Years Students choose to continue with all three branches or concentrate on any two, taking compulsory courses in the chosen branches along with optional courses:

6 http://epe.yale.edu/

Compulsory Core Courses: Philosophy: Ethics Early Modern Knowledge; or Knowledge and Reality; or Plato’s Republic; or Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics Politics (any two of the following): Comparative Government; British Politics and Government since 1900; Theory of Politics; International Relations; Political Sociology Economics: Microeconomics Macroeconomics Quantitative Economics Some optional courses in each of the three areas: Philosophy: Aesthetics Ancient Philosophy Applied Ethics Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics Early Modern Philosophy Ethics Formal Logic Formal Semantics Frege, Russell and Wittgenstein Introduction to Categories and Categoral Logic Knowledge and Reality Logic Medieval Philosophy Medieval Philosophy: Aquinas Medieval Philosophy: Duns Scotus and Ockham Metaphysics Modal Logic Model Theory Modern Philosophy Nineteenth Century European Philosophy Origins of Analytic Philosophy: Frege, Russell, and the Early Wittgenstein Philosophical Logic Philosophy of Cognitive Science Philosophy of Language Philosophy of Logic and Language Philosophy of Mathematics

Philosophy of Mind Philosophy of Physics Philosophy of Religion Philosophy of Science Plato's Republic Post-Kantian Philosophy Set Theory The Philosophy and Economics of the Environment The Philosophy of Kant Theory of Politics The Later Philosophy of Wittgenstein Economics: Labour Economics International Economics Economics of Developing Countries Money and Banking Public Economics Economics of Industry British Economic History since 1870 Command and Transitional Economies Econometrics Game Theory Mathematical Methods Politics: Introduction to Politics [covers UK, US and France] Comparative Government British Politics and Government in the Twentieth Century Theory of Politics International Relations Modern British Government and Politics Government and Politics of the United States Politics in Europe Politics in Russia and the Former Soviet Union Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa Politics in Latin America Politics in the Middle East Political Thought: Plato to Rousseau Political Thought: Bentham to Weber Social Policy Britain and Ireland The European Union and British Politics Courts and Politics International Relations in the Era of Two World Wars International Relations in the Era of the Cold War

Politics in South Asia The Government and Politics of Japan Politics in China Comparative Demographic Systems Quantitative Methods in Politics and Sociology Political Sociology Foundations of Political Thought Marxism The Politics of the European Union Sociological Theory The Sociology of Post-Industrial Societies 4. Tulane Program (designated as “Political Economy”): Core Courses: ECON 1010 – Introductory Microeconomics ECON 1020 – Introductory Macroeconomics ECON 3010 – Intermediate Microeconomics PECN 3010 – Introduction to Political Economy PECN 3020 – Political Economy: An Historical Overview PECN 3030 – The Individual, Society, and State PECN 3040 – Comparative and International Political Economy PECN 6000 – Majors Seminar Concentrations: Law, Economics, and Policy Moral and Historical Perspectives International Perspectives Economics and Public Policy Electives from the International Perspectives Concentration: Two of the following six- ECON 3020 – Intermediate Macroeconomics ECON 3340 – Government in the Economy ECON 3370 – World Economy ECON 3540 – Development Economics ECON 4330 – International Trading Relations ECON 3970/3980 – Special Studies in Economics Three of the following thirteen- ECON 3330 – Environment and Natural Resources ECON 3590 – Economic Development of Latin America

ECON 4340 – International Monetary Relations ECON 4600 – Inequality and Poverty in Latin America PHIL 3560 – Social and Political Ethics PHIL 6510 – Theories of Economic Justice PECN 4970/4980 – Special Topics in Political Economy POLI 3410 – Politics and Nationalism POLI 3510 – Power, Morality, and International Relations POLI 3540 – International Political Economy POLI 4030 – Comparative Political Economy of the Welfare State POLI 4300 – Political Economy of Development in Western Europe POLI 4620 – Global Environment Politics Optional honors courses- PECN H4910/H4920 – Independent Studies PECN H4990/H5000 – Honors Thesis PECN H6010 – Honors Seminar 5. London School of Economics Program (founded 2015): First year (4-5 courses): -Quantitative Methods (Maths) and Quantitative Methods (Statistics) or Mathematical Methods -Introduction to Political Science or Introduction to Political Theory -Reason, Knowledge and Values: An Introduction to Philosophy Economics A or Economics B -LSE100 (Thinking like a Social Scientist) Second year (5 courses): -Introduction to Econometrics or Elementary Statistical Theory -Introduction to Political Science or Introduction to Political Theory, depending on first year choice -Formal Methods of Philosophical Argumentation -Microeconomic Principles 1 or Microeconomics Principles 2, depending on first year choice -PPE Interdisciplinary Research Seminar Third year (5 courses): -One government option -One philosophy option -Macroeconomic Principles -Introduction to Econometrics or Principles of Econometrics or one government, philosophy, or economics option, depending on first-year choice -PPE Interdisciplinary Research Seminar, cont. Fourth year (4 courses): -Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: Applications

-Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: Capstone and Research Project -Any two second- or third-year LSE options 6. Duke Certificate Program: Required gateway course and required capstone: Gateway Course (Econ 361 | Phil 246 | Poli Sci 331) listed as “Prisoner’s Dilemma and Distributive Justice” Capstone Course (Econ 386 | Phil 465 | Poli Sci 449) listed as “PPE Capstone” Electives – Each student selects at least four elective courses, two from a main concentration and one each from the remaining two disciplines in PPE: Philosophy: 101 Introduction to Philosophy 218 Medical Ethics 502 Comparative Ethics 510 Adversarial Ethics Political Science: 101 Introduction to Political Science 115 How Institutions Shape What Politics Deliver 175 Introduction to Political Philosophy 231 Wealth and Poverty of Nations 315 Political Economy of Financial Crisis 338 Political Economy of Southeast Asia Economics: 101 Economic Principles 201 Intermediate Microeconomics 208 Introduction to Econometrics 210 Intermediate Macroeconomics 311 History of Economic Thought 339 Environmental Economics and Policy 355 International Trade 390 Strategic Thinking: Game Theory 490 Economics of Education 7. Carnegie Mellon Program (Ethics, History, and Public Policy): 1. Economics: 73-100 Principles or 88-220 Economics or Policy Analysis I 2. History Core:

Choose one from each category Policy History 79-300 History of American Public Policy U.S. History 79-240 The Development of American Culture 79-249 20th Century U.S. History Non-U.S. History 79-202 Flesh and Spirit: Early Modern Europe, 1400-1750 79-203 Social and Political Change in 20th Century Central and Eastern Europe 79-205 20th Century Europe 79-207 Development of European Culture 79-222 Between Revolutions: The Development of Modern Latin America 79-223 Mexico: From the Aztec Empire to the Drug War 79-226 African History: Earliest Times to 1780 79-227 African History: Height of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade to the End of Apartheid 79-229 Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1880-1948 79-230 Arab-Israeli Conflict and Peace Process since 1948 79-237 Comparative Slavery 79-251 India/America: Democracy, Diversity, Development 79-261 Chinese Culture and Society 79-262 Modern China 79-264 Tibet in History and Imagination 79-265 Russian History: From the First to the Last Tsar 79-266 Russian History: From Communism to Capitalism 79-307 Religion and Politics in the Middle East Historical Methods and Approaches 79-200 Introduction to Historical Research 3. Philosophy Core: Choose one from each category Ethics 80-130 Introduction to Ethics 80-230 Ethical Theory Political Philosophy 80-135 Introduction to Political Philosophy 80-235 Political Philosophy Foundations of Social Science 80-221 Philosophy of Social Science 80-321 Causation, Law, and Social Policy 80-324 Philosophy of Economics 80-337 Philosophy, Politics & Economics Applied Philosophy 80-136 Social Structure, Public Policy & Ethics

80-244 Environmental Ethics 80-245 Medical Ethics 80-247 Ethics and Global Economics 80-335 Deliberative Democracy: Theory and Practice 80-348 Health Development and Human Rights 80-447 Global Justice 4. Senior Capstone Project Course 79-449 EHPP Project Course 80-449 EHPP Project Course 5. Elective Courses Choose three courses from any category or categories shown below Engineering and Public Policy 19-424 Energy and the Environment 19-426 Environmental Decision Making 19-448 Science, Technology & Ethics Business 70-311 Organizational Behavior 70-321 Negotiation and Conflict Resolution 70-332 Business, Society and Ethics 70-364 Business Law 70-365 International Trade and International Law 70-430 International Management Economics 73-148 Environmental Economics 73-310 Evolution of Economic Ideas and Analysis 73-352 Public Economics 73-358 Economics of the Environment and Natural Resources 73-359 Benefit-Cost Analysis 73-365 Firms, Market Structures, and Strategy 73-372 International Money and Finance 73-375 History of Money and Monetary Policy 73-408 Law and Economics 73-476 American Economic History English 76-492 Rhetoric of Public Policy History 79-217 The War in Vietnam 79-221 Development and Democracy in Latin America 79-231 American Foreign Policy: 1945-Present 79-233 The United States and the Middle East since 1945 79-242 African American History: Reconstruction to the Present

79-253 American Massacres in History and Memory 79-267 The Soviet Union in World War II: Military, Political, and Social History 79-288 Bananas, Baseball, and Borders: Latin America and the United States 79-296 Perspectives on Social Protest 79-298 Mobile Phones & Social Media in Development & Human Rights: A Critical Appraisal 79-299 Trafficking Persons: Children in a Global Context 79-301 History of Surveillance: From the Plantation to Edward Snowden 79-302 Drone Warfare: Ethics, Law, Politics, History, and Strategy 79-303 Pittsburgh and the Transformation of Modern Urban America 79-305 Moneyball Nation: Data in American Life 79-310 From Al Qaeda to ISIS: U.S. and European Anti-Terrorism Policies, 9/11-Present 79-312 International Human Rights Institutions in Theory and Practice 79-320 Women, Politics, and Protest 79-325 U.S. Gay and Lesbian History 79-331 Body Politics: Women and Health in America 79-338 History of Education in America 79-339 Juvenile Delinquency and Film (1920 to "The Wire") 79-340 Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice 79-342 Introduction to Science and Technology Studies 79-349 The Holocaust in Historical Perspective 79-355 Who is a Citizen? The Politics and Cultures of Citizenship in Global Perspective 79-359 Terrorism and U.S. National Security 79-371 African American Urban History 79-374 American Environmental History: Critical Issues 79-381 Energy and Empire: How Fossil Fuels Changed the World 79-383 Epidemics, Disease, and Public Health 79-384 Garbage Gone Global: Managing Waste in an Age of Mass Consumption 79-389 Stalin and Stalinism Philosophy 80-256 Modern Moral Philosophy 80-305 Rational Choice 80-405 Game Theory Institute for Politics and Strategy 84-310 International Political Economy and Organizations 84-380 Grand Strategy in the United States 84-393 Legislative Decision Making: U.S. Congress 84-402 Judicial Politics and Behavior Social and Decision Sciences 88-223 Decision Analysis and Decision Support Systems 88-281 Topics in Law: 1st Amendment 88-343 Economics of Technological Change 88-345 Perspectives on Industrial Research and Development 88-347 Complex Technological Systems: Past, Present, and Future 88-371 Entrepreneurship, Regulation and Technological Change 88-387 Social Norms and Economics

88-423 Institutions, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation 88-444 Public Policy and Regulation 6. Bachelor of Science Option: Students may elect to earn a Bachelor of Science rather than a Bachelor of Arts degree by completing two courses from the list below, or by petitioning the Director of EHPP to accept equivalent courses as substitutions. 21-257 Models and Methods for Optimization 36-202 Statistical Methods 36-208 Regression Analysis 36-207 Probability and Statistics for Business Applications 36-303 Sampling, Survey and Society 36-309 Experimental Design for Behavioral and Social Sciences 80-305 Rational Choice 88-251 Empirical Research Methods 8. UNC-Chapel Hill Program (minor): Required: PPE 384 - Introduction to PPE PHIL 698 – Capstone Seminar One course in philosophy: PHIL 160 Introduction to Ethics PHIL 163 Practical Ethics PHIL 164 Morality and Business PHIL 165 Bioethics PHIL 170 Social Ethics and Political Thought PHIL 272 Ethics of Peace, War, and Defense PHIL 273 Justice PHIL 280 Morality and Law PHIL 364 Ethics and Economics PHIL 370 Political Philosophy One course in politics: POLI 130 Intro to Comparative Politics POLI 216 Constitutional Democracy POLI 270 Classical Political Thought POLI 271 Modern Political Thought POLI 288 Strategy and Politics PLCY 352 Seminar on Domestic and International Affairs POLI 354H Elements of Politics POLI 442 International Political Economy POLI 470 Social and Political Philosophy POLI 470H Commerce and Civilization

POLI 472 Problems of Modern Democratic Theory One course in economics: ECON 101 Introduction to Economics ECON 234 Introduction to the History of Economic Thought ECON 267 Comparative Economic Systems ECON 434 History of Economic Doctrines ECON 454 Economics of Population ECON 460 International Economics ECON 510 Advanced Microeconomic Theory ECON 511 Game Theory in Economics Note on the UNC program: Each year UNC-Chapel Hill hosts a national PPE undergraduate colloquium in mid February. From their website, “This is an invitational colloquium that brings undergraduates from around the country to Chapel Hill for two days of intensive discussion of material that has been read in advance. The conference attracts the best PPE students from across the country, including learners from the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, the University of Virginia, Notre Dame, and Claremont.”7 In early January I contacted Professor Jonathan Anomaly, director of the PPE program at UNC and organizer of the colloquium to inquire about getting an invitation as a senior. Invitations are typically sent to around 20 students - two each from 10-12 programs across the country. Professor Anomaly graciously offered to make an exception so that I could attend, and is willing to write a letter on my behalf so that I may apply for travel funding from Rice (meals and hotel are included with the invitation). 9. Synthesis and Analysis

Most PPE major programs in the US follow the same general structure: a group of introductory classes in the three disciplines and an intermediate course in microeconomics, some sort of quantitative or statistical requirement, two or more interdisciplinary core courses that straddle the three areas, electives chosen to fit a certain concentration, and finally a mandatory or optional majors seminar and honors thesis. Within this structure these majors offer students a great deal of flexibility in choosing courses according to their interests, once they have fulfilled the fundamental requirements in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. As a result, it can be difficult to differentiate the different programs; given the right concentration and elective options, students at two different universities may take very similar courses in the course of the major. That said, each program has its own unique spin on the PPE framework.

Take UPenn for example, which I consider the most ‘contemporary’ of the programs. It is the only program with a requirement in Psychology, as well as core courses in strategic reasoning, public policy, and behavioral economics. It is a program that emphasizes decision-making and policy thinking through and through. At the opposite end of the spectrum exists the program at Oxford, which is among the most flexible and ‘foundational’ of the programs. It is chalk full of options in thought and 7 https://jwpf.org/stories/unc-‐duke-‐philosophy-‐politics-‐and-‐economics-‐program/

intellectual history, missing from UPenn’s major. One could complete the Oxford major focusing almost entirely on the historical aspects of PPE, in topics like ancient philosophy and political thought across the ages. However, it lacks the strategy, psychology, and decision-making elements that UPenn considers essential. Yale’s program finds some middle ground between UPenn and Oxford, including an interesting core class entitled ‘Classics of Ethics, Politics, and Economics’ (I contacted professor Andrew March of the Yale department for the syllabus of this course for reference). Although I could not see the exact course names of the Yale major, it appears to resemble the UPenn program in structure, with an emphasis on seminars. However, its flexibility is closer to that at Oxford, giving students the option of “Four concentration courses, drawn from any part of the university.” Tulane and Carnegie Mellon offer PPE variants that differ significantly from the traditional structure. Tulane’s program in Political Economy places strong emphasis on contemporary methods in economics and political science, as the title suggests. The major can be completed without any courses listed under philosophy. It is a program born from the public policy and civic engagement ethos of the Murphy Institute at Tulane, through which it is offered. Carnegie Mellon’s program in Ethics, History, and Public Policy tends to eschew economics in the same way that Tulane does philosophy; one introductory economics course fulfills the requirement. The amount of freedom in the curriculum, as well as the sheer number of course options in this major make it difficult to summarize in just a few words. Worth noting is that Carnegie Mellon is the only school to offer a B.S. in Ethics, History, and Public Policy to students who take two courses in statistics, research methods, or rational choice. A final program with an interesting twist on PPE is the one at LSE. The school launched the new 4-year degree just this past October, with the first graduating class projected for 2019.8 In the number and subject matter of the required courses, the major is one of the most extensive and innovative variants of PPE in the world. It is the only one with requirements in econometrics, and has arguably the greatest emphasis on applied research of any peer program in the world. By the same token, it seems to offer the least flexibility of all programs when it comes to course choice. The LSE program is designed for undergraduates ready to dedicate four years exclusively to the intensive study of PPE.9 I thought carefully about how I could incorporate the strengths of the programs at these great universities in my own major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. I felt that while some of the existing programs spread themselves too thin under the PPE umbrella, others strive for too much specificity in one area. I believe that my major offers a strong foundation over a wide variety of essential topics in PPE while maintaining a sufficient degree of focus achieved by the concentration. At 19 courses, my major is larger than any other program in the United States. It is the only major to require three statistics courses, as well as both micro and macroeconomics at the intermediate level. Through my study abroad plans, coupled with certain courses at Rice, the major captures much of the ‘foundational’ strength and historical robustness of programs like Oxford and Carnegie Mellon. At the same time, I have included concentration electives that offer

8 http://www.lse.ac.uk/newsAndMedia/news/archives/2014/09/PPE-degree.aspx 9 While Duke and UNC minors are included in this Appendix, they are not included in this analysis.

a solid grounding in contemporary methods for political science, policy, and international trade and finance that are at the heart of programs like Tulane and UPenn. The major remains open to new and exciting electives offered at Rice in the next two years. While strategic reasoning and decision-making are intriguing aspects of PPE and prominent features in the UPenn program, I chose not to include courses on these subjects in my own major. I feel that these topics will be more relevant to me when I am in graduate school. While my program lacks a major seminar in PPE, I hope to partially compensate for this by representing Rice at the National PPE Undergraduate Colloquium at UNC as a senior (please see note on UNC program for details). Upon the completion of my senior thesis in the spring of 2018, and the successful completion of the major, I believe I will be a formidable champion of the PPE major and the liberal arts education at Rice University. 5. Appendix B: list of faculty and staff consulted Philosophy: Dr. Gwendolyn Bradford Dr. Charles Siewert Dr. George Sher Politics: Dr. Richard Stoll Dr. Gillian Peele (Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford) Dr. Andrew March (EPE department, Yale University) Economics: Dr. James DeNicco Dr. Antonio Merlo Dr. Moramay López-Alonso (Econ/History) Other: Dr. Fay Yarbrough (History) Dr. Christian Emden (German/PLST) Dr. Harvey Yunis (Classics) Dr. Michel Achard (Linguistics) Aliya Bhimani (Office of Academic Advising) 6. Statement of purpose for Oxford study-abroad

I learned about the Oxford program in PPE after reading the lecture John Stuart Mill and the Ends of Life by Isaiah Berlin during the summer of 2015. Over the past several months I have been designing my own major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Rice University modeled after the Oxford program in PPE as well as other

PPE programs in the United States. To this end I have taken and will continue to take courses in philosophy, economics, politics, statistics and history at Rice.

I believe my own interdisciplinary major would be greatly enhanced by the opportunity to study in a structured PPE program, especially where the major was originally conceived. To me, the Oxford program represents the perfect marriage of contemporary study in economics, political science, and statistics, with an exploration of the philosophical underpinnings and fundamental intersections underlying these three disciplines. At Oxford I plan to take courses in ancient and modern philosophy, political thought in history, as well as micro and macroeconomics in the tutorial system. I look forward to being immersed in a community of learners who share my interest in the PPE program, its ethos, and its professional applications.

In researching the opportunity to study abroad, I was initially attracted to Lady Margaret Hall for its location, facilities, and the fact that it is the alma mater of one of my favorite photographers, Tim Hetherington. Upon closer examination, I learned about its reputation for the warm reception of international students. I subsequently contacted Professor Gillian Peele and Clare Atkin to inquire about studying PPE at LMH. Their kind responses to my questions ensured that Lady Margaret Hall would be my choice of college.

On the strength of my junior year at Oxford I will return to Rice as a senior ready to complete my major with advanced courses in PPE. I believe the added perspective of the Oxford community and the abroad experience itself will be invaluable when I develop a concentration in a global issue for my senior thesis. I have also secured an invitation to represent Rice at the National PPE Undergraduate Colloquium at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill during the spring of 2018. I know that with my study at Oxford, I will make meaningful contributions to the discussion there and at Rice. 7. 4-year plan from OAA on following pages Included in separate document.

OFFICE OF ACADEMIC ADVISING Planning Your Time at Rice

Student Name: Alex Amari Student ID Number: S01213831

Major(s): Pending approval: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Major Advisor(s): Drs. Bradford, Stoll, Merlo

Minor(s): Minor Advisor(s):

Has your major(s) advisor(s) approved this academic plan? x Yes ☐ No Date of Major Advisor Approval: 2/8/2016

In the following plan, I have __(see note at end of document)__ hours of upper-level credit and __125__ TOTAL hours

Enrollment Rules

• Permission from Dr. John Hutchinson, Dean of Undergraduates, ([email protected]) is required to enroll in fewer than 12 hours • The Office of Academic Advising approves registration for course loads greater than 20 hours: http://oaa.rice.edu for details • You will not be permitted to register for the Fall Semester of your junior year unless you have declared a major. Students should declare

a major no later than their second semester sophomore year (See Major Declaration Form).

AP/IB/Transfer Credits Earned

Course D1/D2/D3 Major Minor Hours Course D1/D2/D3 Major Minor Hours Course D1/D2/D3 Major Minor Hours

AP Literature 3

AP Language 3

Oxford Elec. 1 8

Oxford Elec. 2 4

Oxford Elec. 3 8

Oxford Elec. 4 4

Oxford Elec. 5 8

Oxford Elec. 6 4

IATotal AP/IB/Transfer Hours 42

YEAR 1

Fall 2014 Spring 2015 Summer _____


SPAN 102 5 SPAN 262 D1 6

FWIS 183 D1 3 PSYC 101 D2 3

COMP 140 D3 4 ESCI 101 D3 3

EBIO 124 D3 3 STAT 280 D3 x 3

HUMA 212 1

Total Semester Hours 15 Total Semester Hours 17 Total Semester Hours

Co-Curricular Pursuits: Co-Curricular Pursuits: Co-Curricular Pursuits:

YEAR 2

Fall 2015 Spring 2016 Summer (June/July)


STAT 484 D3 3 MATH 101 D3 3 LEAD 250 2

HIST 117 D1 3 ECON 365 D1 x 3

CLAS 107 D1 3 PHIL 306 D1 x 3

ECON 100 D2 x 3 STAT 385 D3 x 4

Total Semester Hours 12 Total Semester Hours 13 Total Semester Hours 2


Oxford Year



ECON Elec. x 6 ECON Elec. x 6

PHIL Elec. x 6 PHIL Elec. x 6

POLI Elec. x 6 POLI Elec. x 6

Total Semester Hours 18 Total Semester Hours 18 Total Semester Hours


YEAR 4



POLI 212 D2 x 3 Elective 3xx x 3

PHIL 307 D1 x 3 PPE Elective x 3

PPE Elective D2 x 3 Econ 428 x 3

LPAP 1 PPE Capstone x 3-4

Elective 3xx 3

Total Semester Hours 13 Total Semester Hours 12-13 Total Semester Hours


Graduation Requirements (See relevant General Announcements for details.) Mark an X if your plan accounts for the following requirements (if appropriate): x Be registered at Rice full time for at least four full fall and/or spring semesters x Complete the requirements of at least one major degree program x Complete at least 120 semester hours (some degrees programs require more) x Complete at least 60 semester hours at Rice * Complete at least 48 hours of 300+ level courses (there are also rules on the amount completed at Rice) x Complete more than half of the upper-level courses in degree work at Rice x Complete more than half of the upper-level courses in their major work at Rice (certain departments may specify a higher proportion x Complete all Rice courses satisfying degree requirements with a cumulative GPA of 1.67 or higher and cumulative GPA in major of 2.0 or higher x Take the English Composition Examination and satisfy the Writing Communication Requirement, First Year Writing Intensive Seminar (FWIS) x Satisfy the Lifetime Physical Activity Program (LPAP) requirement x Complete courses to satisfy the distribution requirements n/a Dual degree (not double major) consideration: 30 hours beyond the first degree

YEAR 5

Fall _____ Spring _____ Summer _____


Total Semester Hours Total Semester Hours Total Semester Hours


*Note on upper-level credit: The amount of upper-level credit that I receive will depend on how 36 credit hours (6 tutorials) from my year at Oxford transfers to Rice. Because I am still unsure about my tutorials, I will not know exactly how the credit transfers until I return to Rice in Fall 2017. Here are a few scenarios by which my credits may transfer: Scenario 1 2 ECON Tutorials: 12 hours worth of TRAN 100 (Econ department is usually unwilling to accept transfer credit for micro or macro, but this will not prevent me from taking the courses I wish to take by special registering with permission from Professor Merlo). 2 PHIL Tutorials: 12 hours worth of PHIL 3xx or TRAN 3xx. 2 POLI Tutorials: 12 hours worth of POLI 3xx, PLST 3xx, POST 3xx, or TRAN 3xx. Scenario 2 2 ECON Tutorials: 6 hours worth of TRAN 100 2 PHIL Tutorials: 6 hours worth of PHIL 3xx or TRAN 3xx. 2 POLI Tutorials: 6 hours worth of POLI 3xx, PLST 3xx, POST 3xx, or TRAN 3xx. In Scenario 1, I end with 24 upper level credits from Oxford and at least 31-32 from Rice for a total of 55-56. In Scenario 2, I end with 12 upper level credits from Oxford and 31-32 from Rice for a total of 43-44. In this scenario I will make sure that both of my elective options taken as a senior (see Year 4) will be upper level credits, allowing me to graduate with ~ 50 upper level credits.

ppe major proposal (april) final

Documents