Students must take a total of 12 courses to fulfill the requirements of the major, 6 of which must be upper-level.
- 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)
- Political Science Requirement (any two courses from List B, one of which must be upper-level)
- History Requirement (any two courses from List C)
- 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 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 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 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