PHI 190 - PPE Gateway

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) is a deeply interdisciplinary program of research and teaching that seeks to address some of the most pressing and perennial problems of social, political, and economic life. Many problems we face today-systemic racism, poverty, and immigration, for example-are not amenable to either purely empirical or normative solutions. To the contrary, to make progress on issues like these-and to understand our own place in the history of ideas and institutions that has led to them-we to bring to bear the tools of political analysis, economic measurement, and moral argument, not in isolation from one another, but in concert. This course introduces students to the major problems, aims, and methods of PPE through a combination of contemporary and historical readings and guest lectures by scholars from several disciplines. Recurring topics include game theory, the moral limits of markets, racism, distributive justice, and justifications and critiques of property rights, among others. Upon completing the course, students will be prepared to explore the whole breadth of PPE, and they will have taken an important first step towards achieving the interdisciplinary competence necessary to successfully complete a PPE thesis or capstone. One unique and important dimension of the PPE Gateway will be guest lectures by Davidson faculty from a variety of disciplines. Although the course will have a single instructor of record, the interdisciplinary character of PPE calls for wider range of expertise than any one faculty member can provide. To this end, the instructor of record will invite between four and six faculty members from other Davidson departments to engage students on PPE subject matter that falls within the scope of their research and teaching. For example, a philosopher teaching PPE 190 might invite an economist, a sociologist, a political scientist, and a historian to discuss game theory, structural sexism, voting behavior, and redlining, respectively.

Satisfies Interdisciplinary Studies PPE major requirement.