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Philosophies and Ethics of Politics, Law, and Economics

Coordinator

  • Diane Jeske
Undergraduate nondegree program: Certificate in Philosophies and Ethics of Politics, Law, and Economics
Web site: http://www.uiowa.edu/~people

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers an interdisciplinary program that leads to the undergraduate Certificate in Philosophies and Ethics of Politics, Law, and Economics.

The Philosophies and Ethics of Politics, Law, and Economics (PEOPLE) Program is based on the assumption that societies institutionalize values; they guide conduct by regulating opportunities, prescribing behavior, and influencing beliefs and attitudes. The goal of the PEOPLE program is to help students understand and evaluate these complex relationships by examining them from a variety of perspectives.

The PEOPLE program may be especially attractive to students who are planning to attend law school after graduation. Students considering careers in planning, politics, or public administration also may find the PEOPLE program highly useful.

Undergraduates in economics, philosophy, political science, and sociology may discover that they will meet many of the PEOPLE program requirements in completing the requirements for their major or minor. However, a major or minor in one of these disciplines is not a requirement of the program.

Students who complete the PEOPLE program earn a certificate, and the notation "Certificate in the Philosophies and Ethics of Politics, Law, and Economics" appears on their transcripts. The certificate is awarded upon completion of a bachelor's degree. Holders of Iowa bachelor's degrees may return to complete the requirements for a certificate.

Certificate

The Certificate in Philosophies and Ethics of Politics, Law, and Economics requires 36 s.h. The final 18 s.h. used to complete the certificate must be taken at The University of Iowa. Students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in the certificate.

Because of the program's multiple requirements, students are encouraged to begin the program as first-year students or sophomores; however, with careful planning, students who join the program as juniors can complete the requirements by their normal graduation date, especially if they already have taken several courses that satisfy PEOPLE requirements. Prospective certificate students should contact the PEOPLE program's coordinator.

The certificate program consists of two parts: the foundation, made up of six courses (18 s.h.), and the fields, also made up of six courses (18 s.h.). The foundation is the common element in the program. The five fields--economics, law, philosophy, political science, and sociology--provide opportunities for specialization.

FOUNDATION

Students must take the following six courses. The first two (026:036 Principles of Reasoning or 026:103 Introduction to Symbolic Logic, and 026:001 Problems of Moral Reasoning or 026:102 Introduction to Ethics) are best taken during the first or sophomore year.

One of these:

026:036 Principles of Reasoning 3 s.h.
026:103 Introduction to Symbolic Logic 3 s.h.

One of these:

026:001 Problems of Moral Reasoning 3 s.h.
026:102 Introduction to Ethics 3 s.h.

One of these:

026:034 Philosophy and the Just Society 3 s.h.
026:132 Introduction to Political Philosophy 3 s.h.
026:135 Philosophy of Law 3 s.h.

One of these:

030:020 Introduction to Politics 3 s.h.
030:030 Introduction to Political Thought and Political Action 3 s.h.
030:050 Introduction to Political Behavior 3 s.h.
030:070 Introduction to Political Communication 3 s.h.

One of these:

06E:001 Principles of Microeconomics 4 s.h.
06E:002 Principles of Macroeconomics 4 s.h.

One of these:

026:149 Undergraduate Seminar in Philosophy (requires consent of PEOPLE program director) 3 s.h.
033:153 Hard Cases: Science Policy and Values 3 s.h.
033:175/01H:182/024:161/091:192 Art, Law, and Ethics 3 s.h.

FIELDS

Students must choose two of the following fields and complete three courses in each.

Economics

One of these:

06E:104 Microeconomic Theory (if 06E:001 was taken for foundation requirement) 3 s.h.
06E:105 Macroeconomics (if 06E:002 was taken for foundation requirement) 3 s.h.

Two of these:

06E:119 Policy Analysis 3 s.h.
06E:125 Global Economics and Business 3 s.h.
06E:172 Law and Economics (cannot be used to satisfy both economics and law field requirements) 3 s.h.
06E:176 Public Sector Economics 3 s.h.
06E:179 History of Economic Thought 3 s.h.

Philosophy

Three of these:

026:102 Introduction to Ethics (if not taken for foundation requirement) 3 s.h.
026:104 Introduction to Philosophy of Science 3 s.h.
026:132 Introduction to Political Philosophy (if not taken for foundation requirement) 3 s.h.
026:133 Philosophy of History 3 s.h.
026:135 Philosophy of Law (if not taken for foundation requirement) 3 s.h.
026:180 Analytic Ethics 3 s.h.
026:182 History of Ethics 3 s.h.
026:185 Political Philosophy 3 s.h.
026:196 Philosophy of the Human Sciences 3 s.h.

Political Science

One of these:

030:116 American Constitutional Law and Politics 3 s.h.
030:118 American Political Development 3 s.h.
030:119 Problems in American Politics 3 s.h.

One of these:

030:132 Modern Political Theory 3 s.h.
030:133 Postmodern Political Theory 3 s.h.
030:138 Current Political Theory 3 s.h.

One of these:

030:126 American Public Policy 3 s.h.
030:136 Strategy in Politics 3 s.h.
030:152 The Legislative Process 3 s.h.
030:153 The Judicial Process 3 s.h.

Law

One of these:

026:135 Philosophy of Law (if not taken for foundation or another field requirement) 3 s.h.
144:143/091:288 Jurisprudence 3 s.h.

Two of these:

06E:172 Law and Economics (if not taken for economics field requirement) 3 s.h.
030:116 American Constitutional Law and Politics (if not taken for political science field requirement) 3 s.h.
091:193 Human Rights in the World Community 3 s.h.
091:195 Introduction to Public International Law 3 s.h.
144:142/091:224 Comparative Law 3 s.h.

Semester hours earned in PEOPLE courses taught by College of Law faculty members normally do not count toward requirements for a law degree.

Sociology

One of these:

034:001 Introduction to Sociology Principles 3 s.h.
034:009 Sociological Theory 3 s.h.

Two of these:

034:040 Criminology 3 s.h.
034:066 Social Inequality 3 s.h.
034:141 Juvenile Delinquency 3 s.h.
034:149 Sociology of Criminal Punishment 3 s.h.
034:150 Political Sociology 3 s.h.
034:182 Sociology of Law 3 s.h.
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Updated September 2009