New Major or Minor Proposal Form
This form is to be filled out for all new majors and minors. The phrase “new major (minor)”
means any departmental or interdisciplinary major (minor) to be added to the Georgetown
College Catalog. This proposal must be presented to the Academic Council by midterm of the
Fall semester preceding the first academic year in which the proposed major or minor will be
listed in the catalog. Academic Council will make a recommendation to the Curriculum
Committee, which will review it and then if approved bring it to the faculty for a vote.
This form is for a new
Major
Minor
DESCRIPTION
1)
Title Philosophy, Politics and Economics (for on-campus students)
Alternate title (for adult on-line students): Economics and Civic Leadership Studies
2)
Is this offering
departmental or
interdisciplinary
(If departmental, please specify department.)
3)
New Catalog description – as you would like it shown in the catalog
A major description should include the degree to which the major leads, a bulleted list
of student learning outcomes expected within the major, the total number of semester
hours required, a list of required courses, a list of allied courses, and, if applicable, a
menu of area requirements--e.g., “nine semester hours of allied courses must be
selected from both Group I and Group II : (followed by a listing of groups I and II).”
(BA) The interdisciplinary major of Philosophy, Politics and Economics prepares graduates
for leadership in professional, civil service, and business environments. The combination of
the three fields is particularly valuable because it unites the stringent critical thinking
necessary in all three fields with the ethical reasoning tools and formal logic of Philosophy,
the appreciation of social power structures developed through the study of Politics and the
understanding of economic tradeoffs faced in a world where resources are scarce. This major,
inspired by a similar program at Oxford University and adapted by top colleges throughout
the nation, is intended to develop broad-based thinking skills that would be valued in
professional schools and in the workplace. Students interested in advanced graduate study in
one of the three disciplines will have a strong interdisciplinary basis but may need to take
supplemental courses.
PPE majors will complete a multidisciplinary core that will provide a basis for the
development of critical thinking and analytical skills utilizing all three disciplinary
perspectives. Majors will also select one area as a field of specialization. With the
permission of the program director, majors may also propose a self-designed interdisciplinary
specialization with focus on a particular theme or concept.
Major Field Student Learning Outcomes
A student completing a major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) will be able to
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Demonstrate analytical and quantitative reasoning skills (assessed through papers, tests,
and projects)
Show understanding of theoretical constructs underlying each discipline (assessed
through tests and projects in each discipline)
Apply understanding of the disciplinary approaches of all three disciplines in active
problem-solving (assessed through tests and projects in each discipline and through the
capstone project)
Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing (assessed through papers and
presentations, including a capstone paper and presentation)
Work collaboratively on problem-solving (assessed through evaluation of group projects)
Investigate issues related to personal and social responsibility (assessed through
evaluation of papers, field study and service learning experiences)
Synthesize disciplines and apply in integrated projects (assessed through the capstone
project)
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Major Requirements
B.A. Degree: 51-57 hours, including 39 hours of required core courses, plus 12-18 in an
area of emphasis. No minor is required.
Core Courses: 36 hours of coursework (12 hours each) in the three core disciplines, plus an
interdisciplinary capstone seminar:
A. Philosophy: PHI 151 (Ethics); PHI 152 (Logic); PHI 365 (Social/Political Philosophy); and
PHI 325 (Business Ethics) OR 335 (Theories of Economic Justice);
B. Politics: POS 100 (American Government); POS 415 (American Political Thought); POS
430 (International Political Economy); and POS 300 (World Politics) OR POS 307 (Comparative
Politics);
C. Economics: ECO 221 (Principles of Macroeconomics) ECO 223 (Principles of
Microeconomics); ECO 317 (Economic History of the United States); and ECO 410
(International Economics) OR ECO 355 (Public Finance)
D. Capstone: PPE 450 (Senior Seminar)
Area of Emphasis: 12-18 additional hours (including at least two at 300-level or above), to
be chosen in consultation with the Program Director in one of the following areas:
A. Philosophy: four additional courses, including PHI 201 and 203 (History of Philosophy I
and II) and two upper-level electives
B. Politics: four additional courses, including at least two upper-level courses
C. Economics: four additional courses, including at least one intermediate economics course
(ECO 311, 313, or 324, which require MAT 111 and MAT 109 or 125 as prerequisites)
4)
What is the rationale for including these particular courses in this major? (List
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information from professional organizations, from similar programs at other schools, etc.)
The structure of the major is consistent with the major as offered at other institutions
(samples provided: Denison University, Juniata College, Pomona College, Carroll
University—see attachment).
For each element of the core requirements in Economics, Political Science, and
Philosophy, existing courses were chosen that are either a) required courses in both major
and minors in that discipline, and/or that b) have specific interdisciplinary connections to
one of the other disciplines in the major. For instance, core basic classes in each
discipline (Ethics and Logic in Philosophy; Micro and Macroeconomics in Economics;
American Politics and World Politics/Comparative Politics in Political Science) were
selected to provide the disciplinary base, while additional courses (Business Ethics and
Social/Political Philosophy in Philosophy; Economic History of the United States and
International Economics in Economics; American Political Thought and International
Political Economy) were selected to provide the interdisciplinary connections.
In addition, the requirements for Area Majors (p. 29 of the 2011-12 Catalog) provided
guidance for what the institution accepts as reasonable in interdisciplinary courses of
study. Each expectation of the Area Major was met in this proposal for a new
interdisciplinary major: 1) rationale for proposed curriculum (see major description and
comments above); 2) program of study of 50-60 semester hours (51-57 required); 3) two
or more disciplines represented (three are represented); a concentration of at least 24
hours in one discipline (area of emphasis requirements mandate that each student have a
minimum of 24 hours in one of the three areas); 5) a minimum of 50 percent of the
proposed coursework at or above the 300-level (50% of core courses in each discipline
and at least 50% of courses in the area of emphasis must be upper level).
B. RELATION OF THE NEW OFFERING TO THE PRESENT CURRICULUM
5)
What is the relation of this new offering to the majors and minors in the current
Georgetown College Catalog?
Does this offering replace another offering in the catalog?
Yes
No
Yes
No
If so, what?
New course numbers have been reviewed by the Registrar.
PPE 450 (Senior Seminar)
6)
Does this offering contain any new courses? (The phrase "new course" means any course
to be added to the Georgetown College Catalog and all reorganizations of, or major
changes in, courses listed in the catalog.)
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If so, list here the titles, departments and course numbers of the new courses and
complete a New Course Proposal Form for each one.
PPE 450: Senior Seminar
7) Why should Georgetown College add this offering?
Reason for adding new course: The major does not require any new courses other than the senior
seminar; in requiring the senior seminar, this new interdisciplinary program follows the model
established by several other interdisciplinary programs (American Studies, European Studies,
Security Studies) in which the capstone course provides an opportunity for integration of the
disciplines represented in the major. The capstone course will also allow the institution to assess
the educational outcomes of the major and provide a context for preparation to complete the
comprehensive exam in the major.
Reason for adding the Major:
For our traditional on-campus students, the major offers an attractive repackaging of our course
offerings that emphasizes three key liberal arts fields in three different divisions, thus providing
an unusually broad-based major for students looking at professional schools that do not require a
specific disciplinary major (such as law school or seminary) or employment in business and civil
service fields where broad-based liberal arts analytical skills are valued. In particular, it should
be attractive to students looking for a flexible pre-law major that could set them apart from other
law school applicants.
This program of study was chosen as a focus for our online offering to Veterans for two key
reasons: 1) it provides a highly flexible liberal arts education, which distinguishes Georgetown
College offerings from the generally more vocational offerings presented in other academic
programs for Veterans. The intent is to suggest this major for students interested in pre-law and
pre-ministry degrees, as well as for students who might be interested in entering civil service and
business professions that do not require a technical degree but instead would value the liberal
arts skills identified in AAC&U’s LEAP research. 2) It allows us to have an initial online adult
degree and degree-completion program that distributes workload and faculty employment
opportunity across multiple departments, making it possible to initiate the program without
additional faculty hires until the growth of the program warrants those additional hires. In the
interim (especially during a period of reduced traditional undergraduate enrollment), the program
will make efficient use of unused institutional capacity. Since students will take a variety of
general education classes and spread major classes across three departments, the program has the
potential to help retain faculty by providing relatively broad access to a new student base, while
also fitting securely within our institutional mission as a liberal arts institution.
Note: Because this is essentially the equivalent of the institutionalization as an ongoing offering
of an already-existing degree option (area major), SACS has ruled that offering this program is
not a substantive change for the institution. The online option is also not a substantive change,
since the institution already completed the substantive change process for offering online degrees
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(originally to support our graduate program in Education). Thus, no additional SACS action is
necessary for extending degree program offerings at the undergraduate level.
C.
FACULTY AND STUDENTS FOR THE NEW OFFERING
8)
Are any of the courses which are required, allied, or elective for this offering offered less
frequently than once an academic year?
Yes
No
If so, list the courses and how frequently they are offered.
ECO 317—Odd Springs
ECO 410—Even Falls
PHI 365—Odd Falls
POS 415—Odd Falls
POS 430—Odd Falls
If there is growth in the online program, frequency of course offerings would be increased. It
is not anticipated that the on-campus cohort would require more frequent course offerings.
9)
Given the frequency with which courses required, allied, or elective for this offering are
offered, could a student take the courses for this offering:
In two academic years?
10)
Yes
No
In three academic years?
Yes
No
What is the expected student interest in this offering?
How many graduating seniors, on average, do you expect to declare this offering?
4-8 students per year in the on-campus cohort (very rough estimate); since the PPE major
will be a primary focus in the online program, the potential for enrollment in the program
in the online cohort is much higher. If the program is successful, I would anticipate 2025 graduates per year, once the program is established.
D. SEQUENCE OF ACTION ON PROPOSAL
Request prepared by: Rosemary Allen
Date 8/22/2012
Approved by
Department Chairperson
Stephen Mergner (POS)___________________________
Tom Cooper (ECO)______________________________
Roger Ward (PHI)_______________________________
Date 8/28/2012
Date 8/28/2012
Date 8/28/2012
Academic Council: Provost/Dean of the College
Date
Curriculum Committee Chairperson
Date
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Faculty Chairperson
New Major/Minor Form
Date
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