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Political Science, Philosophy, and Economics

Overview

School of Arts and Sciences  /  Political Science, Philosophy, and Economics

The best and the brightest minds around the globe have expertise in multiple backgrounds.

The political science, philosophy, and economics (PPE) program was created to satisfy a growing interest among our student body in a challenging, cross-disciplinary degree program that samples from theoretical literature from a number of disciplines.  The result is a degree program comparable to many taught in Europe but unique among other colleges in our area.

PPE utilizes existing strengths in the three areas – political science, philosophy, and economics – to allow students to develop a broader, interconnected vision of the forces driving today’s most important events.  While students will choose a concentration in one of the departments, they will integrate the material from all three in order to evaluate and analyze social, political, ethical, and economic policy issues around the globe.

Departmental Programming

Faculty in the Political Science Department host and participate in a number of events throughout the year for our majors and the wider La Salle community. Among these events are the annual Constitution Day Panel, the Lasallian Forum for Politics and Policy, film nights, and election night parties. They are also actively involved in supporting University initiatives like those of the Diplomat-in-Residence Program (DRP) and Explorer Cafés.

Lasallian Forum for Politics and Policy

The Lasallian Forum for Politics and Policy, established in 2010, brings informative speakers from a range of fields—federal, state, and local governments, nonprofits, law firms, court officials, campaign officials, lobbyists, and interest group activists—onto campus to talk about their work and career trajectory. The Forum aims to give students a firsthand account of each speaker’s field of practice and expose them to the multiple career opportunities in political science. Recent forum speakers and topics include:

  • Amilcar Moreira, Ph.D., Institute of Social Science, University of Lisbon, Portugal, “The Economic Crisis and European Labor Markets”
  • Michael Cleary, Esq., Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, former military officer in Iraq and Kuwait, “Issuing Warrants: Pursuing ”
  • Karen Kaiser, Esq., Associate General Counsel for The Associated Press and La Salle alumnus Thomas Curley, former CEO of The Associated Press, “Government Seizing Phone and E-Mail Records”
  • Jamie Malanowski, author and journalist, “Commander Will Cushing: Daredevil Hero of the Civil War”

Student Awards

The Political Science Department offers two awards to members of each graduating class for outstanding academic achievement.

Political Science Department Academic Award

This Departmental Award is given each year to the graduating student with the highest cumulative grade point average (GPA).  The award is given during Commencement Weekend at a special awards luncheon for all Department winners and their parents.

Joseph V. Brogan Senior Research Seminar Award

Inaugurated in 2011, the Joseph V. Brogan Award, named in honor of Dr. Joseph Brogan, ’72, who taught political theory in the Department from 1987 to 2009, is given each year to a graduating senior to honor excellence in undergraduate student research.  The award is given to the best paper produced in the senior seminar classes.  The award winner is presented with a plaque after graduation and his/her name is engraved on a larger plaque maintained in the Department.

Courses in this Major

Students enjoy a wide range of interesting and unique courses including:

POL 171 Political Analysis

This course surveys the theoretical foundations, approaches, and methodologies of political analysis, introducing students to the “science of politics” and providing a basic grounding in the social scientific study of political behavior and phenomena. The course equips students with the tools of inquiry (such as the description and analysis of quantitative data and the systematic use of case studies) most commonly used in the discipline of political science.

POL 221 Politics of the Developing World

This course is an introductory survey to the politics of the developing world, where most of humanity lives. We will examine some of the extraordinarily complex challenges faced by the developing world.  Among these are poverty, environmental change and degradation, violence, population growth, the status of women and the forms and sources of misrule.

PPE 300 Readings in PPE Classics / POL 361 Democracy and its Critics

This course is an analysis of modern liberal democratic thought and the various criticisms of it from both the left and the right are topics to be addressed in this course. Emphasis is on the reading of original sources by Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, J.S. Mill, Rousseau, Burke, Marx, Nietzsche, etc. This course is required of all political science majors.

PHL 303 American Philosophy

This course presents a critical history of thought in North America, tracing its gradual transformation from 17th-century Puritanism to 20th-century pragmatism

"PPE enables students to understand and critically evaluate the social, political and economic world in which they live and will become leaders."

— Michael R. Dillon, Ph.D. J.D., Marc Moreau, Ph.D., H. David Robison, Ph.D.

Blaze Your Own Path

Career Paths

A thorough understanding in political science, philosophy, and economics helps students to analyze and evaluate information quickly and thoroughly. Our program trains students to address social, political, ethical, and economic policy issues seen globally. The program aims to broadly educate students in all three areas and later allow them focus on whichever will propel them farther down their path to success. All of these skills and abilities will prepare our graduates for positions in international business, global nonprofits, public service, or public policy.

Career Paths

Career Paths

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Research

Each student in the PPE program completes a senior research project on a subject of their choosing. The project must fall under one of the three areas of study and can be on any topic that interests the student. The work our students produce shows how the PPE program has helped them develop a higher level reasoning ability. Students have used this research to apply for law and graduate school or when applying for jobs.

Research

Research

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Graduate School

The breadth of the PPE program exposes students to critical and logical thinking in all three areas. Their experience in persuasive speaking and writing, comprehensive reading, and critical evaluation of arguments will leave them prepared for the GRE, GMAT, and LSAT.

While in their graduate and law programs, students will have the resources and foundation to succeed. Having practiced and developed their research and study skills, they’ll be prepared for rigorous curricula in the U.S. and abroad.

Graduate School

Graduate School

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Beyond the Classroom

Clubs
Clubs

Clubs and activities to compliment your degree

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Clubs

La Salle is home to over 120 clubs and activities. Our organizations include honor societies, service and advocacy groups, spiritual opportunities and more. Some organizations directly related to PPE include:

The Students’ Government Association

The Students’ Government Association (SGA) is the officially-recognized representative of the student body. The main role of the SGA is to serve as a liaison between students and University administration in order to enrich the academic integrity and social environment of the La Salle community. SGA protects individual interests through collective action and fosters academic freedom, academic responsibility, and student rights. Elected members of SGA sit on all University committees.

The Students’ Government Association is comprised of 25 elected members. The SGA consists of an executive board and a senate. The executive board members consist of a President, and Executive Vice President of Student Affairs, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Vice President of Public Affairs, and Vice President of Business Affairs. The senate is comprised of five members from each class. SGA elections for both the executive board and senate are in early April.

La Salle University Pre-Law Program

The La Salle University Pre-Law program is an officially-recognized organization on La Salle’s campus and was established to foster awareness and to provide information to those La Salle students interested in a career in the legal field. The Pre-Law program is open to any student with an interest in working in law. The Pre-Law program invites practicing lawyers and law school admissions officers to campus to speak about specific legal topics. Student officers are elected in the fall of each year. The Pre-Law program assists students to understand the nature of the law school admissions process, prepare for the LSAT examination, and decide whether or not go to law school after graduation. For more information, contact faculty adviser Nicholas Staffieri at staffieri70@lasalle.edu.

The La Salle Mock Trial Association

Initially formed in 2008-2009, the La Salle Mock Trial Association is an officially-recognized organization on the La Salle’s campus open to students of all years and all majors. Utilizing a national competition case presented each year, students prepare and practice for their roles as plaintiff/defense attorneys or as witnesses. The team travels to and has successfully competed in competitions at the Coast Guard Academy, Princeton, Penn, and Villanova. The team also inaugurated a very successful High School Mock Trial Tournament held on La Salle’s campus every January.

National Society of Collegiate Scholars

This organization is an academic honor society for all students who maintain a GPA of 3.4 or above. NSCS was founded on the principles of scholarship, leadership, and service, and seeks to train the best and the brightest students to give back to the community. New members are inducted in early fall and several service projects, as well as social functions, are organized each year for members.

Travel Study Opportunities
Travel Study Opportunities

Study overseas for two weeks out of the semester

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Travel Study Opportunities

Travel study courses are semester-long classes with a 10- to 15-day travel component built into the syllabus. Through these courses, people, places, and concepts that students have learned about in the classroom are brought to life and given context. Students broaden their worldview, gain a heightened understanding of other cultures, and learn about the responsibilities of global leadership. Students have traveled to places including Cuba, Turkey, Portugal, and Rome!

Philadelphia, Our Largest Classroom
Philadelphia, Our Largest Classroom

The City of Brotherly love stands at your doorsteps

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Philadelphia, Our Largest Classroom

The education you find outside of a classroom is just as important as the one you find inside. As the fifth-largest city in the U.S., Philadelphia is rich in unique historical and cultural opportunities. It is a top-10 media market, has four major sports teams, generates nationally-read newspapers and magazines, and is home to countless TV and radio stations, public relations firms, and creative agencies. The region hosts renowned healthcare systems, offices for the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, and headquarters for internationally known corporations and nonprofit organizations.

Whether you’re searching for the best cheesesteak, catching an Eagles game, or running the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the City of Brotherly Love has it all. From co-ops to internships to future employers big and small, each is readily accessible to provide you with real-life learning beyond a class on campus. How much of a role Philadelphia play is in your life is entirely up to you, but the options are limitless.

92% of graduates are employed, volunteering full-time through service programs or pursuing additional education full time within one year of graduation.

Ranked in Forbes list of Best Value Colleges in 2019.

83% of faculty hold a Ph.D. or the highest degree in their field.

Listed Top 4% nationally in 10-year earnings by Georgetown's Center for Education and the Workforce.

More Information About This Major

Major Requirements

Course Catalog

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