PHILOSOPHY
University Professor P.J. Caws
Professors W.B. Griffith, R.P. Churchill, D. DeGrazia, G. Weiss (Chair)
Associate Professors J.C. Brand-Ballard, T. Zawidzki
Assistant Professors M. Friend, E.J. Saidel, M. Ralkowski
Master of Arts in the field of public policy with a concentration in philosophy and social policy-An interdisciplinary program that brings the normative, historical, and analytical-logical skills of philosophical inquiry to bear upon contemporary problems of social policy. The program is affiliated with the School of Public Policy and Public Administration. Prerequisite: a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Students are expected to have completed the prerequisites to graduate courses.
Required: the general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. Two options are available at the discretion of the faculty: (1) a minimum of 24 credit hours of approved graduate course work plus the successful completion of a thesis (Phil 6998- 99), or (2) a minimum of 36 credit hours of graduate course work that does not include a thesis. All students are required to take four courses selected from Phil 6230, 6231, 6238, 6242, 6250, 6262, 6281; and, for the public policy core, four courses, one from each of the following groups: (a) PPPA 6010, PSc 8212, 6224; (b) Econ 6217, 6237, 6248; (c) PSc 6103, PPPA 6006, Soc 6248, WStu 6240, 6265, Hist 6011; (d) PPPA 6002 or substitute as approved by the advisor. Electives may focus on a particular policy area (e.g., biomedical/health care, urban/welfare, or environmental policy), or may explore varied approaches and policy issues. Each candidate must pass a Master's Comprehensive Examination based on the particular interdisciplinary composition of the student's program of study. Prospective candidates should consult the program director.
With permission, a limited number of 100-level courses in the department may be taken for graduate credit; additional course work is required. See the Undergraduate Programs Bulletin for course listings.
 The green leaf indicates that the course addresses environmental, social or economic sustainability.
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6201-02 |
Readings and Research (3-3)
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Staff
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Advanced readings and reports. Investigation of special problems. (Academic year)
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6205 |
The Idea of the Human Sciences (3)
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Caws
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Critical inquiry into the genesis and structure of theories that seek to account for human creativity, meaning, and interpretation and their textual, cultural, and institutional embodiments, from antiquity to late modernity.
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6230 |
Ethical Issues in Policy Arguments (3)
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Griffith
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Critical analysis of ethical foundations of public policy arguments, e.g., about protection of the environment or health and safety, equality of opportunity. Case studies of appeals to "welfare improvements," to norms of duty, to "the social contract," and to rights-claims. Attention to historical contexts and biases. Open to undergraduates only with permission of instructor. (Fall)
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6231 |
Economic Justice (3)
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Griffith
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Ethical and economic analysis of equity and efficiency of current U.S. income distribution patterns. Theories of justice; economic theories of distribution; assessment of redistribution policies. Open to undergraduates only with permission of instructor. (Spring)
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6238 |
Feminist Ethics and Policy Implications (3)
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Weiss
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Feminist critiques of traditional ethical reasoning; alternative feminist ethical frameworks examined and applied to contemporary social problems (e.g., respecting cultural differences, dependency, disability). Prerequisite: Phil 2125 or 2131 or permission of instructor. Same as WStu 6238. (Spring, alternate years)
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6242 |
Philosophy, Law, and Social Policy (3)
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Brand-Ballard
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Consideration of the relationship between legal interpretation and policy goals. Theories concerning the role of the judiciary in a constitutional democracy and methods of constitutional and statutory interpretation. Representative policy topics include capital punishment, pornography, affirmative action, welfare, property rights, racial gerrymandering, gun control. (Spring)
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6250 |
Topics in Health Policy (3)
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DeGrazia
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Topics in health policy from the perspective of philosophical ethics, including human and animal research, the enhancement of human traits, justice and health care allocation. (Spring)
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6262 |
Normative Issues in Foreign Policy (3)
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Churchill
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Selected issues on foreign policy from a normative perspective; emphasis on human rights, economic globalization, global poverty, sustainable development, and the ethics of military intervention. (Fall)
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6281 |
Environmental Philosophy and Policy (3) |
Brand-Ballard, Friend
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Examination of philosophical frameworks for assessing policy approaches to environmental problems. Representative topics include duties to future generations, environmental justice, legal rights for natural objects, critiques of cost-benefit analysis, sustainability, risk measurement, the intrinsic value of nature.
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6998-99 |
Thesis Research (3-3)
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Staff
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