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PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS, AND ECONOMICS
THE WARWICK PPE PROGRAMME
STUDENT HANDBOOK 2007/2008
Department of Philosophy
Department of Politics & International Studies
Department of Economics
THE WARWICK PPE PROGRAMME
The Warwick PPE programme offers students the opportunity to study philosophy, politics, and
economics at foundation level, and either any two or all three at more advanced (honours) level.
The three contributing Departments are: Philosophy, Politics and International Studies (PAIS), and
Economics.
The PPE programme at Warwick University unites a number of different degree courses, or
pathways, which lead to the award of a PPE degree. This handbook explains the basic structure of
the Warwick PPE programme, as well as the options you have within it. Although the handbook is
not the final authority, the information in it should be accurate.
People
Director of Studies:
-
Andrew Reeve (PAIS; term 1)
-
Fabienne Peter (Philosophy, rest of the year)
Departmental PPE convenors:
-
Philosophy: Kai Spikermann (Term 1 only) Fabienne Peter (Terms 2 & 3)
-
PAIS: Andrew Reeve
-
Economics: Anirban Kar
PPE secretary: Maureen Tod
PPE Office
The “home” of the PPE programme is the PPE office, run by Maureen Tod. Maureen should be your
first point of contact for any questions you might have about your degree course.
Location: The PPE office is situated in the Philosophy Department (Social Studies Building) in room
S 2.70.
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 02476 522582
This guide contains:
I.
General information about studying and living at Warwick
II.
A description of the programme structure, including the different pathways
III.
A description of the first year core modules
IV. An illustrative list of first year option modules
V.
A description of second year core modules
VI.
A description of third year core modules
VII. An illustrative list of second and third year option modules
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I.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The aim of this handbook is to gather in one place all the information specific to the PPE
degree. For information that is specific to the three contributing departments, students are
advised to consult the departmental handbooks.
Induction Sessions for 1st Year Students
There are a number of introductory meetings at the beginning of term that all 1st year students should
attend. These include meetings organised by the three departments involved in the degree and a
special PPE meeting. The PPE meeting will provide detailed information about your degree:
module timetables, personal tutors, arrangements for the rest of the year, etc. The departmental
meetings are important, for they will provide information on elements of your degree specific to
the department concerned. The meetings you need to attend are:
Monday 1st October 11.00 am
Monday 1st October 1.00 pm
Monday 1st October 3.00pm
Monday 1st October 5.00 pm
PPE
Economics
Philosophy
PAIS
Room
Room
Room
Room
PS1.28 (essential for all students to attend)
MS01
H0.52
MS01
Introduction to the Library
The Library is a vital resource for any student. You must learn to find your way around, so that it
can serve your needs properly in your three years here. There is an induction course for all first
year PPE students on Tuesday 2nd October 2007 at 2.00 pm in B2.13/4 (in the Chemistry Building).
The subject librarian for PPE will introduce students to paper and electronic resources in the
Library and further afield.
Websites
At www.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/philosophy/ugstudy/degreecourses/ppe/ you will find up to date
information about the PPE programme and many relevant links – e.g. to module webpages, to the
three contributing departments, support services, etc. A pdf-version of this handbook is also
available.
There is an online resource which should be used by any student taking a module in Economics.
You can find it at http://go.warwick.ac.uk/myeconomics/. PAIS will shortly start working with a similar
webpage and the PPE programme is currently working towards establishing one as well.
Communication
It is essential that you familiarise yourself as soon as possible with the three main ways in which the
University will communicate information to you: pigeonholes, notice boards and email. You will
have to check your pigeonholes and the noticeboards in all three departments, and the noticeboard
outside of the PPE office.
When you arrive at the University you will already have been given an IT account including a
Warwick email address. This is the email address that the University will use to communicate with
you whenever possible, so it is important that you become familiar with its use and check your email
regularly. There are publicly available Personal Computers connected to the Internet in all
academic buildings. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, you can set up your
University email to be forwarded automatically to this account. If you have any queries about this,
please contact IT Services Helpdesk on 024 7657 3737 or ext: 73737.
Personal Tutors
Every student is assigned a personal tutor. Your personal tutor is responsible for giving academic
and personal advice, and may act on your behalf in internal University matters. He or she may be
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consulted by both administrative and academic staff on matters that concern you, and will usually
represent you formally, if that is necessary, on University committees. It is therefore important that
you get to know your personal tutor as soon as possible, and keep him or her informed of any
problems (financial, health, accommodation, and family problems, for example) that may interfere
with your studies. Your personal tutor can also advise you on your selection of options. You
should meet your tutor in the first week of each term, keep in regular contact, and meet at least
once more each term. As you may need to rely on your personal tutor later for references, it is
not a good idea to be invisible!
The first thing you should do is to call on your personal tutor. There is a list, identifying the member of
academic staff to whom you have been assigned, on the notice board outside the PPE office.
Before teaching starts, you should discuss with your personal tutor which optional modules are open
to you, if any, and which you would like to follow.
If you wish to change your personal tutor, or have difficulty in making contact with him or her, you
should get in touch with Maureen Tod or the PPE Director of Studies.
Student Counselling Service
If you feel you need more specialised help than your personal tutor can provide, you can contact
the Senior Tutor's Office on the ground floor of the Humanities Building (Room 021; tel: 024 7652
3761, or extension 23761). There is a staff of trained counsellors who offer a confidential service,
giving advice and support on a wide variety of matters. There is also a financial adviser. The
Students' Union also offers advice and a counselling service.
The Careers Advisory Service
PPE graduates can be found in every job sector and approximately 60% of jobs advertised annually
are for graduates of any discipline. The Careers Advisory Service, which is located on the ground
floor of University House, can help you plan your next steps after university. You can use the
service at any time you like during and after your studies including outside term time. Whether you
have clear ideas about what you want to do or none at all, we can help. You can see a careers
adviser for quick careers advice (15 minute sessions) and for longer appointments by arrangement.
You can also book to see an applications adviser who will give you tips on CVs and application
forms. The service runs an extensive programme of activities every year including employer
presentations, job hunting workshops and careers fairs.
The careers service website (www.warwick.ac.uk/careers) is a key resource that gives you access
to information and advice on everything from work experience to researching employers and further
study. You will also find information on what previous Warwick students have done as well as quick
access to external sites through Weblinks. Another key resource is the careers hub located in the
learning grid in University House. Individual employer files, sector specific information, reference
books on postgraduate courses and job hunting, as well as sections on working abroad and
voluntary work, are just a few of the things you will find there.
The careers advisor responsible for PPE is Fiona Kent ([email protected]).
Absence through Illness
Always tell your module or seminar tutors (and, if you wish, your personal tutor too) if you have
had to miss lectures or seminars through illness. If you are ill for more than three consecutive
days, University rules require that you provide a doctor's certificate. Such a certificate is also
essential if you miss through illness an examination or a deadline for an assessed
essay or dissertation. Submit a doctor's certificate to the Departmental Office as soon as
possible. WE REGRET THAT NO ALLOWANCE CAN BE MADE FOR ILLNESS IN THE ABSENCE
OF A PROPER CERTIFICATE.
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Special Considerations
If you are experiencing medical problems or other difficult personal circumstances which you believe may
negatively affect your examination performance, make sure you let us know. Inform your personal tutor, the
PPE programme secretary, or the PPE director of studies as soon as possible. Special circumstances may be
taken into consideration at examination boards. Your degree classification and/or your right to sit the
examination again/at a different time may be affected by such information. Such information is, however,
subject to the Data Protection Act and we may therefore only take it into consideration at examination boards if
you have explicitly authorised us to do so. Please fill in the Special Considerations Form (available on the PPE
website) to give us this permission. Please note also that we may only consider such circumstances if you
provide such evidence as may reasonably be expected for the difficulties you have experienced.
A Note on Changing Degree Courses.
All degree courses have their own admissions requirements and are heavily oversubscribed.
Students of the PPE programme are not normally allowed to transfer out of the programme into
another degree in the first year. All transfers require the agreement of the Programme Directors of
the ‘releasing’ and ‘receiving’ courses, and students are not entitled to insist on any transfer.
Record Cards and Photographs
All first-year students should have received a PPE record card with their copy of the handbook.
You should complete this, have it signed by your Personal Tutor, and return it to the PPE Office
not later than Friday October 12th 2007. All first year students must at the same time provide the
office with two passport-sized photographs of themselves, with their names written clearly on
the reverse.
Examination Registration
You will receive an examination registration form from the Academic Office, which will have to be
completed and submitted in November. On these forms you are required to nominate for each
module the method (formal examination or assessment) by which you wish to be examined in the
summer. (This obviously only applies to those modules where a choice exists). If in doubt about
the appropriate examination registration, check with your personal tutor, one of the
PPE convenors or the Director of Studies for PPE.
Module Pre-registration
The Academic Office requires all 1st and 2nd year students to register in May for the optional modules
that they intend to follow in the forthcoming year. To facilitate decision-making, all three
Departments organize option fairs, where tutors present the modules they will be teaching in the
coming year. The final section of this handbook contains the list of modules for this year (subject
to change). You should check what modules will be offered in the next year in the beginning of the
Summer term and you should discuss your choices with your personal tutor.
In addition to the registration with the Academic Office, Economics and PAIS also require students
to pre-register for modules they would like to take in the respective Departments. Pre-registration in
PAIS happens in the form of a ballot system. Information on this system is available from PAIS.
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Relevant Deadlines
Below are summarised the main occasions during your undergraduate career when you may be
required to complete forms of various kinds.
1st year
week 1
University registration
week 7
Examination registration
Week 22
PAIS Options Fair & Ballot Deadline
Week 23
Economics Options Choice Deadline
week 24
Pre-registration for 2nd year modules
week 24
University enrolment for 2nd year
week 7
Examination registration
week 18
Applications to submit assessed work in lieu of examinations in
2nd year
Philosophy and PAIS
Week 22
PAIS Options Fair & Ballot Deadline
Week 23
Economics Options Choice Deadline
week 7
Examination registration
week 18
Applications to submit assessed work in lieu of examinations in
3rd year
Philosophy and PAIS
II.
Week 22
PAIS Options Fair & Ballot Deadline
Week 23
Economics Options Choice Deadline
PPE PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
Modules taken in the first year provide the foundation for second and third year study. Students
must pass examinations in first year modules to qualify to enter the second and third years of study.
The second and third year modules are examined at the end of the relevant year. The degree is
awarded on the basis of performance in these modules. ‘Honours level’ refers to modules
contributing to the assessment of the degree.
First Year (foundation and qualifying examinations)
Core modules:
Philosophy: Arguments & Methods (30 CATS)
-
Descartes & Mill (PH128; 12 CATS)
Starting Formal Logic (PH126; 12 CATS)
Elements of Scientific Method (PH123; 6 CATS)
Introduction to Politics (PO107; 30 CATS)
Economics I (EC107; 30 CATS)
Quantitative Techniques (30 CATS)
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-
Mathematical Techniques A/B* (EC121/3; 12 CATS)
Statistical Techniques A/B* (EC 122/4; 12 CATS)
Computing & Data Analysis (EC 125; 6 CATS)
(*students
are allocated to A or B depending on the extent of their mathematical qualifications)
Plus an optional module worth 30 CATS from Philosophy, Politics & International Studies,
Economics, or other approved 1st year option from departments within the Faculty of Social Studies
and the Faculty of Arts (more information below).
Second & Third Year (honours level)
By the end of their first year, students must choose one of six PPE pathways or degree courses.
Students may elect to continue with all three disciplines at Honours level, or take any two. There
are six pathways to choose from:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Economics and Politics; Economics major
Economics and Politics; Economics minor
Philosophy and Economics; Economics major
Philosophy and Economics; Economics minor
Philosophy and Politics
Economics major variants lead to a BSc PPE, all others lead to a BA PPE.
In the academic year 2007/08, we introduce a new syllabus, which offers students greater optionality.
The following table gives you an overview over the different pathways – their core modules and range
of options:
1. TRIPARTITE (PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS, AND ECONOMICS)
Core modules:
- Economics 2 (30 CATS)
- History of Modern Philosophy OR Ethics I and II (30 CATS)
- Political Theory from Hobbes OR Issues in Political Theory (30 CATS)
- Principles of Political Economy (30 CATS)
Optional modules:
- 30 CATS worth of second or third year module(s) from Economics
- 30 CATS worth of second or third year module(s) from PAIS
- 30 CATS worth of second or third year module(s) from Philosophy
- Approved option(s) (30 CATS)
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2. ECONOMICS AND POLITICS; ECONOMICS MAJOR
Core modules:
- Economics 2 (30 CATS)
- Economic Statistics OR Econometrics I (30 CATS)
- Political Theory from Hobbes OR Issues in Political Theory (30 CATS)
- Principles of Political Economy (30 CATS)
Optional modules:
- 30 CATS worth of second or third year module(s) from Economics
- 30 CATS worth of third year module(s) from Economics
- Approved options (60 CATS)
3. ECONOMICS AND POLITICS; ECONOMICS MINOR
Core modules:
- Economics 2 (30 CATS)
- Political Theory from Hobbes OR Issues in Political Theory (30 CATS)
- Principles of Political Economy (30 CATS)
Optional modules:
- 30 CATS worth of second or third year module(s) from Economics
- 60 CATS worth of second or third year modules from PAIS
- Approved options (60 CATS)
4. PHILOSOPHY AND POLITICS
Core modules:
- History of Modern Philosophy (30 CATS)
- Ethics I and II (30 CATS)
- Political Theory from Hobbes OR Issues in Political Theory (30 CATS)
- Principles of Political Economy (30 CATS)
Optional modules:
- 30 CATS worth of second or third year modules from PAIS
- 30 CATS worth of second or third year module(s) from Philosophy
- Approved options (60 CATS)
5. PHILOSOPHY AND ECONOMICS; ECONOMICS MINOR
Core modules:
- Economics 2 (30 CATS)
- History of Modern Philosophy (30 CATS)
- Ethics I and II (30 CATS)
- PH331 Principles of Political Economy (30 CATS)
Optional modules:
- 30 CATS worth of second or third year module(s) from Philosophy
- 30 CATS worth of second or third year module(s) from Economics
- Approved options (60 CATS)
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6. PHILOSOPHY AND ECONOMICS; ECONOMICS MAJOR
Core modules:
- Economics 2 (30 CATS)
- Economic Statistics OR Econometrics I (30 CATS)
- History of Modern Philosophy OR Ethics I and II (30 CATS)
- Principles of Political Economy (30 CATS)
Optional modules:
- 30 CATS worth of second or third year module(s) from Economics
- 30 CATS worth of third year module(s) from Economics
- Approved options (60 CATS)
PLANNING YOUR 2ND AND 3RD YEAR
The new syllabus requires you to plan over two years, and in choosing your modules, you must
respect the exam regulations of the three departments. PAIS, for example, restricts 200-coded
modules to 2nd year students, and 300-coded modules to 3rd year students. Economics and
Philosophy do not work with this rule, but some restrictions apply in these departments as well.
You may choose your optional modules from the departments of Philosophy, Politics and
International Studies, and Economics. You will find the current range of modules available on the
webpages of the departments. If it fits your overall course of studies, we may also approve an
optional module from another department. To get approval, you need to see the Director of Studies
with a “Change of Syllabus” form and get his or her signature. You are only allowed one outside
option (30 CATS) at Honours level. For example, if you get approval to take a History module in
your 2nd year you will automatically be excluded from taking another outside option in your 3rd year.
III.
FIRST YEAR CORE MODULES
PHILOSOPHY: ARGUMENTS AND METHODS [30 CATS]
Multiple Tutors
The first term of this module aims to introduce students to some central problems in two key areas of
Philosophy - Epistemology & Metaphysics and Ethics - by helping them understand, and engage critically
with, the main arguments in two classical texts in the history of these two areas, i.e. Descartes'
Meditations on First Philosophy and Mill's Utilitarianism.
In the second term - Starting Logic -, students will be introduced to First Order Logic in a natural
deduction setting. They will learn how to master the use and limitations of formal logic including topics
such as: rationality, inconsistency and logical consequence, semantics and translation between formal &
natural languages, truth values and truth functionality, tautologies and logical equivalence, formal and
informal proof, soundness of an argument.
The third term will address a central set of issues in the Philosophy of Science. Starting from Hume's
treatment of the problem of induction, it will critically investigate the history of attempts to characterise and
justify inference from experimental data to associated theories.
PO 107 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICS [30 CATS]
Tutor: Ben Rosamond
The module divides into three parts. The first section on political processes and institutions
introduces concepts of political culture and socialisation before outlining some key political actors
and institutions. Students will examine different electoral systems, the role of political parties and
interest groups, legislative structures and executive power. The second part of the module will
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examine competing ideas about democracy, the role of the state, power and authority as well as
rights and distributive justice. The 'political ideologies' component outlines conservative and liberal
thinking as well as Marxist, socialist and feminist perspectives. The final part addresses political
change or transformation such as may occur through revolution, democratisation and nationalist
movements.
EC107 ECONOMICS 1 [30 CATS]
Tutor: Robin Naylor
This module forms the core of first-year combined (micro and macro) economic analysis for joint
degree students in Economics
Micro: Market equilibrium, supply and demand; Costs and Revenues; Market Structure and Firm
Behaviour; The Firm's Factor Markets; Welfare Economics; International Trade
Macro: Consumption, saving and investment; Aggregate demand, fiscal policy and foreign trade;
IS and LM curve analysis; Fiscal and monetary policy; Aggregate supply; Open economy
macroeconomics: the World economy; Economic growth and economic cycles.
EC 120 QUANTITATIVE TECHNIQUES comprising:
EC 121 Mathematical Techniques A [12 CATS]
Tutor: Sushama Murty
Students who have not studied Mathematics beyond GCSE level, or equivalent, will be entered for
EC 121 Mathematical Techniques A. This module covers the following syllabus: Revision of basic
algebra, Introduction to calculus, Series (AP, GP, present value optimisation, application);
Integration; Difference equations; Applications in economics.
Or
EC 123 Mathematical Techniques B [12 CATS]
Tutor: Dennis Leech
Students with Mathematics at A-level will be entered for EC 123 Mathematical Techniques B. This
module covers the following syllabus: Revision of basic differentiation and integration; Calculus of
functions of two or more variables; total derivatives, unconstrained and constrained optimisation;
Matrix algebra; Difference equations; Applications of all techniques in Economics.
EC 122 Statistical Techniques A [12 CATS]
Tutor: Shurojit Chatterji
Normally, students entered for Mathematical Techniques A will be entered for Statistical Techniques
A. This module covers the following syllabus: Descriptive Statistics, Elementary probability;
Random variables and probability distributions; Normal distribution; Sampling and sampling
distributions; Point estimation and confidence intervals; Hypothesis testing, Bivariate distributions;
covariance and correlation; Simple two variable regression analysis.
Or
EC 124 Statistical Techniques B [12 CATS]
Tutor: Jeremy Smith
Students entered for Mathematical Techniques B will be entered for Statistical Techniques B. In
addition, students who obtain a mid-session test mark of 60% or more in Mathematical Techniques
A may elect to join Statistical Techniques B; this allows them to take more advanced econometric
options in the second and third years. This module covers the following syllabus: Descriptive
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statistics; Probability; Discrete random variables; Binominal and poisson distributions; Bivariate
distributions; covariance and correlation; Continuous random variables; uniform and normal
distributions; limit theorems; Sampling distributions; Point estimation and confidence intervals;
Hypothesis testing; Correlation and two variable regression analysis.
EC 125 Computing and Data Analysis [12 CATS]
Tutor: Jeremy Smith
All students take this module, which covers the following syllabus: Computing Skills; Economic
statistics; Descriptive statistics, Data awareness, Data analysis; Report-writing and reportpresentation.
IV.
FIRST YEAR OPTIONAL MODULES
Options will have upper limits on numbers and some popular modules will be very quickly filled. Any
department may wish to satisfy itself that would-be entrants have a suitable educational
background. Precise arrangements for entry to the modules listed below vary considerably so you
must check with the particular department. There are also certain rules on studying a language –
see the specific section in this handbook. It is your responsibility to find a suitable outside option in
the first week of term. Please visit the department that you are interested in as soon as possible
and by the end of the first week of term. You will be able to find out the details of the First Year
Options available, when to register and how to register.
Some options may not be possible because of timetable clashes. You cannot choose an outside
option that clashes with your PPE modules. And, of course, a module in your core curriculum is not
an option for you.
OMR will be opening between 17th September and 19th October 2007. Please make sure you
register for your 2007/08 modules in this period.
When you return to the University in October you will need to register your module/assessment
method choices for the 2007/2008 academic year using the Online Module Registration (OMR)
system. The system will be open from 17th September until 19th October for most students (there
may be a few exceptions); to access it you need to sign in via my.Warwick and then select the
module registration link.
Options offered by the three constitutive Departments:
Philosophy Department
-
Introduction to Ancient Philosophy
-
Issues in Theoretical and Practical Philosophy
Politics & International Studies
-
World Politics (a prerequisite for Theories of International Relations in Year 2)
Economics Department
-
Mathematics for Economists
-
The World Economy Since 1800: History and Theory
-
The Industrial Economy
Popular choices of first year options from other Departments of the University:
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English Department
-
Modes of Reading
-
Literature in the Modern World
-
The Epic Tradition
-
Medieval to Renaissance English Literature (Students should have studied Chaucer or they
will be at a disadvantage when studying this module)
Note: You need to have ‘A’ level English to take a module.
French Department
-
French Language module offered in the Language Centre (see note below)
-
Contemporary France: Language & Society
German Department
-
German Language module offered in the Language Centre (see note below)
-
Writers, media and society in contemporary Germany
-
The writer, the nation and the state in Germany, 1750-1848
History Department
-
History of Germany 1848-1945
-
History of Russia since 1881
-
Dragon’s Ascent: The Rise of Modern China
-
Ghandi and Indian Nationalism
-
Ireland 1848-1970
-
Latin America: Themes and Problems
-
Britain in the Twentieth Century
Psychology Department
-
Introduction to Psychology
Sociology Department
-
Gender, Class and Empire: British Imperialism and British Society from 1750
-
Sociological Imagination and Investigation
-
State, Society and Work
-
Modernity and Globilsation
-
Social Welfare in Britain
-
Birth of Feminism
Options in the Law Department are not available in 2007-2008
Other Options:
Apart from the modules listed above, other Departments, such as Italian, or Education, may offer
options. If you are interested, please ask the Secretary of the Department concerned.
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Studying Foreign Languages As Part of Your Degree
PPE is happy to encourage the study of languages, but some restrictions apply.
The principles that govern building a language into your degree programme are as follows:
-
It has to be established that the language module is sufficiently demanding for you. You
cannot study a language option in your first language under any circumstances.
-
Taking a language option in your second or third year requires a change of syllabus. You will
not be allowed to take more than one language option in your second and final year of study.
If you take a language option in your first year and want to apply to take another option in
this language in your second or third year, you will have show that it is at a higher level.
-
Only language modules of level 3 or above can be credited to an Honours degree. Level 1
or 2 can only be taken in your first year.
For information about language modules, visit the Language Centre in the first week of term.
V.
SECOND YEAR CORE MODULE DESCRIPTIONS
PH 201 HISTORY OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY [30 CATS]
Tutors: Professor David Smith/Dr Johannes Roessler
Core module for: Philosophy/Politics, Philosophy/Economics (Economics Minor)
Optional core for: Tripartite, and Philosophy/Economics (Economics Major)
The first part, taught in the Autumn term and the first two weeks of the Spring term, covers key texts
and arguments of Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Leibniz.
The second part aims to give students an understanding of some central arguments of Kant's
Critique of Pure Reason. Topics typically include space and time, objectivity, self-awareness,
causation, the self, freedom.
PH 211/212 ETHICS I & II [30 CATS]
Tutors: Andrew Williams and Kai Spikermann
Core module for: Philosophy/Economics (Economics Minor), Philosophy/Politics
Optional core for: Tripartite, and Philosophy/Economics (Economics Major)
Details: tba
PO 201 POLITICAL THEORY FROM HOBBES [30 CATS]
Tutor: Andrew Reeve and John Cunliffe
Core module for: Tripartite, Economics/Politics (Economics Major), Economics/Politics (Economics
Minor), Philosophy/Politics,
This module aims to give you an understanding of the political philosophy of some of the most
important European write from 1640 onwards. You will be encouraged to read widely in both the
primary and secondary literature concerning these writers. After having attended the seminar and
lectures, in which this literature will be discussed, you should have gained an appreciation of
debates about the connections between the ideas presented by these political philosophers and
historical developments concerning the state that took place in the period, as well as the economic
transformation from agricultural to industrial society.
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Three weeks are devoted to the most important ideas of selected thinkers in six blocks. They are:
Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke and Paine and Wollstonecraft, J.S. Mill, Marx.
PO 219 THEORIES OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS [30 CATS]
Tutor: Timothy Sinclair
Core module for: Economics/Politics (Economics Minor) (can be replaced with a “political systems”
option).
Although a ‘common sense’ view of world politics is often presented in non-academic contexts,
there is little agreement among experts on what international relations is about and how we should
think about it. This module enables students to examine critically the conventional wisdom and as a
result to gain a sophisticated understanding of international relations. It offers a critical introduction
to key theories of international relations, and emphasises that the truth about international relations,
and even the question of whether there is one, is disputed. It explores the complexity of analysing
international politics and the significance of critically assessing theories of international relations.
EC 204 ECONOMICS 2 [30 CATS]
Tutor: Andres Carvajal
Core module for: Tripartite, Economics/Politics (Economics Major), Economics/Politics (Economics
Minor), Philosophy/Economics (Economics Major), Philosophy/Economics (Economics Minor).
The module aims to enable students to develop a deeper understanding of economic concepts
introduced in first-year analysis and to introduce new concepts in both micro and macroeconomic
analysis. New concepts include the treatment of risk, asymmetric information, general equilibrium,
welfare economics and rational expectations. The module aims to introduce students to the
analysis of public policy issues such as privatisation, regulation and monetary and fiscal policy.
Microeconomics: The analysis of consumer demand; including a focus on markets with asymmetric
information. The analysis of production, cost, supply and input demand functions, with an emphasis
on markets under oligopoly. The analysis of general equilibrium and welfare economics.
Consideration of the economics of public policy issues such as privatisation and regulation. Game
theoretic approaches to oligopoly, entry and other strategic areas in industrial and business
economics. Economics of risk and uncertainty.
Macroeconomics: The concept of the aggregate supply curve and its derivation from alternative
theories of the labour market. The analysis of unemployment and the determination of the price
level. Theories of inflation and of counter-inflation policy, including the time-consistency problem.
The open economy, with particular reference to the effect of international capital flows, analysed
using the Mundell-Fleming and Dornbusch models. Theories and evidence about economic growth,
including endogenous growth.
EC 203 ECONOMIC & SOCIAL STATISTICS [30 CATS]
Tutor: Mike Pitt
Core module: Economics/Politics (Economics Major), Philosophy/Economics (Economics Major) for
students who have EC 122 Statistical Techniques A. Students with EC 124 Statistical Techniques B
will take EC 226 Econometrics 1 instead.
The module covers the following topics: Statistical estimation and inference (including nonparametric methods; contingency tables; introduction to SPSS or STATA); sampling and survey
methods (including questionnaire design, pitfalls and alternative sample designs); factor analysis
and principal component analysis (methods and applications, use of SPSS); simple linear
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regression and multiple regression (dummy variables, diagnostics, LIMDEP models, dynamic
models, use of SPSS).
EC 226 ECONOMETRICS [30 CATS]
Tutor: Jeremy Smith
Core module for: Economics/Politics (Economics Major), Philosophy/Economics (Economics Major)
for students who have EC 124 Statistical Techniques B.
This module covers the following syllabus: Introduction; Linear regression model; Least squares
estimation; Gauss-Markov Theorem; Prediction. Multiple regression; Least squares estimation;
Dummy variables; Linear Restrictions; Structural change; Omission of relevant variables + inclusion
of irrelevant variables; Lagged dependent variables; Dynamic models; Non-linear models;
Functional form tests; Heteroscedasticity; Generalised Least Squares; Lagged dependent variable
models; Multicollinearity; Errors in variables; Simultaneity; Instrumental Variable estimation; Limited
Dependent Variable Models; Nonstationarity and Cointegration.
VI.
THIRD YEAR CORE MODULE DESCRIPTIONS
PH 331 PRINCIPLES OF POLITICAL ECONOMY: The Global Realm [30 CATS]
Multiple Tutors
Core module for all pathways.
The module focuses on the global political economy. It will explore contributions from politics,
philosophy, and economics to select global public policy issues. The module will be taught by
members of staff from all three departments and aims to provide a context in which students can
integrate their studies in the three disciplines. Topics addressed will include global justice,
development, globalization and international trade, global governance, and aid and humanitarian
interventions.
PH 328 EPISTEMOLOGY & METAPHYSICS [15 CATS]
Tutor: Bill Brewer
Core module for: Tripartite, Philosophy/Politics, Philosophy/Economics (Economics Minor)
The module will focus on two fundamental topics, one each from metaphysics and epistemology: (1)
identity and persistence through change over time, both in general, and with specific reference to
persons; and (2) scepticism and knowledge.
PH 330 PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE [15 CATS]
Tutor: Fabienne Peter
Core module for: Tripartite, Philosophy/Politics, Philosophy/Economics (Economics Minor)
Should explanation in the social sciences follow explanation in the natural sciences or are there
peculiarities about human beings and social phenomena that demand a different approach? This
second part of the module provides an introduction to alternative approaches to explanation that
have been put forward for the social sciences and discusses the epistemological and ontological
and methodological premises on which these approaches rely. It will pay particular attention to
debates relevant to the economic approach to human behaviour, as this approach has now spread
to other disciplines as well and become an important paradigm in many social sciences.
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PO 301 ISSUES IN POLITICAL THEORY [30 CATS]
Tutor: Matthew Clayton
Core module for: Tripartite, Economics/Politics (Economics Minor), Philosophy/Politics
The study of politics has included not just the study of how the political world operates, but also the
study of how it ought to operate. This module examines a set of normative issues that have received
considerable attention within recent analytical political theory. The module is divided into four parts:
(1) Conceptions of Justice (including those of Rawls, Nozick, and Dworkin), (2) Liberalism: further
issues (which considers developments in liberal theory, and issues raised by its feminist,
democratic, and communitarian critics), (3) Justice and the Welfare State (which considers issues
concerning education, discrimination, stakeholding, and health care), and (4) Justice beyond
Frontiers (which introduces questions about global justice, intergenerational justice, justice and war,
and punishment).
EC 304 THE MAKING OF ECONOMIC POLICY [30 CATS]
Tutor: Nick Crafts (Economics) and Wyn Grant (PAIS)
Core module for: Tripartite, Economics/Politics (Economics Major), Economics/Politics (Economics
Minor), Philosophy/Economics (Economics Major)
This module aims to explore the relationship between economics and politics as academic
disciplines and real life phenomena through a study of economic policy making; to examine critically
theoretical discussions of the relationships between states and markets and the development of
economic policy in Britain in the post-war period to the present.
The module examines the macro and micro problems of the British economy and the policy
responses of governments to these problems, highlighting both the differences and similarities of
the two disciplines in their approaches to the political economy of modern Britain. Topics covered
include: theories of the policy making process, theory and empirics of market failure; public choice
theories; bureaucracy and the core executive in Britain; and the role of elections and parties in
economic policy. Then the module examines the development of government’s economic policies in
the present and recent decades, including such topics as the economics and politics of inflation and
unemployment, the welfare state and economic performance, income distribution, taxation and the
public expenditure process, international political economy and globalisation. The international
economic architecture of global governance is discusses in terms of its relevance in the 21st century.
EC 312 INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS [30 CATS]
Tutor: Natalie Chen
Core module for: Economics/Politics (Economics Major), Philosophy/Economics (Economics Major)
The first term is concerned with the theory of international trade and trade policy. The standard
models of trade theory are developed and used to address policy issues. The Ricardian theory of
comparative advantage is used to show that a country may gain from trade, and the HeckscherOhlin-Samuelson model is used to discuss the effect of international trade on income distribution.
Recent developments in trade that incorporate economics of scale, imperfect competition, and
product differentiation are also discussed. Then the module turns to issues of trade policy. The
economic effects of tariffs, antidumping duties, quotas and VER are analysed together with case
studies of trade policy in particular industries. The theory of customs unions is developed and the
economics of the single European market is discussed. Recent models of strategic trade policy are
analysed.
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The second term is concerned with international macroeconomic theory and uses it to better
understand recent policy issues. The module examines national income accounting in an open
economy and in particular the balance of payments, models of the inter-temporal approach to the
current account, the foreign exchange market and the interaction between price levels and
exchange rates in the long-run. Models of exchange rate determination with flexible prices
(Monetary Model), fixed prices (Mundell-Fleming Model) and sticky prices(Overshooting Model) are
also developed. We also examine in more detail the empirical literature on Purchasing Power Parity
and on the analysis of trade flows at the macroeconomic level.
VII.
SECOND AND THIRD YEAR OPTIONS
The three departments offer a wide range of optional modules at honours level, reflecting their size
and diversity. Not all options are offered in every year; equally, new options are frequently made
available – usually reflecting the research interests of tutors and new developments in the
disciplines. The following list shows the situation in 2006/07, but because of staff changes and
planning constraints this should be regarded as only an illustrative guide to future years. You
should obviously discount a module as an option module if it forms part of the core curriculum for
the chosen pathway.
Check the webpages of the three Departments for up-to-date module descriptions and reading lists.
Economics Modules – Second and Third Years
-
EC201 Macroeconomics 2 (Emanuel Kohlscheen) [30 CATS]
-
EC202 Microeconomics 2 (Carlo Perroni) [30 CATS]
-
EC203 Economic and Social Statistics (Mike Pitt) [30 CATS]
-
EC204 Economics 2 (Jennifer Smith) [30 CATS]
-
EC205 Development Economics (Eugenio Proto) [30 CATS]
-
EC206 The Industrial Revolution (Stephen Broadberry) [30 CATS]
-
EC208 Industrial Economics 1 (Mike Waterson) [30 CATS]
-
EC220 & 221 Mathematical Economics I (Herakles Polemarchakis) [30 CATS]
-
EC226 Econometrics 1 (Jeremy Smith) [30 CATS]
-
EC228 Public Choice and Voting Theory (Dennis Leech) [30 CATS]
-
EC301 Mathematical Economics 2 (Jonathan Cave) [30 CATS]
-
EC303 The British Economy in the Twentieth Century (Stephen Broadberry) [30 CATS]
-
EC304 The Making of Economic Policy (Nick Crafts) [30 CATS]
-
EC306 Econometrics 2 (Mark Stewart) [30 CATS]
-
EC307 Economic Policy in the UK (Jennifer Smith) [30 CATS]
-
EC310 Topics in Development Economics (Carlo Perroni) [30 CATS]
-
EC312 International Economics (Natalie Chen) [30 CATS]
-
EC313 The International Economic System since 1918 (Bishnupriya Gupta) [30 CATS]
-
EC314 Topics in Economic Theory (Chuck Blackorby) [30 CATS]
-
EC318 Labour Economics (Jennifer Smith) [30 CATS]
-
EC320 Economics of Public Policy (Ben Lockwood, Chuck Blackorby) [30 CATS]
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-
EC326 Industrial Economics 2 (Margaret Slade) [30 CATS]
-
EC331 Research in Applied Economics (Gianna Boero) [30 CATS]
-
EC332 Topics in Financial Economics (Lei Zhang)
Politics and International Studies Modules – Second and Third Years
-
PO212 French Politics and Institutions (R. Duclaud-Williams) [30 CATS]
-
PO213 Politics and Policy (R. Duclaud-Williams) [30 CATS]
-
PO222 Politics of Contemporary China (S. Breslin) [30 CATS]
-
PO203 Politics of Developing Areas (S. Rai) [30 CATS]
-
PO206 Politics of the UK (S. Kettell) [30 CATS]
-
PO207 Politics of the USA (T. McCrisken) [30 CATS]
-
PO201 Political Theory from Hobbes (A. Reeve) [30 CATS]
-
PO223 Soviet And Post Soviet Politics (N. Jackson) [30 CATS]
-
PO230 States and Markets An Introduction to International Political Economy (J. Brassett)
[30 CATS]
-
PO229 The International Politics of Democracy Promotion (P. Burnell) [30 CATS]
-
PO219 Theories of International Relations (T. Sinclair) [30 CATS]
-
PO373 Citizenship, Migration and Minorities (Z. Layton-Henry) [30 CATS]
-
PO377 Ethnic Conflict and Political Violence (M. Alison) [30 CATS]
-
PO353 Gender and Development (S. Rai) [30 CATS]
-
PO355 Governing Britain since 1918 (S. Kettell) [30 CATS]
-
PO301 Issues in Political Theory (M. Clayton) [30 CATS]
-
PO365 Middle East Regional Relations (B. A. Roberson) [30 CATS]
-
PO333 Political, Economic and Legal Problems of European Integration (G. Christou) [30
CATS]
-
PO368 Political Theory And Conceptions Of Industrial Society (A. Reeve) [30 CATS]
-
PO374 Politics of Globalisation (I. Pirie) [30 CATS]
-
PO370 Sport, Politics and Society (L. Allison) [30 CATS]
-
PO358 The Politics of European Union Policy-Making (P. Sherrington) [30 CATS]
Philosophy Modules – Second and Third Years
-
PH201 History of Modern Philosophy (David Smith/Johannes Roessler) [30 CATS]
-
PH211 Ethics I (Andrew Williams) [15 CATS]
-
PH212 Ethics II (Kai Spikermann) [15 CATS]
-
PH238 Consciousness and Reality (Naomi Eilan) [15 CATS]
-
PH240 Philosophy of Mind I (Matthew Soteriou) [15 CATS]
-
PH241 Philosophy of Mind II (Guy Longworth) [15 CATS]
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-
PH244 Philosophy of Thought and Language I (Hemdat Lerman) [15 CATS]
-
PH245 Philosophy of Thought and Language II (Matthew Soteriou) [15 CATS]
-
PH248 Aesthetics I (Christine Battersby) [30 CATS]
-
PH249 Aesthetics II (Diarmuid Costello) [30 CATS]
-
PH328 Epistemology and Metaphysics (Bill Brewer) [15 CATS]
-
PH330 Philosophy of Social Science (Fabienne Peter) [15 CATS]
-
PH332 20th Century Continental Philosophy I (Peter Poellner) [15 CATS]
-
PH334 Post-Kantian Continental Philosophy I (Keith Ansell Pearson) [15 CATS]
-
PH335 Post-Kantian Continental Philosophy II (Stephen Houlgate) [15 CATS]
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