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Philosophy, Politics, and Law Certificate

The Philosophy, Politics, and Law (PPL, pronounced “People”) certificate provides students with the opportunity to learn about the philosophical foundations, history, and social practice of human rights and liberties in modern democracies.  Students are expected to gain a deep understanding of how our legal and political institutions have functioned in the past, how they currently function, and how they ought to function, as well as how citizens might play a meaningful role in them. 

While philosophical analysis focuses on what constitutes legitimate political authority and its exercise over individual behavior, one also need to understand how human social and political life actually works.  Conversely, one’s grasp of political, legal, and social behavior is greatly enriched by a conceptual and foundational perspective on the norms of behavior.  Political Science, philosophy, and other disciplines such as history, sociology, or economics are thus perfectly complementary when it comes to advancing one’s understanding of our legal and political institutions.

Students who successfully complete the PPL certificate will gain substantial knowledge of democratic political ideas, practices, and institutions from multiple disciplines as well as solid skills in reading, writing, oral communication, and analytic thinking.  This is a useful background for students planning to pursue graduate degrees in law, philosophy, political science, or history.  It is also a good springboard for careers in business, public service, international affairs, journalism, and teaching.

The PPL certificate requires students to take a total of 27 credits (9 courses), including 9 credits (3 courses) in philosophy, 9 credits (3 courses) in political science, and 9 credits (3 courses) in either history, sociology, or economics.  In philosophy and political science, it is required that at least 1 course (3 credits) be upper-division in each discipline. The certificate will be easy to complete for students who decide to major or minor in either philosophy or political Science, or both.

Courses taken to fulfil the PPL certificate also satisfy a wide range of general education requirements, including E, H, S, X and Y.

To stay in the program, students must maintain an overall G.P.A. of 3.0.  All courses chosen for the certificate must be completed with a grade of C or better.

The certificate is jointly administered by the Department of Philosophy, the Department of Political Science, and the Pre-Law Program.  Primary contacts are Prof. Soazig Le Bihan (soazig.lebihan@umontana.edu) and Prof. Ramona Grey (ramona.grey@umontana.edu), Chair of the Political Science Department.

Students interested in pursuing the PPL certificate must receive formal approval from one of the primary contacts listed above.

Post-Secondary Certificate - Philosophy, Politics, and Law

College of Humanities & Sciences

Degree Specifics: 27

Required Cumulative GPA: 3.0

Catalog Year: 2020-21

Summary

Philosophy

9

Political Science

9

History, Sociology, and Economics

9

Total Hours

27


Philosophy

Rule: At least one of the course taken must be upper-division (300-level or above).

Code

Title

Hours

Complete three of the following courses:

9

PHL 110E

Introduction to Ethics

PHL 112E

Intro Ethics and Environment

PHL 114E

Intro to Political Ethics

PHL 210E

Moral Philosophy

PHL 233

Intro to Logic: Deduction

PHL 311

The Good, Right, Beautiful

PHL 316

Historical Figures in Philosophy

PHL 317E

Law and Morality

PHL 318

Applied Logic

PHL 323

Ethics of Climate Change

PHL 412

Ethics and Public Affairs

PHL 449

History of Moral and Political Philosophy

PHL 450

Contemporary Moral/Political Theory

PHL 455

Philosophy of Society and Culture

PHL 502

Topics in Value Theory

Total Hours

9

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Political Science

Rule: At least one of the course taken must be upper-division (300-level or above).

Code

Title

Hours

Complete three of the following courses:

9

PSCI 210S

Intro to American Government

PSCI 220S

Intro to Comparative Government

PSCI 230X

Intro to International Relations

PSCI 250E

Intro to Political Theory

PSCI 320

Exp Offering: Comp Politics

PSCI 332

Global Environmental Politics

PSCI 345

American Political System

PSCI 352

American Political Thought

PSCI 370

Courts and Judicial Politics

PSCI 381

State Formation

PSCI 433

International Law & Org

PSCI 443

Politics of Social Movements

PSCI 452

Utopianism and its Critics

PSCI 453

Modern Political Theory

PSCI 471

American Constitutional Law

PSCI 474

Civil Rights

Total Hours

9

Minimum Required Grade: C-


History, Sociology, and Economics

Code

Title

Hours

Complete three of the following courses:

9

AAST 141H

Black: From Africa to Hip-Hop

ECNS 217

Issues in Economic Development

ECNS 310

Intro to Health Economics

ECNS 312

Labor Economics

ECNS 313

Money and Banking

ECNS 320

Public Finance

ECNS 405

Game Theory

ECNS 406

Industrial Organization

ECNS 433

Economics of the Environment

HSTA 101H

American History I

HSTA 102H

American History II

HSTA 103H

Honors American History I

HSTA 104H

Honors American History II

HSTA 315

Early American Republic

HSTA 320

Birth of Modern US

HSTA 321

America in Crisis

HSTA 322

U.S. History: WWII to Present

HSTA 323

U.S. in the 1950s

HSTA 324

U.S. in the 1960s

HSTA 342H

Afr Amer Hist to 1865

HSTA 343H

 Afr Amer Hist Since 1865

HSTA 344

African-American Struggle for Equality

HSTA 361

The American South

HSTA 370H

Wmn Amer Colonial to Civil War

HSTA 371H

Wmn Amer Civil War to Present

HSTA 377

Alcohol in American History

HSTA 380

American Constitutional History

HSTA 382H

History of American Law

HSTA 415

The Black Radical Tradition

HSTA 417

Prayer & Civil Rights

HSTR 101H

Western Civilization I

HSTR 102H

Western Civilization II

HSTR 103H

Honors Western Civilization I

HSTR 104H

Honors Western Civilization II

HSTR 272E

Terrorism:Viol Mod Wrld

SOCI 211S

Introduction to Criminology

SOCI 220S

Race, Gender & Class

SOCI 221

Criminal Justice System

SOCI 260S

Introduction to Juvenile Delinquency

SOCI 312

Criminal Adjudication

SOCI 325

Social Stratification

SOCI 332

Sociology of the Family

SOCI 345

Sociology of Organizations

SOCI 355

Population and Society

SOCI 382

Soc Psych and Social Structure

SOCI 423

Sociology of Corrections

SOCI 435

Law and Society

SOCI 443

Sociology of Poverty

SOCI 446

Prost & Human Trafficking

SOCI 455

Classical Sociological Theory

SOCI 485

Political Sociology

Total Hours

9

Minimum Required Grade: C-