Ethics, Politics, and Economics
Director of undergraduate studies: Gregory Collins; epe.yale.edu
The major in Ethics, Politics, and Economics joins the analytic rigor of the social sciences and the enduring normative questions of philosophy to promote an integrative and critical understanding of the institutions, practices, and policies that shape the contemporary world.
Introductory Requirements
Students must successfully complete eight introductory courses before they can declare as an EP&E major. Students are very strongly encouraged to complete these introductory courses before the beginning of their fifth semester, because of the demands of the overall EP&E course load and the related need to demonstrate ability to complete the major.
After completion of introductory requirements, students may declare the EP&E major, following the process outlined on the EP&E website.
Introductory courses required to declare the Ethics, Politics, and Economics major include the following:
1. The Ethics course PHIL 1175 or Directed Studies*
2. A course in Other Perspectives, from disciplines such as Anthropology; Ethnicity, Race, and Migration; History; Sociology; Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; or Directed Studies*
3. A course in Political Philosophy, choosing from PHIL 1178, PLSC 1327, 1335, 1352, or Directed Studies*
*Students completing two full terms of Directed Studies fulfill the first three introductory requirements.
4. A Political Science introductory course in one of the following Political Science subfields: international relations (PLSC 1113), comparative politics (PLSC 1413), or American politics (PLSC 1222)
5. A course in Introduction to Microeconomics, choosing from ECON 1108, ECON 1110 or ECON 1115
6. A course in Introduction to Macroeconomics, choosing from ECON 1111 or ECON 1116
7. A course in Econometrics, choosing from ECON 1117, 2123, 2135, GLBL 2121, S&DS 2300, or S&DS 2380
8. A course in Game Theory, choosing from EP&E 4220, 4231, 4295, 4297, or ECON 2159
Major REQUIREMENTS
See Links to the attributes indicating courses approved for Ethics, Politics, and Economics major requirements.
Students must take fifteen term courses including eight introductory requirements; Intermediate Microeconomics (ECON 2121 or 2125); three core seminars with one selected from the Classics series of EP&E courses (EP&E 3212, 3213, 3214, 3215, 3216, or 3217) and the remaining two seminars selected from two of the three core areas of the major (Ethics, Politics, Economics); and three courses in the chosen area of concentration (which includes the senior requirement).
Intermediate microeconomics Students must take ECON 2121 or ECON 2125.
Core courses The major requires that students take three core courses: one course selected from EP&E 3212, 3213, 3214, 3215, 3216, or 3217 and two additional core courses from the major’s three core areas (Ethics, Politics, Economics), one of which must be an advanced seminar anchored in at least two of the major’s three core areas of ethics, politics, or economics. The approved core courses, specified annually, can be found on a list of approved EP&E core courses on the EP&E website and by searching Yale Course Search for the following attributes: YC EP&E Ethics Core; YC EP&E Politics Core; YC EP&E Economics Core.
Areas of concentration Each student defines an area of concentration with review by the DUS by the end of their junior year. The concentration enables students to frame an important problem and shape a systematic course of inquiry, employing analytical methods and substantive theories drawn from the three fields. For many students, the concentration treats a contemporary problem with a substantial policy dimension (domestic or international), but some students may wish to emphasize philosophical and methodological issues. The area of concentration culminates in the senior essay.
Areas of concentration must consist of three courses appropriate to the theme, including the seminar or independent study course in which the senior essay is written (see “Senior Requirement” below.) At most, one of these three courses may be a lecture course. In designing the area of concentration, students are encouraged to include seminars from other departments and programs (see “graduate work” below.) Students are encouraged to include a seminar or a lecture that covers advanced research design and/or data analysis when the area of concentration requires it.
The following are examples of possible areas of concentration: distributive justice, government regulation of market economies, environmental policy, philosophy of law, gender relations, democracy and multiculturalism, contemporary approaches to public policy, war and coercion, war crimes and crimes against humanity, medical ethics, international political economy, philosophy of the social sciences, social theory and ethics, cultural analysis and political thought, and civil society and its normative implications. However, students may wish to frame their own area of concentration more precisely.
Credit/D/Fail No more than one course taken Cr/D/F may be applied to the requirements of the major, excluding the seminar in which the senior essay is written. Courses that count toward major requirements do count as non-A grades in calculations for Distinction in the Major.
Outside credit Courses taken at another institution or during an approved summer or term-time study abroad program may count toward the major requirements with DUS approval.
Senior Requirement
A senior essay is required for the major and should constitute the intellectual culmination of the student's work in Ethics, Politics, and Economics. The essay should fall within the student’s area of concentration. Students may enroll in EP&E 4491 to write a term-long essay; or in EP&E 4492 and EP&E 4493 to write a year-long essay. They must secure the approval of a faculty member who will serve as advisor for the essay. Alternatively, students may write their essay within a relevant seminar, with the consent of the seminar instructor to serve as the essay adviser, and approval of the DUS.
The senior essay reflects more extensive research than an ordinary Yale College seminar paper and employs a method of research appropriate to its topic. Some papers might be written entirely from library sources; others may employ field interviews and direct observation; still others may require statistical or econometric analysis. The student should consult frequently with the seminar instructor or adviser, offering partial and preliminary drafts for criticism. Students are encouraged to incorporate analysis using the tools of all three of the major’s fields.
Senior essays written in the fall term are due in early December. Senior essays written in the spring term and yearlong essays are due in mid-April. One-term essays are normally expected to be 40–50 pages in length; yearlong essays are normally expected to be 80–100 pages in length.
Graduate work
Some graduate and professional school courses are open to qualified undergraduates and may be of interest to EP&E majors, especially as potential concentration courses (e.g., courses in the Schools of Nursing, Forestry and Environmental Studies, Management, and Public Health). Permission to enroll is required from the instructor as well as the appropriate representative of the graduate or professional program. EP&E requires that graduate and professional school courses carry one full Yale College course credit, and it is important to note that not all such courses yield a full course credit in Yale College. See Academic Regulations, section L, Special Academic Arrangements, “Courses in the Yale Graduate and Professional Schools.”
summary of major requirements
Introductory requirements 8 introductory courses as indicated
Number of courses 15 (including intro courses and senior requirement)
Specific courses required ECON 2121 or ECON 2125
Distribution of courses 3 core seminars (one of which is EP&E 3212, 3213, 3214, 3215, 3216, or 3217) and 2 from the 3 core areas, one of which must be an advanced seminar; 3 concentration courses including the senior requirement course
Senior requirement Senior essay in area of concentration (in an advanced seminar or EP&E 4491, or EP&E 4492 and EP&E 4493)
15 courses (15 credits) required including intro courses and senior requirement
Courses prerequisite to registering as an Ethics, Politics, and Economics major include one course from each of the following categories:
1. The Ethics course, either PHIL 1175 or Directed Studies*
2. A course in Other Perspectives, from disciplines such as Anthropology; Ethnicity, Race, and Migration; History; Sociology; Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; or Directed Studies*
3. A course in Political Philosophy, choosing from PHIL 1178, PLSC 1327, 1335, 1222, or Directed Studies*
*Students completing two terms of Directed Studies fulfill the first three prerequisite requirements.
4. A Political Science introductory course in one of the following Political Science subfields: international relations (PLSC 1113), comparative politics (PLSC 1413), or American politics (PLSC 1222)
5. ECON 1108, ECON 1110 or ECON 1115
7. Econometrics, one of ECON 1117, 2123, 2135, GLBL 2121, S&DS 2300, or S&DS 2380
8. Game Theory, one of EP&E 4220, 4231, 4295, 4297, or ECON 2159
Further information can be found on the program website.
FACULTY ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROGRAM OF ETHICS, POLITICS, AND ECONOMICS
Director: Ana de la O (Political Science)
Professors David Cameron (Political Science), Stephen Darwall (Philosophy), Bryan Garsten (Political Science), Jacob Hacker (Political Science), Gregory Huber (Political Science), Shelly Kagan (Philosophy), Giovanni Maggi (Economics), William Nordhaus (Economics), Gerard Padro (Economics, Political Science), John Roemer (Political Science), Ian Shapiro (Political Science), Tony Smith, (Economics), Jason Stanley (Philosophy), Peter Swenson (Political Science), Steven Wilkinson (Political Science)
Lecturers Gregory Collins (Political Science), Kevin Elliott (Political Science), Michael Fotos (Political Science), Karen Goodrow (Political Science), Stephen Latham (Political Science), Mordechai Levy-Eichel (Political Science), Max Lewis (Political Science), Daniel Schillinger (Political Science)
See the Roadmap Library for a visual representation of the major.