The PPE major combines three of the most prominent approaches to understanding the social and political world, the way it shapes individuals, and the way individuals shape it. The knowledge and skills it inculcates in students are relevant for a whole range of careers, including but not restricted to politics, journalism, the media, social activism, the NGO sector, business, law, academia. Students will emerge with honed debating skills and with a level of sophistication to their thinking about society’s ills and the best way to address them. The Politics and Economics components enable students to develop an understanding of the many social forces at work around them, and the Philosophy component enables them to reason about these forces with rigour.
Note: You must have studied Mathematics in Classes 11 and 12 to pursue this interdisciplinary major.
Major Requirement:
The foundation course requirements for this major are as given in the pure Economics major page (https://www.ashoka.edu.in/economics/ecomajor).
In addition, cohorts graduating in 2021 and later need to complete 16 major courses from the three disciplines of Political Science, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) to complete this interdisciplinary major. From each of the three subject areas in PPE, students will choose a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 courses, with a combined total of 16. Those who do 8 courses in one subject (X) will graduate in ‘PPE, with specialization in X’. This will be stated on their transcripts.
A PPE major must take at least four Politics courses. Those taking four must take Introduction to Political Theory, Introduction to Indian Politics, Comparative Politics and International Relations. For the specialization in politics, PPE majors must additionally take a methods course (qualitative or quantitative) and three elective courses in Politics.
These courses are listed on the 'Major Courses' section of the Politics Programme page.
A PPE major must take at least four philosophy courses. Those taking four must take the two Required courses, and two courses in different categories among categories 2, 3, and 4. Those taking five must take one elective in addition. The requirements for those taking six or more are the same as those for the philosophy minor. Accordingly, students will earn a specialization in philosophy if they meet the requirements for the minor and take at least two more philosophy classes as electives. All these course requirements are listed on the 'Major Courses' section of the Philosophy Programme page.
Note that a student cannot both major in PPE and minor in philosophy.
Within the overall 16 course requirement across the three disciplines, a PPE major has the option of taking a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 courses in Economics. In each of these tracks, students need to take a mandatory core of four courses. They are
Students then have the option of completing the economics requirement as one of the following tracks.
Students can take either option (a) or option (b)
All these courses are listed on the Economics Programme page.
Please note that some of the courses have pre-requisites. Students should consult the Economics Representative on the PPE Committee or the Programme Coordinator in Economics about what courses they should choose in Economics.
The following sample curriculum indicates a possible path to completing the PPE major with a specialization in Economics.
Semester I |
Semester II |
Semester III |
Semester IV |
Semester V |
Semester VI |
Introduction to Critical Thinking |
Foundation Course 4 |
Foundation Course 6 |
Foundation Course 8 |
Economics Elective Course I |
Economics Elective Course 2 |
Foundation Course 1 |
Foundation Course 5 |
Foundation Course 7 |
Philosophy 1 |
Philosophy 2 |
Political Science 3 |
Foundation Course 2 |
Introduction To Economics |
Microeconomic Theory I |
Microeconomic Theory II |
Political Science 2 |
Philosophy 4 |
Foundation Course 3 |
Math for Economics |
Macroeconomic Theory I |
Macroeconomic Theory II |
Philosophy 3 |
Political Science 4 |
Political Science 1 |