Ethics & the Professions

This is a theme for students interested in applied ethics, particularly professional ethics. The Ethics and the Professions Theme will be phased out and is no longer accepting new students.

Choosing Courses

When choosing course to develop your theme, please keep the following in mind:

  • The five thematic courses you choose should coherently work together. Your five theme classes must create a cohesive story and will need to be approved by the PPE Associate Director.
  • No more than two classes from outside the School of Arts and Scineces can count towards your PPE major.
  • You may take more than one capstone seminar, counting the additional capstones towards your theme courses.
  • Theme courses are your advanced courses in the major. Consult with the PPE Associate Director if you think a lower level class is appropriate for the development of your theme.
  • You are encouraged to look for classes outside of the sample course list in order to tailor your theme to your specific interests. Some departments we recommend looking for courses in are: ANTH, BIBB, COMM, ECON, HIST, HSSC, MKTG, PSCI, PSYC, and SOCI.

Thematic Concentration Course Proposal Form

In order to have a course approved to use towards your theme, you will need to submit a request using the thematic concentration course proposal form. All requests will be reviewed by the PPE Associate Director. You are encouraged to search for courses outside the sample course list in order to refine your theme.

 

Sample classes for Ethics and the Professions:

These courses are just a sample of those that may be a good fit for an Ethics & the Professions concentration. This is not a list of pre-approved courses, as all courses used for your theme will need approval from the PPE Associate Director. You are encouraged to look for courses outside this list, as well.

  • BEPP/LGST 2120 Economic Analysis of Law
  • BIOE 5500 Bioethics and Society
  • BIOE 5510 Sociological Topics in Bioethics
  • BIOE 5550 Bioethics and Technology
  • BIOE 5580 Reproductive Health
  • BIOE 5700 Bioethics and Policy
  • BIOE 5720 Global Bioethics
  • BIOE 5750 Health Care Reform and the Future of the American Health Care System
  • BIOE 5900 Philosophical Topics in Bioethics
  • BIOE 6010 Introduction to Clinical Bioethics
  • COMM 3770 Philosophical Problems of Journalism
  • ECON 0420 Political Economy
  • ECON 0440 Law and Economics
  • ECON 4460 Health Economics
  • ENVS 1625 Community Based Environmental Health
  • HCMG 2040 Comparative Health Care Systems
  • HSOC 1330 Bioethics
  • HSOC 4375 Medicine and Development
  • HSOC 4303 Disease & Society
  • LGST 1000 Ethics and Social Responsibility
  • LGST 2150 Environmental Management: Law & Policy
  • LGST 2200 International Business Ethics
  • LGST 2300 Social Impact and Responsibility: Foundations
  • NURS 3300 Theoretical Foundations of Health Care Ethics
  • PHIL 1342 Bioethics
  • PHIL 1344 Ethics of Eating
  • PHIL 2330 Ethical Questions
  • PHIL 2560 Philosophy of Education
  • PHIL 3330 Topics in Ethics
  • PHIL 4330 Metaethics
  • PSCI 1173 Comparative Health Politics
  • PSCI 1801 Statistical Methods
  • PSYC 3442 Moral Psychology Seminar
  • SOCI 1120 Law and Society
  • SOCI 2240 Law and Social Change
  • SOCI 2450 Poverty, Race and Health
  • URBS 2160 Social Entrepreneurship

The following links provide easy access to courses offered in some related disciplines:

  • Wharton: Health Care Management (HCMG)
  • Wharton: Legal Studies and Business Ethics (LGST)
  • Perelman School of Medicine: Medical Ethics and Health Policy (BIOE)
  • Penn Law (PPE students can enroll by permission of instructor
  • Penn Law Master's Program (courses open to PPE students)

Ethics and the Professions majors may be particularly interested in events hosted by the Legal Studies and Business Ethics Speaker Series, the Neuroethics Public Talks, or the Penn Bioethics Seminars.

Any course you use towards your thematic concentration will need to be approved--even if it comes from the sample course list. Requests for course approval can be submitted through this form. All requests will be reviewed by the PPE Associate Director.