Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE)

The departments of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics jointly offer a major in which students receive a foundation in the methods and issues of each subject and a more detailed knowledge of one subject. PPE is excellent preparation for careers in law, business, and public service, and serves as a structured but flexible multidisciplinary program in the liberal arts for students who want a broader approach than is possible within a single department. The major in PPE is administered by a faculty committee representing the fields in question. The Philosophy Coordinator is Professor Michael Green, email:

Cognitive Science

The Linguistics and Cognitive Science Department offers a cognitive science track, in cooperation with the Departments of Philosophy, Psychology, Computer Science, and the Programs in Neuroscience.

Cognitive science is a newer multidisciplinary field concerned with a unified approach to the human mind and the nature of intelligent behavior. Researchers in linguistics, psychology, computer science, neurophysiology and philosophy are asking many of the same questions about the nature of the mind, and often coming to similar conclusions. With the advent of computers, advanced logic, new developments in theories of language and information-processing, and a better understanding of the mechanisms of the brain, cognitive scientists attempt to provide rigorous analyses of previously esoteric topics such as meaning, knowledge, thinking, remembering, language, and other mental phenomena. Central issues in the discipline include the structure, acquisition, use, and internal representation of human language; the interpretation of sensory experience; the development of formal and informal reasoning skills; the nature of the self and consciousness; and the reception, manipulation, and storage, and retrieval of information within the nervous system. The Cognitive Science Coordinator is Professor Jay Atlas: