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The Program in Political Philosophy, Policy and Law (PPL) at the University of Virginia
If youre new to the PPL Program, welcome aboard. If youre a fourth year, welcome back! The purpose of this document is to demystify the PPL program by clarifying procedures, preempting some common questions and giving you a sense of what to expect in the coming semesters. I hope this will turn out to be a useful resource for you as you navigate the program. The handbook is structured as follows. Section A provides some information that applies to all PPL students. Sections B and C provide information specific to the third and fourth year PPL students respectively. Ive appended the most recent version of the PPL requirements, a graduation requirement checklist and brief prcis of the research projects submitted last year by the PPL class of 2012. Please review this handbook carefully and refer to it as and when questions come up. Chances are that the answer to your question is here. There are various UVA official publications and websites that contain misinformation about the PPL major (not on purpose); if you encounter a conflict between what you find in other UVA publications and what you find here, you should trust this document, not them. Should you lose this email, a copy of this handbook is also available under the Resources link of the PPL Student Center site on UVA Collab (see below). Note also that I am introducing some changes for this year: they are highlighted below as NEW. The changes are not drastic, but please pay particular attention to these. Good Luck! Colin Bird
A: General Information
1. People
Full time faculty members with appointments partly in PPL: Colin Bird (director), colinbird@virginia.edu Loren Lomasky (Cory Professor of Political Philosophy, Policy and Law), lel3f@virginia.edu PPL Postdoctoral Fellow, 2012-14: NEW Michael Kates, PhD., New York University PPL Adjunct Instructor, 2012-13: NEW Dan Doneson, PhD., University of Chicago Affiliated UVA Faculty: George Klosko, Department of Politics John Simmons, Department of Philosophy Tal Brewer, Department of Philosophy John Arras, Department of Philosophy and Bioethics Sahar Akhtar, Department of Philosophy and Bioethics Jennifer Rubenstein, Department of Politics Becky Stangl, Department of Philosophy Administrative Staff: Sharon Marsh, Department of Politics Sue Sherrill, Department of Politics
6. Transfer Credit
NEW Starting with the class of 2014, PPL students may only count up to six credits of class work from non-UVA institutions without permission. You may petition the director to allow an additional 3 credits toward the major. This rule does not apply to the class of 2013.
7. Study Abroad
PPL students are encouraged to pursue study abroad programs. The one restriction is that you cannot study abroad during either your first or last semester in the PPL program (normally the Fall of your third year and the Spring of your fourth year) because these are semesters when the mandatory PPL 2010 (gateway) and PPL 4010 (capstone) are offered.
Feel free to use these to discuss PPL-related matters. Please do NOT use them for purposes unrelated to PPL (selling goods, advertising services, sending out party invitations, etc.). If you are uncertain about whether an email is appropriate for these lists, please ask me before sending it out.
6 Grounds some very eminent scholars from other institutions, and are always lively events. PPL students are again encouraged to participate. The 2012-13 PPL conference will take place in April 2013 exact time and topic TBA. 3. PPL Socials. We typically begin and end the academic year with a mixer for all PPL students. Details of these events will follow in due course. Once again, if students have ideas for additional PPL events, do let me know.
2. PPL 2010
You must enroll in PPL 2010 in the Fall semester of 2012.
No more than one co-reqiusite course may count toward the fulfillment of the requirements for the Interdisciplinary Core. Please note that ECON 2010 may NOT count toward your core classes if you are minoring in Economics.
PLPT 1010 Introduction to Political Theory HIEU 3812 - Marx PPL 3999 Philosophical Perspectives on Freedom PLPT 3050 - Survey of American Political Theory PLPT 4030 - Democracy and Its Critics PLPT 4070 - Liberalism and its Critics PLPT 4050 Concepts of Law PHIL 3680 - Crime and Punishment ANTH 3230 - Introduction to Legal Anthropology ECON 4010 - Game Theory ECON 4080 - Law and Economics HIUS 3756 - American Legal Thought since 1880 PHIL 2060 - Philosophical Problems in Law
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PHIL 2690 - Justice, Law, and Morality PHIL 3670 - Law and Society SOC 4055 - Sociology of Law
COMM 3410 - Commercial Law I HIEU 3091 - Ancient Law and Society HIEU 3471 - English Legal History to 1776 HIEU 3721 - Witchcraft HIUS 3031 - The Era of the American Revolution HIUS 3752 - The History of Early American Law HIUS 3753 - The History of Modern American Law PLAP 3820 - Civil Liberties and Civil Rights PLAP 4830 - First Amendment PLAP 4840 - Race and Constitution RELC 3200 - Medieval Church Law RELJ 3310 - Jewish Law COMM 3420 - Commercial Law II ECON 4080 Law and Economics ECON 4160 - Economics of Health ECON 4180 - Regulating Infrastructure ECON 4200 - Antitrust Policy ECON 4210 - International Trade: Theory and Policy ECON 4310 - Economics of the Public Sector PHIL 3650 - Justice and Health Care PLAN 3060 - Law, Land and the Environment PLAP 3190 - Judicial Process and Policy-Making PLAP 3650 - Gender Politics PLAP 3810 - Constitutional Interpretation: Separation of Powers and Federalism PLIR 3110 - International Law: Principles and Politics PLPT 4800 - Political Economy PSYC 3460 - Psychological Study of Children, Families, and the Law Credits: 4 PSYC 4499 - Psychology and Law: Cognitive and Social Issues SOC 2055 - Law and Society SWAG 3810 Feminist Theory
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Please list your 8 PPL Core classes, with the semester in which you completed (or plan to complete) each: A. Theoretical Foundations (at least three):
Course Number Course Title Semester (to be) completed + Grade (if done) Class approved by (if not on the official list)
Remember that only one co-requisite class can count toward your core classes, and that courses in each of these two groups (A. and B.) must be from at least two departments.
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Chelsea DeMarco The Liberal Arts: The Evolution of Art Patronage in a Liberal State Chelseas capstone project concerns the possibilities and controversies of state funding of the arts within a liberal democracy. She argues that it is important that society provide a favorable artistic environment, but also that, as John Rawls said, in a liberal democracy the public, and not the government, must determine what counts as good or bad art. The controversies over the use of NEA funds to display controversial works by artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe may be unfortunate, but illustrate the necessary limits on state promotion of the arts. She therefore concludes that the government can best promote art by funding access to art, art education, and providing incentives for private individuals to support the arts.
Kathleen Gillette-Mallard Born in the U.S.A.: The Birthright Citizenship Debate in America In the US, citizenship is granted in accordance with the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, granting citizen status to any individual born on US soil. In recent decades this principle has come under strain because of increases in illegal immigration; many people are willing to immigrate illegally in order to secure US citizenship for their children. Kaycie argues that the benefits of amending the Constitution to replace birthright citizenship with citizenship derived from the citizenship of ones parents do not outweigh the costs of changing a fundamental right with its basis in the United States history as a nation of immigrants.
14 Bethel Habte How News can save Democracy: the case for new objectivity and educational political information Bethels capstone project argues that the media is the primary conduit of information about the government to the people, but that it fails in this role because it attempts to provide the dessert of event coverage and analysis without the supper of fundamental information regarding the policies, institutions, and history relevant to understanding current events and debates. Bethel ties this failure to the medias excessive devotion to two traditional ideals, objectivity and timeliness. Bethel argues that these should be replaced by an revised ideal of objectivity focused more on facts than on balance, and a new focus upon providing timeless rather than timely information aimed at increasing the publics fundamental knowledge of politics.
Marilyn Harvey The Importance of Absolute Privilege: An investigation of why the Quasi-judicial institutions at the University of Virginia should be afforded this privilege Whereas federal and state courts provide absolute immunity from slander and libel to participants, the Universitys three quasi-judicial bodies provide only a qualified privilege. Marilyn argues that this state of affairs creates the danger that someone could dissuade or punish his accuser through the threatening to sue or actually suing on grounds of defamation, as occurred at the University of Michigan in 1987. She concludes that the University should provide absolute privilege to those speaking in its quasi-judicial bodies and provides the legal rationale and framework for accomplishing this.
Neal Modi Towards a Modern Public Forum: Business Improvement Districts, Commercialism and Free Speech. Business Improvement Districts, such as Times Square in New York and Church Street Marketplace in Vermont, are voluntary associations of businesses who tax themselves to supplement public funds in order to provide services supplementing or replacing public services, and they are organized in order to increase the desirability of the district for customers. Neal argues that because their policies are directed toward consumption, they do not always protect rights to free speech and free assembly, and therefore cities and local communities ought to act to increase the dependence of Business Improvement Districts upon local government to ensure that they fulfill the trust they are given in utilizing public spaces.
15 Joanna Schlingbaum Why Vacation in Guantanamo should be more pleasant: Captured Terrorists and Just War Theory Terrorists blur the line drawn in just war theory between civilian and soldier, while also violating the principles of just war not only in their actions but also in their goals. Joannas capstone project concedes that terrorists do not qualify for all the protections enjoyed by conventional soldiers, but that although they operate in a realm so far undefined by just war theory, they remain human beings and retain certain minimal rights, particularly procedural rights to due process and fair trial. She therefore concludes that in practicing indefinite detention the US has wrongfully exploited the ambiguity of terrorists status to deny them these rights, and that captured terrorists ought to be tried for war crimes.
Simon Svirnovsky Electoral Memory and the winnability theory: why voters forgive certain scandals and not others What determines whether a politician will be able to recover from a scandal? Simon builds upon work on the nature of social time and reputation building and examines a number of recent scandals. He argues that the moral gravity of a politicians transgression does not primarily determine whether a political career will survive a scandal. The crucial factor, rather, is his party sticks with him/her; voters usually follow the partys lead, and the decision of political parties to persist with a scandal-ridden candidate is guided by whether it believes that it can hold onto the politicians seat without him/her. He concludes by calling for voters to refuse to cede responsibility to parties and to hold politicians accountable for their ethical improprieties regardless of whether this is advantageous to the party.
Sydney Taylor Beauty is Beastly Revisited: The effect of Femininity on the perceived competency and electability of female political candidates in the United States The US lags behind most other countries in terms of female political representation. Sydney argues that one reason for this has to do with common American views about the incompatibility of femininity with the rough and corrupt world of politics. A political candidates appearance plays a powerful role in shaping the publics perception of competence and electability, and for American women this means that a woman with more feminine features often faces greater difficulty in seeking election. She concludes by recommending a variety of measure to improve female representation and change public perception of women in politics, including grassroots efforts to bring more women into local politics, gender quotas, and increased use by parties of women to head efforts on welfare and compassion issues.
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J P Vergara SOPA and PIPA: Protecting American Innovation or Threatening Freedom of Expression In recent years, Congress has tried to deter international violation of American copyright by exerting greater control over the Internet. J P agrees that because there are no enforceable international copyright laws, the US recording and movie industries have real grounds for complaint. He claims nonetheless that laws like SOPA and PIPA offer flawed solutions to the problem because they hinder innovation and impose excessive costs upon companies such as Google, Wikipedia, and YouTube, whom they require to ceaselessly monitor their users. J P concludes that they therefore threaten Constitutional protections on free speech, especially prior restraint.
Erica Washington Racial Disparities as a By-product of Prison Privatization: how privatized prisons reinforce the mass incarceration of African-Americans In the aftermath of the War on Drugs, the U.S. has been an exploding prison population, soaring far above that of other nations. States with overflowing prisons have begun to turn to private prisons, who promise to incarcerate prisoners at a reduced cost. Erica argues that private prisons possess three problems. First, they dilute the symbolic significance of imprisonment conducted directly by public agencies in the name of the people. Second, they generate perverse incentive structures that make the violation of prisoners rights more likely. Finally, they tend to reinforce, rather than relieve, racial disparities pervading the penal system.
Graham Williams Return to Sender: An Argument for the Privatization of the United States Postal Service Graham asks, what kind of company can survive losing 3.3 billion dollars in a single quarter and expect to continue operations? Thanks to the rise of new communication methods such as email and Skype, the Postal Services business has been plummeting, and over the past several years the USPS has operated at a tremendous loss and amassed enormous debt to the US government. Graham examines both why and how we might privatize the Postal Service. He argues that a mixture of divestment and vouchers for certain purposes can allow private sector to provide the same services the USPS currently provides while still upholding the Constitutional guarantee of postal service to US citizens.
17 Gabriela Cerkey Immigration: a Socio-economic Case for Restricting Immigration Gabrielas thesis brings together two issues that have been discussed quite a lot recentlygrowing income inequality in America and illegal immigrationbut which are not usually discussed together. She argues that illegal immigration has adverse economic impacts on lower income Americans and that it places a strain on the social safety net. She also considers challenges to these claims. However, the position she reaches is not indiscriminately opposed to all immigration but instead a call for reform and Gabrielas project concludes by outlining an immigration policy that she contends would not have the negative effects she has highlighted.
Alison Chin The Praxis of Public Spirit: Developing an engaged citizenry through the education system Its almost impossible to read the papers regularly and not encounter an article fretting about the state of American education. But such complaints often focus on strictly academic performance, comparing attainment in (for example) math or reading with that in other nations. They tend to ignore the importance of education for civic engagement. And there are some very worrying facts about the level of civic engagement in America; declining voter turnout and lower rates of volunteerism being the most often cited. Alisons thesis explores the role schools might play in reversing this tendency. She explores the history of American education and argues that making good citizens was one of the primary aims of the early American school system. Drawing on data showing that what students learn in school can make a difference in the levels of civic engagement, Alison addresses the charges that it isnt the place of the schools to teach civic engagement or that they wont be effective in doing so. She also considers several concrete reforms that she believes could help the U.S. salvage its founding commitment to civic education.
Brittany Flippen Public Policy and the Delivery of Mental Health Services: Liberal and Conservative Directions and their Limits Some (most famously Thomas Szasz) are skeptical that mental illnesses are really illnesses in the same way that say a diabetes or heart disease are illnesses. After considering and dismissing the arguments of Szasz and others, Brittanys capstone project considers how political ideology has often distorted debate over the place of mental health within our larger conception of health care. Drawing on the work of George Lakoff, she attempts to show how extending mental health coverage is compatible with the worldviews of both liberals and conservatives, and so need not be the ideologically charged issue that it has become.
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Laura Lattimer Towards an Able Electorate: the case for media literacy in the civics classroom It is a troubling fact that modern democratic operatives use same sorts of methods to persuade voters to support candidates for public office as are use to sell us Ipads, phones, soda, pizza and the like. Lauras thesis argues that adding a media literacy component to basic education can help democratic societies resist this tendency by priming students to recognize and be critical of these methods. Laura claims, moreover, that this approach is superior to other influential proposals that focus on the study of rhetoric, forensics and critical thinking. Her thesis supports this claim with some empirical evidence suggesting that such programs are effective and indeed tend to command childrens enthusiasm.
Thom Miano Reevaluating the Strength of Negative Liberty: A meta-ethical argument Thoms capstone project is a contribution to the large debate over what should and should not be for sale. He tests claims for limits on the market by approaching the issue of the sale of organs and surrogate motherhood. Arguments that there should be some clear limits on the market often trade on gut reactions against organ vending and similar practices. Thom carefully distinguishes claims about whether organ vending is in principle wrong from criticisms of the (non-ideal) forms of organ vending currently practiced. He then attacks some of the assumptions that lead critics to argue that organ vending is inherently wrong, before turning to make similar arguments about surrogacy. Ultimately, Thom concedes that there are some moral limits to markets, but argues nonetheless that they are far less restrictive and less clearly grounded than often made out to be.
Ravi Patel Voter Inaction: a Hindrance to Minority Representation Every decade, states have to redraw their congressional districts, and every decade this produces wasteful legal and political controversy. Attempting to get past some of the sloganeering that infects debate over the issue, Ravis capstone project turns to theories of the legislature and representation and asks whether they carry important lessons for those concerned about minority representation. He finds that many arguments in favor of increasing the presence of minorities in legislative bodies presuppose a flawed representational theory of democracy. The problem with this theory, according to Ravi, is that it fixates on the idea that debate and discussion are the primary purposes of legislatures. Having exposed the weaknesses of this view, Ravi proposes an alternative legislative theory, which
19 stresses the law-making function of legislatures. He contends that viewing minority representation through this lens enables us to resolve and clarify many of the issues it raises.
Pietro Sanitate: The Legitimacy of Religious Reasons in Policy Proposals Is it appropriate for citizens of modern secular democracies to make religious arguments for and against coercive public policies? Pietros capstone project answers this question with a qualified yes. He focuses on two political thinkers who want to allow religious claims only a restricted role in political discourse, John Rawls and Robert Audi, and one --- Christopher Eberle -- who thinks that there should be no such restrictions. While Pietro is much more sympathetic to Rawls and Audis positions, he challenges them by looking at the abolitionist and civil rights movements, both of which used religious claims to make their arguments in ways that Rawls and Audi would find unacceptable. By focusing on the way religious language has been used in actual political movements Pietros arguments aim to avoid the excessive abstraction that thinkers like Rawls have often brought to a very complex topic.
Vu Tran: Is Torture Permissible? Understanding the torture debate in the American context
Vus point of departure is the idea that the concept of torture is too vague and indiscriminate to allow us to reach careful judgments about the appropriateness of various forms of interrogation, intimidation and pressure that might be used against those captured in the course of military engagement. Vu shows that the practices that get labelled torture vary widely. He then offers a detailed taxonomy of the various positions on torture and asseses them by looking at the philosophical assumptions they make as well as their real world consequences. He also considers legal and practical objections to torture itself. He concludes by formulating his own position, according to which particular sorts of torture are permissible, but only in very limited circumstances. Most controversially, he would allow torture to be used against those in leadership positions of terrorist groups, but forbid using it on the rank and file.
Sarah Vogel: The Myth of Legal Universalism: Differentiating Equity and Equality in Modern America One of our most fundamental ideals is that all should be equal before the law. Most think that we have yet to realize that ideal. Sarah thinks that we are much further from realizing it than we suppose. Her capstone project gives detailed examples to illustrate just how the system falls short and develops a theoretical framework to explain and characterize the forms these disparities take. She is particularly concerned with the distorting effects of judgments about class and social status on the impartial
20 operation of the justice system. She provides evidence for some disturbing conclusions. It is not only the case that the law is more likely to get involved when a lower status person commits a crime against someone of higher status, it is also more likely to get heavily involved. Moreover, the less socially connected two people are the more likely the law is to get involved in their disputes. At the end of her thesis Sarah considers some possible solutions to these problems and subjects them to criticism. Her argument points toward a dilemma: any attempt to filter out information about the relationships or social standing of people involved in legal disputes may also filter out information that may be crucial to reaching fair judgments on the merits in specific cases.