FCH launches the first Undergraduate Program in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in Portugal
The Faculdade de Ciências Humanas of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa announces the launch of the new Undergraduate Program in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, an innovative and interdisciplinary course, which will enable students to obtain a broad and integrative approach to the challenges facing contemporary societies. This course offered at Católica is the first in Portugal to combine these three areas of study.
The new degree combines 'knowing how to think' with 'knowing how to act' and 'knowing how to do', enabling students to intervene anchored in critical reflection. It is also one of the most prestigious degrees in Europe and North America (where it is usually known by the acronym PPE), due to the enormous interest in linking these three areas, on an interdisciplinary basis that is present throughout the course, structured for a broad and complete training of future professionals.
"Nowadays it is essential to train our students to face the challenges of the future, which means being proficient in crossing knowledge from different disciplinary areas. This is why all degrees at the Faculdade de Ciências Humanas have an interdisciplinary nature," explains Professor Nelson Ribeiro, Dean of the Faculdade de Ciências Humanas, adding that "in the case of PPE we want students to be able to combine philosophical reflection with knowledge of how political and economic systems work. The major challenges facing us as a society require leaders capable of articulating ethically sustained reflection with an in-depth knowledge of the inter-relationship between the political and economic spheres".
Philosophy is one of the foundational areas of the course, enabling students to develop critical thinking, which is essential for a problematisation of political, economic and social phenomena. Political Science plays a major role in the training curriculum by enabling students to acquire an in-depth knowledge of political institutions and processes in a global community. Economics is present in the course to provide students with a rigorous knowledge of macro and micro economics.
The course created by Oxford University in the 1920s has a great international reputation, being taught at the most prestigious and respected universities in the world, and has been attended by various personalities such as the former President of the United States of America, Bill Clinton, former British Prime Minister David Cameron, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Myanmar and 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who studied in the UK after recovering from the assassination attempt in Pakistan.
In the context of Bologna, the new degree is organised in three years of training, under the coordination of Professors Michael Baum and Inês Bolinhas. Philosophy, Politics and Economics starts already in the academic year 2021/2022 and all the information about applications can be found on the FCH website.