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PPEL Summer School 2024

June 4th–7th, 2024
at the University of San Diego

PPEL Overview

The Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law (PPEL) Undergraduate Summer School features a curriculum focusing on the practical problems of organizing and running human society. The summer school is supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation (#62965). Registration, meals, and student housing are free.

Program Highlights

Topics Addressed

  • The nature and justification of property rights

  • The use of market prices in coordinating economic activity

  • How trust and reciprocity facilitate personal exchange

  • The moral dimensions of:

    • Cost-benefit analysis

    • Exploitation

    • Repugnant transactions

Students Explored

  • The nature of citizenship and the role individuals play in making critical decisions facing society

  • How markets function and the conditions under which they create wealth and prosperity

  • When and why markets sometimes fail

  • The role of political institutions in structuring market exchange and allocating resources

  • Strengthening critical thinking skills and cultivating intellectual humility to engage with diverse perspectives

  • Critical thinking through small-group seminars and faculty engagement

Program Highlights

  • FREE Registration, Meals, and Housing
  • Collaborative Learning Environment: Learn alongside peers from universities across the nation.
  • Multi-Disciplinary Approach: Gain insights from faculty at:
    • University of Arizona – Center for the Philosophy of Freedom & Department of Political Economy and Moral Science (PEMS)
    • University of San Diego – Center for Ethics, Economics, & Public Policy
    • Chapman University – Smith Institute for Political Economy & Philosophy

2024 PPEL Summer School Recap
June 4–7, 2024 | University of San Diego

The 2024 Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law (PPEL) Undergraduate Summer School was hosted at the University of San Diego. The event welcomed 40 undergraduates from 30 different universities across the country for a four-day intensive program exploring foundational and contemporary questions about society, exchange, and governance.

Program Highlights

Students engaged in a series of lectures, discussions, and workshops led by leading scholars in philosophy, political science, economics, and law. Topics ranged from the evolution of cooperation to the ethics of corporate activism.

Featured Sessions

Plenary Lectures:

Faculty Sessions:

Student Engagement

  • Big Question Project Presentations – Students showcased their research on essential questions in philosophy, economics, politics, and law.
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PPEL Summer School Students
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