About the Program

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Political Economy (PE) examines the relationship between politics and economics in modern societies and focuses on problems of both domestic and international policy. Based on the assumption that political-economic relationships are affected by any number of factors, such as society, culture, geography, and demographics, the curriculum is both multi- and interdisciplinary in scope. The focus of the major is on contemporary issues, although a strong historical perspective is also emphasized. Students may also study planning and problem solving, environmental issues, resource distribution, and the challenges of institutional adaptation, and changing political systems.

The major is designed to provide a broad-based liberal arts background as well as the intellectual skills appropriate for careers in either the public or private sector. Additionally, the major offers an excellent background for students planning postgraduate careers in social science disciplines and professional schools.

Some of the questions that the major addresses include the following:

• The tension between rising consumer demand versus the need to minimize resource depletion and pollution
• The different priorities served by capitalist, socialist, and traditionalist varieties of political economy
• The different priorities served by democratic and authoritarian political systems
• How international interdependence may undermine the efforts of national governments to cope with unemployment, inflation, trade and payment deficits, health, housing, and welfare problems, and other issues associated with industrialized societies
• The importance of organizational structures for policy-making in both the public and private sectors

Declaring the Major

Political Economy eligibility is changing! New PE eligibility requirements begin in Fall 2014.

All students who declare Political Economy in the Fall 2014 semester (on or after August 21, 2014) must meet the new eligibility requirements, listed below:

1. Must have a cumulative UC Berkeley grade point average (GPA) of 2.7 or higher
2. Must have completed IAS 45 with a grade of B- or higher on the 1st attempt. Students who do not earn a B- or higher in IAS 45 in their first attempt will not be eligible to declare the Political Economy major beginning in Fall 2014, regardless of the semester in which IAS 45 was taken.
3. Must have completed ECON 1, ECON 2, or ECON C3 (also cross-listed as ENVECON 1) with a grade of C or better (may be repeated only once to achieve a grade of C or better), completed the equivalent at another college, or received AP scores of four or five on both the microeconomics and macroeconomics exams (DARS report showing AP scores required)
4. Must not be in their final semester of undergraduate work
5. Are encouraged—but not required—to have completed at least two semesters of college-level foreign language or the equivalent
6. Attend a major declaration workshop
7. Meet with an adviser to submit the PE Application materials

For further information regarding the eligibility requirements, please contact a program adviser.

Honors Program

To graduate with honors from the group major in PE, students must enroll in the two-semester honors seminar, IAS H102 (fall only) and POLECON H195 (spring only) and must obtain a grade point average (GPA) of 3.6 in the major and 3.5 in overall University coursework. The honors seminar (POLECON H195) is taken in addition to a student's regular coursework for fulfilling requirements for the major and culminates in the writing of a senior thesis. To qualify for PE H195, students must be recommended by the IAS H102 instructor. The thesis is read by the PE H195 instructor and at least one other faculty member who is selected by the student in consultation with the thesis instructor. Eligibility for participating in the honors program is determined by the IAS office.

There is no guarantee that students accepted into the honors program will graduate with honors. Honors recommendations are made after graduation and are based on a number of factors including (but not limited to) major GPA, grades received for IAS H102 and POLECON H195, and faculty adviser recommendations.

Minor Program

Political Economy (PE) offers a Minor in European Studies which is open to all undergraduates except PE majors. Applications for the minor and a list of approved courses are available from the IAS Office. To apply for the minor, students must have completed one course in the minor with a grade of B or better and must have an overall GPA of 2.0. The completed PE minor application and a “Completion of L&S Minor” form must be submitted to the IAS Office at 101 Stephens Hall no later than the last day of instruction of the semester immediately preceding the student’s final semester. The “Completion of L&S Minor” form can be found on the L&S website here .

Visit Program Website

Major Requirements

In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.

General Guidelines

1. All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
2. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters and Science.
3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper- and lower-division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.

For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

Summary of Major Requirements

Lower-division Requirements: Three courses
Language Requirement: Proficiency equivalent to four college-level semesters
Upper-division Requirements: Nine courses

Lower-division Requirements

IAS 45	Survey of World History	4
Select one of the following:		4
ECON 1	Introduction to Economics
ECON 2	Introduction to Economics--Lecture Format
ECON C3	Introduction to Environmental Economics and Policy
Select one of the following:		4
STAT 2	Introduction to Statistics
STAT 20	Introduction to Probability and Statistics
STAT 21	Introductory Probability and Statistics for Business

Foreign Language Requirement

Political Economy (PE) majors must demonstrate proficiency in a modern language other than English by the last semester of their senior year. Proficiency is equivalent to the ability achieved in four college-level semesters (or two years). Language courses taken in high school do not satisfy this requirement. See below for details on how to fulfill the foreign language requirement.

Languages accepted by the College of Letters and Science are not automatically accepted by the Political Economy department. Please check with a PE adviser for eligible languages.

There are a variety of ways to fulfill the four-semester language requirement for PE depending on the individual and his or her background and ability.

1. Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) test: An AP score of 5 or an International Baccalaureate (IB) score of 7 will complete this requirement. An AP score of 4 will place a student into the fourth-semester college level course. A score of 3 will place a student into the third-semester college level course. Documentation of AP scores must be provided.
2. Coursework: Any combination of college courses, summer programs, or college-level study abroad programs may satisfy the language requirement. At a minimum, students must complete the fourth semester (i.e., the second semester of intermediate level) of a language with a grade of C- or better in order to fulfill the requirement. The first, second, and third-level courses may be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis. Language courses need not be taken at UCB. Courses taken at a community college or any accredited school or university may be acceptable. Transcripts must be submitted and evaluated by a PE adviser. A one- semester upper-division course taken abroad in the target language may satisfy the foreign language requirement, depending on the school and program followed. For more information, see a PE adviser concerning language study abroad.
3. Proficiency exam: Some, but not all, language departments on campus offer proficiency testing for students with advanced skills in that language. Please note that if a particular language is not taught on the UC Berkeley campus, then students are not able to test in that language. A student would then need to choose one of the other methods for fulfilling the foreign language requirement. Please speak with a PE adviser about proficiency testing.
4. High school completion in a non-English language: Students who were educated in a non-English language through the completion of high school or the equivalent may wish to satisfy this requirement with that experience. Students must provide a transcript or diploma proving that they have been educated in this language at least through the completion of high school or the equivalent.

Upper-division Requirements

POLECON 100	Classical Theories of Political Economy	4
POLECON 101	Contemporary Theories of Political Economy	4
Intermediate Microeconomics		4
Select one of the following:
ECON 100A	Economic Analysis--Micro
ECON 101A	Economic Theory--Micro
IAS 106	Intermediate Microeconomic Theory
UGBA 101A	Microeconomic Analysis for Business Decisions
Intermediate Macroeconomics		4
Select one of the following:
ECON 100B	Economic Analysis--Macro
ECON 101B	Economic Theory--Macro
IAS 107	Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
UGBA 101B	Macroeconomic Analysis for Business Decisions
Historical Context
Select one of the following:
CY PLAN 112	Course Not Available
ECON 113	American Economic History
ECON 115	The World Economy in the Twentieth Century
HISTORY 124A	The Recent United States: The United States from the Late 19th Century to the Eve of World War II
HISTORY 124B	The Recent United States: The United States from World War II to the Vietnam Era
HISTORY 125B	History of African-Americans and Race Relations in the United States: Soul Power: African American History 1861-1980
HISTORY 131B	Social History of the United States: Creating Modern American Society: From the End of the Civil War to the Global Age
HISTORY 158C	Modern Europe: Old and New Europe, 1914-Present
HISTORY 162B	War and Peace: International Relations since 1914
POLECON 160	Political Economy in Historical Context
POL SCI 122A	Politics of European Integration
UGBA C172	History of American Business
Concentration
Select four courses (see below for guidelines)

1	Students may choose economics courses from two different macro/micro series.

Concentration

The concentration is made up of four courses. Within the Concentration, only two courses may be taken from the same department. Up to three courses taken abroad may count, provided they conform to the Concentration topic; a syllabus in English must be provided.

The PE Concentration is the theoretical focal point in the major. It is meant to give students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of political economy around an area of particular interest to them. The Concentration is perhaps the greatest benefit of the Political Economy major because it allows students to apply the theoretical and methodological knowledge they have gained to a topic about which they feel particularly drawn or curious. Students spend four courses focusing on this material, so it is important for students to be thoughtful and develop a topic about which they enjoy learning.

To get started on the Concentration, students should think about an existing or potential issue or question in political economy. Then they should choose four courses that will inform or increase their understanding about that issue. These courses should all relate to the topic as well as to one another. Students are encouraged to be imaginative in defining a Concentration. A Concentration issue is formulated by the student with the assistance of a PE advisor who can help to explain, clarify, or perhaps challenge that issue. Students having a difficult time formulating a Concentration should think about the classes they have taken which they enjoyed the most and consider what topics they learned about in those courses. Also, topics covered in IAS 45, POLECON 100, and POLECON 101 are a good place to start.

Some sample Concentration topics include, but most certainly are not limited to:

• Public Policy & Socioeconomic Inequality in the U.S.
• Political Economy of China
• Environmental Policy in Post-Industrial Societies
• Development and Resource Distribution

Departments and Disciplines to consider when searching for concentration courses: IAS (which includes courses in AS, DS, IAS, LAS, MES, PACS, and PE) has many course offerings which could fit a variety of concentrations, so students should start within IAS when searching for concentration courses.

In addition to courses offered by IAS, students might consider looking in the following departments or disciplines for classes relevant to their concentration topic: Political Science; Economics; Sociology; Geography; History; Public Policy; Environmental Economics and Policy; Public Health; Gender and Women's Studies; Legal Studies; Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, Demography; and City and Regional Planning. Courses from these departments and disciplines are not guaranteed approval for a concentration, nor are students limited to the above list; this is just a good starting point.

To have a Concentration approved, students must submit a two-paragraph description of the particular issue they would like to study. Students must also submit a list of their four proposed courses along with a brief explanation (one to two sentences each) of how each course relates to their proposed Concentration. Please use the form provided online .Concentration proposals must be submitted in person to a PE advisor along with the complete PE application. Students may be asked to provide syllabi for certain courses.

Please note that if an adviser determines a Concentration proposal needs to be developed further, it will not be submitted for review by the IAS Faculty Committee until revisions have been made. For this reason, it is best not to delay speaking with a PE advisor about Concentration topic ideas. Concentration proposals are reviewed by the IAS Faculty Committee and students are notified by email if their Concentration has been accepted or is being returned for revisions.

Any subsequent changes to already approved Concentration topics and/or courses must be submitted to a PE advisor for review and approval by the IAS Faculty Committee prior to altering the Concentration.

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements and are noted officially on the transcript in the memoranda section, but they are not noted on diplomas.

General Guidelines

1. All courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements below must be taken for graded credit.
2. A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.
3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for courses used to fulfill the minor requirements.
4. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth Requirement for Letters and Science students.
5. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
6. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which the student plans to graduate. Students who cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time should see a College of Letters and Science adviser.
7. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

Requirements

Upper-division
POLECON 100	Classical Theories of Political Economy	4
POLECON 101	Contemporary Theories of Political Economy	4
Select four courses, from two of the following topics (two courses per topic)		16
Politics and Society:
ANTHRO 180	European Society
ANTHRO 189A	Special Topics in Cultural Anthropology/Area 1
GERMAN 160A	Politics and Culture in 20th-Century Germany: A Century of Extremes
GERMAN 160B	Politics and Culture in 20th-Century Germany: Facism and Propaganda
GERMAN 160C	Politics and Culture in 20th-Century Germany: A Divided Nation. Politics and Culture in Germany 1945-1990
HISTORY 100	Special Topics 1
HISTORY 103B	Proseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Europe 1
HISTORY 103	Course Not Available 1
HISTORY 151C	Britain 1485-Present: The Peculiar Modernity of Britain, 1848-2000
HISTORY 152	Course Not Available
HISTORY 152A	Topics in the History of the British Isles: Ireland Since the Union
HISTORY 153	Course Not Available
HISTORY 158C	Modern Europe: Old and New Europe, 1914-Present
HISTORY 161	Course Not Available
HISTORY 162A	Europe and the World: Wars, Empires, Nations 1648-1914
HISTORY 162B	War and Peace: International Relations since 1914
HISTORY 165	Course Not Available
HISTORY 166C	Modern France
HISTORY 167C	Modern Germany: Germany 1914 to the Present
HISTORY 168	Course Not Available
HISTORY 169	Course Not Available
HISTORY C176	Multicultural Europe
IAS 120	Selected Topics - International and Area Studies 1
IAS 140	Special Topics 1
IAS 150	Advanced Studies in International and Area Studies 1
IAS 180	Current Issues in International and Area Studies 1
LEGALST 157	Course Not Available
PACS 149	Global Change and World Order
POLECON 140	Special Topics
POL SCI 112C	History of Political Theory
POL SCI 115C	Course Not Available
POL SCI 116	Course Not Available 1
POL SCI 120A	Course Not Available
POL SCI 122A	Politics of European Integration
POL SCI 138D	Course Not Available
POL SCI 138E	The Varieties of Capitalism: Political Economic Systems of the World
POL SCI 147B	Course Not Available
POL SCI 147F	Contemporary French Politics: The Republican Model in Transition
POL SCI 147H	Course Not Available
POL SCI 149	Course Not Available 1
RHETOR 157A	Rhetoric of Modern Political Theory
RHETOR 157B	Rhetoric of Contemporary Political Theory
RHETOR 158	Advanced Problems in the Rhetoric of Political Theory
Culture and Society:
FRENCH 103A	Language and Culture
FRENCH 103B	Language and Culture
FRENCH 120A	Twentieth-Century Literature
FRENCH 120B	Twentieth-Century Literature
FRENCH 161A	A Year in French History 1
FRENCH 161B	A Year in French History
FRENCH 170	French Films
FRENCH 180D	French Civilization
GEOG C152	Multicultural Europe
GERMAN 157B	German Intellectual History in a European Context: Historical Figures and Contemporary Reflections: Marx, Nietzsche, Freud
GERMAN 157C	German Intellectual History in a European Context: Historical Figures and Contemporary Reflections: Heidegger and Arendt
GERMAN 157D	German Intellectual History in a European Context: Historical Figures and Contemporary Reflections: Adorno, Benjamin, Habermas
GERMAN 160D	Politics and Culture in 20th-Century Germany: Multicultural Germany
GERMAN 167	Course Not Available
GERMAN 176	Course Not Available
HISTORY 163	Course Not Available
HISTORY 164	Course Not Available
HISTORY 165B	Topics in Modern European History: The World, the Picture, and the Page: The Revolution in European Culture since the late 18th Century
HISTORY C176	Multicultural Europe
HISTORY 190	Course Not Available
HISTART 180A	Nineteenth-Century Europe: Age of Revolution
HISTART 180B	Course Not Available
HISTART 181	Course Not Available
HISTART 186A	Art in the Early 20th Century
HISTART 186B	Course Not Available
HISTART 186C	Art in the Later 20th Century
HISTART 190E	Special Topics in Fields of Art History: 17th-18th Century 1
IAS 120	Selected Topics - International and Area Studies 1
IAS 140	Special Topics 1
IAS 150	Advanced Studies in International and Area Studies 1
LEGALST 103	Theories of Law and Society
LEGALST 144	Course Not Available
PHILOS 189	Special Topics in Recent European Philosophy
PORTUG C170	Portugal: Language and Culture
SCANDIN 115	Studies in Drama and Film
SCANDIN 128	Course Not Available
SLAVIC 146	Course Not Available
Business and Economics:
UGBA 118	International Trade
UGBA 178	Introduction to International Business
UGBA 196	Special Topics in Business Administration 1
ECON 105	History of Economic Thought
ECON 115	The World Economy in the Twentieth Century
ECON 161	Economics of Transition: Eastern Europe
ECON C171	Economic Development
ECON C181	International Trade
ECON 182	International Monetary Economics
ECON 183	Course Not Available
FRENCH 137	Course Not Available
HISTORY 159A	European Economic History
HISTORY 159B	European Economic History
HISTORY 160	The International Economy of the 20th Century
HISTORY 161	Course Not Available
IAS C118	Introductory Applied Econometrics
IAS C175	The Economics of Climate Change
LEGALST 145	Law and Economics I
LEGALST 147	Law and Economics II
POL SCI 126A	International Political Economy
POL SCI C131A	Applied Econometrics and Public Policy
POL SCI 138D	Course Not Available

1	Course content varies from semester to semester. A faculty adviser's pre-approval is required.

College Requirements

Undergraduate students in the College of Letters and Science must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.

For detailed lists of courses that fulfill college requirements, please see the College of Letters and Sciences  page in this bulletin. 

Entry Level Writing

All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing Requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley. 

American History and American Institutions

The American History and Institutions requirements are based on the principle that a U.S. resident graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.

American Cultures

American Cultures is the one requirement that all undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.

Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course.

Foreign Language

The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work.

Reading and Composition

In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing and critical thinking the College requires two semesters of lower division work in composition. Students must complete a first-level reading and composition course by the end of their second semester and a second-level course by the end of their fourth semester.

Breadth Requirements

The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship.  Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.

Unit Requirements

• 120 total units, including at least 60 L&S units

• Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units

• Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department

Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters and Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes here for four years. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you go abroad for a semester or year or want to take courses at another institution or through University Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to see an adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.

Senior Residence Requirement

After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.

You may use a Berkeley summer session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence Requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the College.

Modified Senior Residence Requirement

Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) or the UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence Requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding EAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.

Student Learning Goals

Learning Goals for the Major

1. Interdisciplinary Training in the Social Sciences
   • Develop a working knowledge of the approaches to understanding modern societies found in the classical social theory tradition from Machiavelli and Hobbes to Keynes and Polanyi
   • Develop a working knowledge of the core concepts of modern political economy approaches since Keynes and Polanyi
   • Understand the analytical tools of each of the relevant social science disciplines
2. Analysis of Political Economy Theory and Practice
   • Build specific expertise in that particular area of modern political economy studied by the student’s individual concentration
   • Understand and analyze the impact on their concentration area of modern global economic, political, and civil society conditions
   • Understand the processes of historical development that have led their particular concentration area to its current civilization
3. Historical Knowledge
   • Be able to use the history of the North Atlantic region since the industrial revolution as a set of benchmarks, contrasts, and yardsticks useful for analyzing and understanding modern political economy issues
   • Understand the historical process that has created our modern global economy, polity, and civil society

Skills

1. Language Skills
   • Acquire competency in a foreign language
   • Participate in the education abroad program, if possible
2. Demonstrate Research, Critical Reading, and Writing Skills
   • Formulate well-organized arguments supported by proper use of social-science disciplinary tools; of historical and comparative contrasts and models; of top- down systemic and bottom-up individual analytical perspectives; and of aggregate statistical and individual case-study evidence
   • Write clearly and effectively
   • Apply appropriate quantitative analytical skills

Courses

Political Economy