Binghamton University students pursuing law careers frequently turn to philosophy, politics and law (PPL) as their major for a thorough pre-law track to show that they are prepared to tackle the academic rigor of law school.

Charles Goodman, an associate professor of philosophy, said there is technically no PPL department, but a committee of philosophy, history and political science professors. Over 15 years ago, the committee decided upon an informal shared norm to set the average of PPL classes at a B-. Despite being widely practiced, there is no official policy that would punish a professor who did not abide.

Goodman said that at the heart of the PPL major are four courses: Philosophy of Law and Justice, Philosophy of Law and a senior seminar, and an applied ethics class, which may be medical ethics, environmental ethics or policy and markets. The B- grading average formally applies to only Philosophy of Law and Justice and an applied ethics class.

“Top grades in PPL mean something; it’s hard to get an A in Law and Justice, because it’s a very difficult, very demanding class,” Goodman said. “Our goal is to gauge whether this is a realistic option for you. If you get a D, it often means it’s not the right major for you, but if you get an A, that means you really accomplished something. It’s only because of the grading average that we can make sure the grades are meaningful.“

Anthony Reeves, the director of the PPL program and an associate philosophy professor, said that a curve adds value to students’ achievements. According to him, the class competitiveness can foster student success.

“[W]hen I write letters of recommendation, I indicate that many of PPL’s classes apply a curve, and this allows the transcript to better convey a student’s promise,” Reeves wrote in an email. “So, through discussion, several PPL faculty have weighed these sorts of considerations [….] and [have] come to the conclusion that a curved average in the range mentioned above is appropriate.”

Students in required PPL classes expressed varied opinions on the grading policy. Lucas Daub, a senior majoring in PPL, said that he believed the grading rewards those who work the hardest.

“By having an A in Philosophy of Law and Justice, it not only means you did all the work required by the syllabus, but also you did it better than all of the students in that class that got less than an A,” Daub said. “This reflects a recurring principle in the PPL program: success in the legal field is not just about meeting the standards set by the institution. It’s also about outdoing your peers.”

Others such as Glenn Rohan, a senior majoring in PPL, said they didn’t agree with the practice.

“It’s ridiculous because we’re all planning on applying to law school,” Rohan said, “but the curve makes our GPAs terrible.”

Jonah Klempner, a junior majoring in PPL, said he shared similar sentiments to Rohan.

“It’s frustrating,” Klempner said. “In order to do very well, other classmates must do very poorly. Consequently, classmates who were potential friends become academic enemies.”

Despite mixed reactions, Reeves ultimately said the committee decided upon the practice to give BU students an edge up on competitors at other schools.

“We have students who ought to be competitive against some of the best students at the most recognized universities, and we want to enable them to succeed after graduation,” Reeves wrote. “To set the target for the curve quite low in order to resist grade inflation would effectively be to unilaterally respond to a collective action problem — dangerous business, as PPL majors know, and it is our students’ interests at stake.”