Law and Society Major

The major consists of a minimum of 9 full courses (or the equivalent) and 1 senior portfolio.

Note: Students must earn minimum grades of C- or P for all courses that apply toward the major.

View the catalog page for the law and society program.

The Curricular Committee on Law and Society administers the cross-disciplinary law and society major.

Summary of Requirements

Three Full Law and Society Core Courses
Five Additional Full Law and Society Core and/or Law-Related Courses
One Full Research Seminar Course
LAWS 500 - Senior Portfolio

Note(s) on Requirements

No more than one full course taken at the 100-level will count toward the major.
Core courses and seminar(s) must be chosen from at least three departments.
No more than five of the first nine courses in the major may be taken in one department.

Transfer of Credit Toward the Major

Students transferring credits in law and society from courses taken at other institutions may apply a maximum of three courses toward the major with the approval of the committee chair.

Course of Study

The recommended core courses, core research seminars, and law-related courses explore philosophical, political, economic, historical, sociological, ethical, scientific, and religious issues that are central to understanding the role of law and legal institutions in society.

Core courses and seminars are selected with the following objectives in mind:

center on law and legal institutions directly
explore the historical, philosophical, and ethical underpinnings of the development of law, thought, and institutions
provide the analytic skills necessary to understand the logic and bases of legal thinking as a language in legal institutions, the broader society, and the profession of law.

Law-related courses have sections within them that meet at least one of the three objectives listed above or provide students an opportunity to write a term paper in which the scholarly issues of the course may be applied to legal institutions, thought, and/or the logic of legal inquiry.

Detailed Major Requirements