Law and Society

An alternative to choosing the general options, ISS major students can select the Law and Society Specialization as a combination of primary, secondary, and remaining areas of study. 

The specialization in Law and Society offers an interdisciplinary study of the interaction of law and legal institutions and contemporary society. It is designed to provide an appreciation and recognition of the impact of law and legal institutions on society and the ways law is shaped by the values, behaviors, and organization of social, economic, and political systems. Courses from the Departments of Economics, Geography, Political Science, Urban and Regional Planning, Sociology, Public Administration, and Philosophy are included.

Students may minor in Law and Society or select a major specialization in Law and Society through the Interdisciplinary Social Science major. The program in Law and Society is appropriate for a variety of educational and occupational goals because it provides an introduction to the links between law and other human activity.

Requirements for a major in ISS with a concentration in Law and Society

The primary area of study in the Law and Society concentration consists of six courses including

POS 3691 Introduction to Law and Society AND one of the following:

ECP 3451 Economics and The Law

SYP 3540 Sociology of Law

PHM 3400 Philosophy of Law

The remaining 4 courses for the primary area of study will consist of courses from any one disciplinary department included in the list of the approved curriculum.

The secondary area of study will consist of 4 courses from any departmental list of courses from the approved curriculum. The secondary area of study will be from any departmental area not already declared in the primary area of study. 

The Remaining Coursework area of 4 courses will be filled with electives from any departmental course list in the approved curriculum. 

Approved Law and Society Curriculum

Economics:

ECO 4504 Public Sector Economics (Prerequisite: ECO2023)

ECO 4554 Economics of State and Local Government (Prerequisite:  ECO2023)

ECP 3403 Business Organization and Market Structure (Prerequisite: ECO2023)

ECP 3451 Economics and the Law (Prerequisite: ECO2000 or ECO2023)

Interdisciplinary Social Sciences:

ISS 4164 Intersections, Power, and Policy

ISS 4159 Perspectives on Race, Ethnicity, and Equality

Geography:

GEO 4340 Living in a Hazardous Environment

GEO 4357 Environmental Conflict and Economic Development

Political Science:

POS 3691 Introduction to Law and Society

POS 4424 Legislative Systems

POS 4606 The Supreme Court in American Politics

PUP 3002 Introduction to Public Policy

POS 4624 The Supreme Court, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights

Sociology:

SYD 4700 Race and Minority Group Relations

SYG 2010 Social Problems

SYO 3530 Social Classes and Inequality

SYO 4300 Sociology of Politics

SYP 3540 Sociology of Law

Urban and Regional Planning:

URP 4022 Collective Decision Making (Prerequisite URP3000)

Philosophy:

IDS 3358 Making the Argument: Symbolic Logic and Forms of Good Reasoning

PHI 2100 Reasoning and Critical Thinking

PHI 3130 Introduction to Symbolic Logic

PHM 3400 Philosophy of Law

PHM 3351 Philosophy of Human Rights

Other Courses:

SOP 3751 Psychology and The Law

CJL 4064 Individual Rights and the Criminal Justice System

CCJ 4663 Women, Crime, and Justice