Law, Ethics, and Society

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Minimum number of credits to complete the minor: 20

inimum cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0

School: School of Arts and Sciences

Department: Interdisciplinary

Learn more about the program

The Law, Ethics, and Society Minor is an interdisciplinary liberal arts minor that focuses on the role of law in contemporary society. The minor enables students to develop an understanding of the interaction between law and important ethical theories, social structures, and political systems, and to think critically about how ethical, social, and political issues ought to be addressed through law.

The minor is intended for students who plan on attending law school, students who are interested in pursuing other law-related careers, students who are interested in public policy, and students who are simply interested in learning more about the role of law in our society. The minor has been developed in accordance with the American Bar Association’s Statement on Pre-Law Preparation.

Minor Requirements

The minor requires the completion of a minimum of five courses. No more than two elective courses can be taken from the same department and no more than two courses can be double-counted between this minor and another major or minor.

Core Courses

Choose one course from the following:

CRM 3000 - Society and Law Credits: 4
PHL 3020 - Philosophy of Law Credits: 4
POL 2122 - Law and Society Credits: 4

Required Elective Courses

Choose four courses from the following. No more than two elective courses can be taken from the same department (not including the core courses listed above).

CRM 1000 - Introduction to Criminology Credits: 4
CRM 1100 - The Criminal Justice System Credits: 4
CRM 2300 - Hate Crimes Credits: 4
CRM 2500 - The Death Penalty Credits: 4
CRM 2700 - Ethics of Criminal (In)Justice Credits: 4
CRM 3000 - Society and Law Credits: 4
CRM 3050 - Female Deviance, Crime, and Social Control Credits: 4
CRM 3380 - Race, Class and Crime Credits: 4
CRM 3900 - Incarceration Credits: 4
HIS 1107 - U.S. History: From Reconstruction to the Present Credits: 4
HIS 3425 - Contemporary United States History Credits: 4
MGT 3420 - Employment Law and Labor Relations Credits: 4
MGT 3130 - Legal Environment of Business Credits: 4
PHL 2030 - Contemporary Moral Problems Credits: 4
PHL 2040 - Introduction to Political Philosophy Credits: 4
PHL 2060 - Biomedical Ethics Credits: 4
PHL 2070 - Environmental Ethics Credits: 4
PHL 2080 - Approaches to Ethics Credits: 4
PHL 2100 - Ethical Issues Concerning Gender Credits: 4
PHL 2500 - Theories of Justice Credits: 4
PHL 2750 - Thinking through Race and Racism Credits: 4
PHL 3010 - Human Rights: Theory and Practice Credits: 4
PHL 3020 - Philosophy of Law Credits: 4
PHL 3030 - Global Justice Credits: 4
PHL 3060 - Justice in Health and Healthcare Credits: 4
POL 1100 - Politics of the United States Credits: 4
POL 1900 - International Politics Credits: 4
POL 2010 - Political Ethics Credits: 4
POL 2122 - Law and Society Credits: 4
POL 2181 - American Political Thought Credits: 4
POL 2581 - Intro to Political Theory Credits: 4
POL 3150 - Criminal Law Credits: 4
POL 3151 - American Constitutional Law Credits: 4
POL 3152 - Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Credits: 4
POL 3161 - Politics of Immigration Credits: 4
RTS 2800 - Social Ethics: Christian Perspectives Credits: 4
RTS 2820 - Bioethics & Healthcare: Theological Approaches Credits: 4
SOJ 1000 - Introduction to Social Justice (Theory & Practice) Credits: 4
SOC 1700 - Social Problems, Creative Solutions Credits: 4
SOC 2000 - Social Inequality - Class, Gender, and Race Credits: 4
SOC 3150 - Social Movements Credits: 4
WGS 1010 - Introduction to Gender, Race, and Sexuality Studies Credits: 4
WGS 2010 - Introduction to Race and Ethnic Studies Credits: 4
WGS 2200 - Gender, Race, and Social Movements Credits: 4
WGS 3100 - Feminist Theories in Action Credits: 4
WGS 3710 - Gender and the Law Credits: 4
WGS 3720 - Gender, Immigration, and the Law Credits: 4

Experiential Component: Strongly Recommended

It is strongly recommended that students participate in an experiential learning component, such as Moot Court, an internship in law or social justice, or Ethics Bowl. One of the four Elective courses may be fulfilled with an experiential learning component. To explore qualifying options, students should speak with their Minor advisor.