Proposal for a new “Law & Society” minor in the Politics Department
School of Liberal Arts
March, 2015
1. Justification for the minor.
Law is central to the organization of social relations and social life. It shapes what it means to be female
or male, a child or adult, a citizen or non-citizen. Law determines the quality of our water and food; the
rights we have to sue or be sued; how we are protected by law enforcement or from law enforcement.
As the influence of legal institutions in society has grown, an informed understanding of how law works
and how it affects social relations has become increasingly important.
Many colleges and universities offer a minor in Law & Society (see section 8, below); Saint Mary’s does
not. This proposed interdisciplinary minor focuses on the interrelationship of legal and social issues from
perspectives in the social sciences and humanities. Students in this minor will examine how the law as a
social institution both reflects and defines basic social values.
2. Minor Requirements:
Students must complete 6 courses, which may be double-counted towards core curriculum
requirements. At least 4 courses must be upper-division. The 6 courses shall include one Overview
course, one Domestic Justice course, one Global Justice course, one Skills course, one Field Placement
course, and one Elective course. The elective may be satisfied preferably by choosing an additional
course in either Domestic Justice or Global Justice, or by choosing a course from the list of additional
electives. Courses may be taken in any order. Some listed courses have a prerequisite or require
instructor’s permission. January term courses do not count towards the minor requirements.
3. Learning Outcomes: Students who successfully complete this minor will:
1.
Demonstrate understanding of the interrelationships among legal, social, political and
ethical issues (Overview course)
2.
Demonstrate understanding of the legal process (Overview course)
3.
Critically analyze the role of law in its political, economic and social context (Domestic and
Global Justice courses)
4.
Demonstrate skill in oral and written expression and critical thinking (Skills course)
5.
Integrate theoretical and practical understanding of law and society concepts (Field
Placement course)
Curriculum:
Overview course: (LOs #1 and 2)
POL 107 American Legal Institutions
1 Domestic Justice course: (LO #3)
BUSAD 120 Law and Business
COMM 118 Media Law
KINES 108 Legal and Administrative Issues
POL 104 Constitutional Law
POL 112 American Political Thought
POL 117 American Legal Theory (new course)
POL 136 Environmental Law
SOC 124 Justice and Community
SOC 128 Crime and Delinquency
1 Global Justice course: (LO #3)
BUSAD 10 Global Perspectives in Business and Society
GRS 1 Introduction to Global and Regional Studies
PHIL 114 Philosophy of Law
PHIL 115 Modern Legal Philosophy
POL 115 Theories of Justice
POL 125 Human Rights
SOC 135: Globalization
TRS 117 Wealth and Poverty in the Bible
1 Skills Course in Speaking, Writing, Reasoning: (LO #4)
COMM 10 Argument and Advocacy
ENG 100 Advanced Composition
ES 50 Creating Community: Introduction to Skills for Building a Socially Just Society
PHIL 5 Practical Logic
PHIL 133 The Art of Logic
1 Field Placement course: (LO #5)
COM 161 Communication and Social Justice*
ECON 100: Wealth, Poverty and Social Justice*
JC&L 10 Introduction to Justice Community and Leadership*
JC&L 120 Theory and Inquiry in Justice, Community and Leadership*
JC&L 140 Justice in the Global Community*
POL 110 Politics and Race*
POL 140 Gender Politics*
POL 195 Internship (in a law-related public or private organization organization)
SOC 126 Field Experience (in a law-related public or private organization organization)
SOC 195 Internship (in a law-related public or private organization organization)
TRS 143: Catholic Social Teaching*
*Community-engagement designated courses
1 Elective course: Either a second course from the list of American or Global Justice courses, or:
BUSAD 121 Advanced Legal Topics in Business (LO 3)
COMM 107 Political Communication (LO4)
COMM 100 Communication Theory (LO 4)
COMM 113 Rhetorical Criticism (LO 4)
COMM 116 Advertising and Civic Engagement (LO4)
ES 1 Introduction to Ethnic Studies (LO 3)
POL 3 Introduction to Political Thought (LO 3)
SOC 4 Social Problems (LO 3)
SOC 112 Race and Identity (LO 3)
SOC 115 Wealth and Poverty (LO 3)
SOC 123 Ethnic Groups in the United States (LO 3)
SOC 125 Gender and Society (LO 3)
WGS 1 Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies (LO 3)
4. Describe how the objectives listed above relate to Department, School, or College goals.
The minor “fosters sensitivity to social and ethical concerns” and “awareness of the
consequences of economic and social injustice” (Mission Statement). It reflects the college’s strategic
commitment to “advance the common good”, “create a more just, sustainable world”, and “prepare
students for meaningful professional lives”. The minor integrates subject matter concepts and content
with intellectual skill development and collaboration with community/professional partners.
The Career Center reports that between 30 and 40 seniors apply to law school annually;
however the majority of students wait 1 to 3 years before applying to law school. Approximately 10% of
alumni from the School of Liberal Arts are lawyers. An additional number work in other “allied legal
professions”, i.e., those connected with the relationship between law and society. For example
approximately 10% of SOLA alumni hold positions in the public sector (e.g., criminal justice, public office
or administration, NGOs and public advocacy groups). Roughly one-third of Politics majors are interested
in either law school or these allied legal professions. Some prospective students do not attend Saint
Mary’s because we do not have an identified course of study related to these interests.
5. Student Population.
The best candidates for the Law & Society minor are students interested in the broad relations
between legal institutions and historical and contemporary societies. The law as a social institution
should be of interest to many students regardless of their post-graduate plans. This is not a preprofessional program nor is it required for students who are planning to attend law school. Rather, it
embodies the spirit of liberal arts learning and provides a pathway to a wide range of professional
opportunities in justice-related careers in law and allied fields. Some students may use the minor to
explore courses in a subject area completely different from their majors. Other students may use the
minor as an opportunity to take additional courses in their major areas of study, affording them the
opportunity to go further in depth in a particular area of interest.
6. Relationship to present College curriculum
No new courses are proposed. The overview course, POL 107, is offered annually. It is not a
seminar-style class, so its enrollment can be expanded if needed to meet demand. Depending on the
level of student interest, the following courses could be (more) impacted: COMM 10, JC&L courses,
BUSAD 10, TRS 117, and KINES 108.
There is some overlap between courses that count towards the proposed Law & Society minor
and those that count towards the Justice, Community, & Leadership minor. While both treat issues of
justice, they differ in several respects:
 Most of the courses in the two minors are not the same
 The Law & Society minor focuses primarily on the role of legal institutions in society
rather than community engagement and leadership
 POL 107 is required for the Law & Society minor but does not count towards the JC&L
minor
 the JC&L minor does not have a skill requirement
7. Implementation:
 The minor will be housed in the Politics Department, which will:
o Publicize the minor. A Law & Society web page will be linked to the Politics Department
home page. Information will be developed for recruitment events.
o Review student petitions to substitute courses for those listed
o Determine whether internships are "law-related" for purposes of the Field Placement
requirement
o Develop information for advisers in other departments to use when reviewing their
advisees' academic progress/plans to meet the minor requirements.
 The Career Center will provide information on pertinent internships and post-graduate options.
8. Law and Society Minors at Selected Universities
Cornell http://www.philosophy.cornell.edu/epl/las/
UC San Diego http://lawandsociety.ucsd.edu/
U. of Maryland http://mlaw.umd.edu/mlaw-programs/law-and-society-minor/
Cal Poly SLO
http://www.catalog.calpoly.edu/collegesandprograms/collegeofliberalarts/politicalscience/lawandsocie
tyminor/
Cal State Los Angeles
http://ecatalog.calstatela.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=4&poid=525&returnto=106
Dalhousie University https://www.dal.ca/academics/programs/undergraduate/lawsociety.html
Drury University http://www.drury.edu/core/law-and-society-minor/
9. Catalog Language
The Law & Society Minor is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of law and its impact on society. It
is designed for students who wish to study how social forces influence the legal system and how the law
affects society. The Law & Society minor is open to all undergraduates. Offered by the Department of
Politics, the minor helps prepare students for a wide range of professional opportunities in justicerelated careers in law and related professions.
Learning Outcomes: Students who successfully complete this minor will:





Demonstrate understanding of the interrelationships among legal, social, and ethical issues
Demonstrate understanding of the legal process
Critically analyze the role of law in its political, economic and social context;
Demonstrate skill in oral and written expression and critical thinking
Integrate theoretical and practical understanding of law and society concepts
Requirements: Students must complete 6 courses, which may be double-counted towards core
curriculum requirements. At least 4 courses must be upper-division. The 6 courses shall include the
Overview course, one Domestic Justice course, one Global Justice course, one Skills course, one Field
Placement course, and one Elective course. The elective may be satisfied preferably by choosing an
additional course in either Domestic Justice or Global Justice, or by choosing a course from the list of
additional electives. Courses may be taken in any order. Some listed courses have a prerequisite or
require instructor’s permission. January term courses do not count towards the minor requirements.
Curriculum: The Law & Society minor offers students a breadth of courses from which to choose.
Overview course:
 POL 107 American Legal Institutions
Domestic Justice Courses:
 BUSAD 120 Law and Business
 COMM 118 Media Law
 KINES 108 Legal and Administrative Issues
 POL 104 Constitutional Law
 POL 112 American Political Thought
 POL 117 American Legal Theory (new course)
 POL 136 Environmental Law
 SOC 124 Justice and Community
 SOC 128 Crime and Delinquency
Global Justice Courses:
 BUSAD 10 Global Perspectives in Business and Society
 GRS 1 Introduction to Global and Regional Studies
 PHIL 114 Philosophy of Law
 PHIL 115 Modern Legal Philosophy




POL 115 Theories of Justice
POL 125 Human Rights
SOC 135: Globalization
TRS 117 Wealth and Poverty in the Bible
Skills Courses
 COMM 10 Argument and Advocacy
 ENG 100 Advanced Composition
 ES 50 Creating Community: Introduction to Skills for Building a Socially Just Society
 PHIL 5 Practical Logic
 PHIL 133 The Art of Logic
Field Placement Courses:
 COM 161 Communication and Social Justice*
 ECON 100: Wealth, Poverty and Social Justice*
 JC&L 10 Introduction to Justice Community and Leadership*
 JC&L 120 Theory and Inquiry in Justice, Community and Leadership*
 JC&L 140 Justice in the Global Community*
 POL 110 Politics and Race*
 POL 140 Gender Politics*
 POL 195 Internship (in a law-related public or private organization organization)
 SOC 126 Field Experience (in a law-related public or private organization organization)
 SOC 195 Internship (in a law-related public or private organization organization)
 TRS 143: Catholic Social Teaching*
*Community-engagement designated courses
Elective courses: Either a second course from the list of American or Global Justice courses, or:
 BUSAD 121 Advanced Legal Topics in Business
 COMM 107 Political Communication
 COMM 100 Communication Theory
 COMM 113 Rhetorical Criticism
 COMM 116 Advertising and Civic Engagement
 ES 1 Introduction to Ethnic Studies
 POL 3 Introduction to Political Thought
 SOC 4 Social Problems
 SOC 112 Race and Identity
 SOC 115 Wealth and Poverty
 SOC 123 Ethnic Groups in the United States
 SOC 125 Gender and Society
 WGS 1 Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies