Law and Society Program
California State University, Los Angeles
- Law and Society B.A. Option
- Law and Society Honors Program
- Law and Society Minor
- Law and Society Internships and Service Learning (SOC 405)
- Law and Society Directed Study (SOC 499)
The Law and Society Option (for Sociology majors) and the Law and
Society Minor (for non-Sociology majors) inform students, from a sociological
perspective, about how social forces influence the legal system and how the law affects society. They
explore a broad range of critical social and scientific issues in sociology concerning law and legal
institutions. They also help prepare students for a wide variety of careers and professional programs.
The Law and Society Program offers students many opportunities to participate in internships and
fieldwork that will add depth to their intellectual studies and valuable community experience that will help
them pursue advanced studies and careers. This training outside the classroom reinforces students’
classroom learning. The Sociology Department has developed internships that are of special value to
Law and Society students, such as placements with the Child Advocates Office of L.A. Superior Court,
the Direct Action Response Team (DART) Program of the L.A.P.D., and Superior Court Judicial
Internships. The rich array of law and other graduate and professional schools, government agencies,
and employing organizations in the L.A. area provides many types of jobs and internships in which
students can apply their new skills.
The Honors Program in the Law and Society Option gives students an opportunity to engage in
sustained original research under the supervision of the Law and Society faculty in Sociology. These
faculty members teach and publish in such areas as crime and delinquency, environmental law and
policy, deviance, bioethics, and violence. The Law and Society Program allows for a well coordinated
effort to train our students and prepare them for graduate social science programs, law school, other
professional programs, and Law and Society careers.
Career Opportunities
The Law and Society Option and Minor at Cal State L.A. prepare students for advanced study in
sociology, law, public health, social welfare, business administration, journalism, and education. They
significantly boost the intellectual preparation and career prospects of students who wish to pursue an
academic career in the social sciences or law; those who want to do applied research on law-related
issues; and those who seek sociological training for careers in social work, criminal justice, politics,
public policy or policy analysis, health professions, public administration, urban and environmental
planning, human resources, counseling, nonprofit management, direct marketing, public relations, law
enforcement, development, and other service occupations; as well as positions as a paralegal,
caseworker, legal assistant or legal writer, teacher, legislative or election assistant, probation worker,
executive administrator, legal investigator, title examiner, appeals reviewer, campaign developer or
lobbyist, investigative reporter, corporate executive, or vocational counselor.
Thriving graduate Law and Society programs are proliferating across the U.S., including: (1) the
Ph.D. Program in Criminology, Law, and Society at UC Irvine; (2) the Law and Society graduate
program at New York University; and (3) the Jurisprudence and Social Policy graduate program at UC
Berkeley. The Law and Society Program at Cal State L.A., with its focus on sociological issues
concerning law and society and its breadth, enables students to be especially well placed to pursue their
education in these graduate Law and Society programs.
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INTERNSHIP AND SERVICE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES: Students can earn units in a
directed internship program by arranging a work agreement with an approved agency (such as a
government agency, business, or citizen group) and the department internship coordinator the quarter
before enrolling in the Sociology Internships and Service Learning course (Sociology 405). Interns meet
with professor teaching Sociology 405 during the quarter and submit progress reports and a final paper
based on applying concepts studied in upper division Sociology courses (through previous or current
enrollment). The Department of Sociology’s Internship and Service Learning Coordinator, Professor
Elaine Draper, can provide a list of possible agencies and other program details.
FIELD EXPERIENCE AND INDEPENDENT STUDY OPPORTUNITIES: Directed Study
courses (Sociology 499) allow students to expand on their special interests in Law and Society.
Students meet regularly with their faculty supervisor and earn units for individual research projects that
may involve library or field research.
HONORS PROGRAM IN THE LAW AND SOCIETY OPTION: During their final
undergraduate year, students in the Law and Society Honors Program conduct an independent research
project under the supervision of a Sociology faculty member and write a Senior Honors Thesis.
Students who complete the Honors Program graduate with Distinction in the Law and Society Option.
Their diplomas and transcripts are designated “Graduated with Departmental Honors in the Law and
Society Option in Sociology.”
Some of the Upper Division Courses in the Law and Society Program:
Sociology of Law (SOC 488)
Violence in American Society (SOC 383)
Deviant Behavior (SOC 426)
Bioethics and Sociology (SOC 433)
Criminology (SOC 480)
Environmental Policy, Law, and Society (SOC 487)
Drug Use and Public Policy (SOC 479)
Juvenile Delinquency (SOC 482)
Sociology of Human Rights (SOC 483)
Conflict and Domestic Violence (SOC 485)
Professionals in Society (SOC 449)
Policing America (SOC 481)
ADVISING: The Director and Adviser of the Law and Society Program is a full-time faculty member
who provides students with advice concerning the Law and Society Option, Minor, Honors Program, Law
and Society Internships and Directed Study, and courses.
For more information about the Law and Society Program at California State University,
Los Angeles, please contact:
Professor Elaine Draper, Ph.D., J.D.
Director and Adviser, Law and Society Program
Internship and Service Learning Coordinator
Department of Sociology
California State University, Los Angeles
(323) 343-2299 or edraper@calstatela.edu
For more information about the undergraduate program in Sociology, contact:
Department of Sociology
California State University, Los Angeles
5151 State University Drive
Los Angeles, California 90032-8228
(323) 343-2200 or sociol@calstatela.edu
http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/soc
[updated July 9, 2012]