Students pursuing this area of study will ponder the relationship between law and human behavior and the role of law in society. They will focus their work in three primary areas: philosophies of law, law as a social institution, and law and government.
Students will begin their exploration of law in society with the Introduction to Legal Studies and conclude it with a Senior Seminar in Legal Studies, which will encompass a directed research project within a selected theme or topic.
Introduction to Legal Studies is a survey course which attempts to expose students to a variety of disciplinary approaches to the study of law and legal phenomena. It is intended for students who have attained at least sophomore standing and have had some exposure to the social sciences, usually through an introductory course. The Senior Seminar in Legal Studies is open to juniors and seniors who have taken Introduction to Legal Studies and at least two other courses counting toward fulfillment of the concentration requirements (or to students with permission of the director).
I. The following courses are offered in the Law and Society Program for the current academic year:
Fall semester
LGLS 110 Introduction to Legal Studies
LGLS 191 First Year Seminar: Law, Culture & Meaning
Spring semester
LGLS 371 Exploring Law: Methods in Socio-legal Research
LGLS 391 Law and Empire: Transformations of State & Society
LGLS 410 Sr. Seminar in Legal Studies (permission only)
II. The following courses, offered in the indicated departments, are approved for credit toward fulfilling the requirements for a Law and Society concentration:
Fall semester
ENGL 264 In Transit
PHIL 115* Practical Issues in Ethics
PHIL 235* Philosophy of Law
PSCI 491 International Crime & Punishment
SOCY 238 Environmental Sociology
SOCY 240 Sociology of Crime & Deviance
SOCY 243* Social Justice
SOCY 291 Law and Empire: Transforms of State and Society
SOCY 491 Transgender Sociology
Spring semester
CLAS 220 Illegal Antiquities
HIST 322 Human Rights in Latin America
PSCI 447* Inequality and Democracy
PSYC 321 Abnormal Psychology
SOCY 226 Sociology of Law
Courses appearing with an asterisk (*) satisfy the concentration’s “philosophy of law” requirement; any of the remaining courses may be used to fulfill the “law as social institution” requirement. For more information about the content and/or approach of any particular course listed in section II, you are encouraged to consult the Course of Study and/or the instructor teaching the course.
For more information about the Law and Society Program or the concentration in Legal studies, contact Prof. Ric Sheffield, director, at sheffier@kenyon.edu.
April 10, 2020