The undergraduate minor in Law, Societies, and Justice provides an opportunity for students to develop a multidisciplinary liberal arts orientation to the study of law, rights, and justice, with particular emphasis on the studies of comparative law, punishment, and human rights. This knowledge is gained through critical examination of the research literature and exchange of ideas and information with students and faculty.
An LSJ Minor Checklist and a handout containing the list of Approved Courses for LSJ (both effective Autumn 2011) can be found on the LSJ Student Forms page.
If you were admitted to the LSJ minor prior to Autumn 2011, see the Pre-Autumn 2011 Minor Requirements handout on the Student Forms page.
How to Declare a Minor
Students can declare a minor in Law, Societies, and Justice by meeting with their major adviser and completing a short form. The LSJ minor is not competitive, and it does not require completion of coursework in LSJ before it can be declared. Any student declared in any undergraduate major and with at least 45 completed college credits can declare a minor in LSJ.
Minor Requirements
30 total credits to include:
(1) Two courses from the list of LSJ Core Courses:
- LSJ 200 Introduction to Law, Societies, and Justice, OR LSJ/POL S 363 Law in Society
- LSJ 320/POL S 368 The Politics and Law of International Human Rights, LSJ 321/ANTH 323 Human Rights Law in Culture and Practice, OR LSJ 322/JSIS A 324 Human Rights in Latin America, LSJ 329 Immigration, Citizenship, and Rights
- LSJ/JSIS B 366 Comparative Law & Legal Cultures, OR LSJ/POL S 367 Comparative Law and Courts
(2) Four courses chosen from the Law, Societies, & Justice Subfields (two courses from each of the two subfields).
***Students may not petition other courses to count toward the minor***
Subfield 1: Comparative Legal Institutions
- PHIL 114 Philosophical Issues in the Law (5)
- SOC 271 Introduction to Sociology of Deviance and Social Control (5) or SOC 371 Criminology (5) or SOC 472 Juvenile Delinquency (5) [only one of these three classes can count towards completion of LSJ minor requirements]
- GWSS 310 Women and the Law (5)
- PHIL 314 Philosophy of Crime and Punishment (5)
- POL S 320/JSIS B 310 State-Society Relations in Third World Countries (5)
- AIS 335 American Indians and the Law (5)
- LSJ/POL S 347 Politics of International Law (5)
- LSJ/POL S 360 Introduction to United States Constitutional Law (5)
- LSJ/POL S 361 United States Courts and Civil Liberty (5)
- LSJ 375/SOC 372 Crime, Politics, and Justice (5)
- LSJ/SOC 376 Drugs and Society (5)
- LSJ 377 Punishment: Theory and Practice (5)
- LSJ 380 Contemporary Issues in Comparative Legal Institutions (5, max. 10)*
- PHIL 414 Philosophy of Law (5)
- LSJ 415 Juvenile Parole Project (5)
- JSIS B 425 International Law and Arms Control (5)
- COM 440/POL S 461 Mass Media Law (5)
- LSJ 444 Ethics in Law and Justice (5)
- POL S 462 The Supreme Court in American Politics (5)
- POL S 464 The Politics of American Criminal Justice (5)
- LSJ/GEOG 467 Law, Justice, and the Environment (5)
- POL S 467 Comparative Law in Society (5)
- LSJ/GEOG 474 Geography and the Law (5)
- LSJ/ SOC 476 Miscarriages of Justice (5)
- LSJ 490 Special Topics in Comparative Legal Institutions (5, max. 15)*
Subfield 2: Rights
- DIS ST/LSJ/CHID 230 Introduction to Disability Studies (5)
- LSJ/POL S 327 Women’s Rights as Human Rights (5)
- LSJ 329 Immigration, Citizenship, and Rights (5)
- LSJ 331/POL S 317 Politics of Race and Ethnicity in the US (5)
- DIS ST/LSJ/CHID 332 Disability and Society (5)
- PHIL 338 Philosophy of Human Rights (5)
- LSJ/JSIS B/DIS ST 346 Disability in Global & Comparative Perspectives (5)
- GWSS/CHID 350 Women in Law and Literature (5)
- LSJ 381 Issues in Rights (5, max 10)*
- LSJ 410 Social Justice through Philanthropy (5)
- LSJ 421/ANTH 498 Women’s Rights and Politics in Islamic Society (5)
- LSJ 422 Immigrants, Labor, and Legality (5)
- LSJ 425/ ANTH 497 Domesticating Intern. Human Rights: US Asylum & Refugee Law (5)
- LSJ 426 Reconciliation: The Politics of Forgiveness in a Global Age (5)
- LSJ 428/POL S 415 Women’s Rights in an Integrated Europe (5)
- DIS ST/LSJ/CHID 430 Topics in Disability Studies (5, max. 15)*
- LSJ 431/POL S 430 Civil-Military Relations in Democracies (5)
- DIS ST/LSJ/CHID 433 Disability Law, Policy, & Community (5)
- DIS ST/LSJ/CHID 434 Civil and Human Rights Law for Disabled People (5)
- AFRAM 437 Blacks in American Law (5)
- LSJ/DIS ST/CHID 437 Crime, Law, and Mental Illness (5)
- LSJ 438 Human Rights & International Development (5)
- B H 456 Social Justice and Health (5)
- LSJ 491 Special Topics in Rights (5, max 15)*
For the LSJ minor, students may use additional LSJ Core Courses towards the Subfield requirements. LSJ 320/POL S 368, LSJ 321/ANTH 323, and LSJ/JSIS A 324 count in “Rights.” All other LSJ Core Courses count in “Comparative Legal Institutions.” This is intended to help students progress towards completion of the minor, but since the LSJ Core Courses are considered introductory, students are encouraged to give preference to the actual subfield courses as listed on the LSJ Approved Courses list.
*LSJ 380, 381, 430, 490, and 491 are variable-topic courses. The topic for a specific offering will be listed on the Time Schedule and also on the Quarterly Course Offerings handouts (available outside the LSJ advising office).