Law and Society Concentration

Undergraduate Concentration

The interdisciplinary law and society concentration explores questions about the impact and effects of law, legal institutions and legal actors on society from a variety of perspectives. It also explores the identification and analysis of legal arguments in a variety of contexts. Some of the courses also help the students develop their oral advocacy skills. The concentration can be taken in conjunction with any major at Clark. Generally, 200-level courses are not appropriate for first-year students.

Program Faculty

Judith DeCew, Ph.D.
Patricia Ewick, Ph.D.
Mark Miller, Ph.D.

Courses

• CMLT 109 - Human Rights and Literature
• ECON 126 - Public Policy toward Business
• ECON 157 - The Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment
• ECON 222 - Labor
• HIST 070 - Our European Roots: Western Civilization From Ancient Hebrews Through the Renaissance and Reformation
• HIST 201 - Era of the American Revolution
• HIST 202 - The Early American Republic
• HIST 212 - History of Sexuality: 1750 to the Present
• HIST 214 - The American Civil War
• HIST 217 - Reconstruction: America after the Civil War, 1865-1877
• HIST 223 - The Civil Rights Movement
• LAS 038 - Trial Advocacy
• LAS 039 - Advanced Trial Advocacy, I and II
• LAS 050 - Introduction to American Government
• LAS 146 - The United Nations and International Politics
• LAS 196 - Strategic Speaking
• LAS 221 - Social and Political Philosophy
• LAS 253 - U.S. Judicial Politics
• LAS 257 - Language at Issue
• LAS 261 - Business Ethics and Law
• LAS 262 - Law and Society
• LAS 263 - Deviance
• LAS 270 - Philosophy of Law
• LAS 272 - U.S. Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties
• LAS 273 - U.S. Constitutional Law: Governmental Powers
• LAS 276 - Environmental Law
• LAS 291 - Lawyers and Politics
• PHIL 107 - Logic and Legal Analysis
• PHIL 108 - Privacy Protection In Law & Ethics
• PHIL 132 - Social and Political Ethics
• PSCI 235 - Money and U.S. Politics
• PSCI 257 - Comparative Courts and Law
• PSCI 266 - International Law
• PSCI 271 - The American Jury System
• PSCI 274 - The Supreme Court in American Society
• PSCI 279 - Obscenity Law and Related Topics
• PSCI 289 - Advanced Topics in International Relations
• PSYC 237 - Dating and Sexual Violence: Research and Prevention
• SOC 272 - Punishment, Politics and Culture

Directed Readings, Individual Research

Students who are motivated to undertake significant independent research should consult the individual faculty member with whom they wish to work regarding opportunities for directed research or special projects.

Internships

Participating faculty sponsor a variety of undergraduate legal and law-related internship experiences. Students interested in these opportunities should inquire with the internship coordinator in the Office of Career Services.

1. Students must take a minimum of six courses to fulfill the concentration.

2. The six courses must come from at least three different departments.

3. At least two of the courses must be at the 200 level.

4. At least one of the six courses must be a core course, which should be taken as early as possible in the student’s academic program:

• GOVT 050 - Introduction to American Government
• PHIL 132 - Social and Political Ethics
• SOC 262 - Law and Society

5. One of the six courses must be a capstone experience (a seminar, an internship or a directed-research project):

• Legal Internships in a variety of academic departments
• Directed research or special projects in a variety of academic departments

• PHIL 270 - Philosophy of Law
• SOC 272 - Punishment, Politics and Culture
• GOVT 291 - Seminar: Lawyers and American Politics

6. No more than two of the courses can also be counted for the student’s major or minor requirements, or for another concentration.