Legal Studies (Minor)
Program Description
Law constitutes one of the fundamental ways in which society is ordered, and the rule of law remains essential to individual and communal flourishing. The undergraduate major in Legal Studies at NYU Abu Dhabi poses broad philosophical, social, economic, political, religious, and ethical questions about law. What is justice? What is Law? How is it organized? Who and what constitutes the arbiter of justice? What are the effects of historical and cultural settings on law and justice? Is the developing global society on the path to a just and moral order, and what role can the law play? What are the legal issues raised by global concerns such as those about the environment, technology, and cyber security? The Legal Studies curriculum responds, in part, to the increasing globalization of law through a consideration of issues such as the environment, international business, law and media, human rights, technology and security, and law and ethics. At the same time, recognizing that law maintains a local focus, the curriculum treats the broad questions raised by globalization through the study of particular examples drawn from the common law, the civil law and other legal systems.
The minor in Legal Studies is open to all students who wish to gain a basic understanding of fundamental legal concepts, institutions, and method. As virtually all fields of academic inquiry entail some legal consideration, the minor serves as a complementary field of study to disciplines in the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Sciences, and Engineering.