Department Website
Program Description
Many of the liberal arts disciplines in the College of Arts and Science provide important perspectives on law and the legal profession. The Law and Society minor, administered by the Department of Sociology, offers undergraduates a meaningful concentration of these courses. The minor is designed to give students an interdisciplinary perspective on law as a social institution and on how law shapes, and is shaped by, a variety of political, religious, cultural, economic, and social forces.
The minor in Law and Society consists of five courses, which allows it to be substantial and broad. The requirement of a core course enhances its coherence. In addition, the minor gives capable and ambitious students opportunities to pursue advanced or specialized study. While prelaw students may well wish to take it, this minor is not aimed specifically at them. For more information and/or to declare the minor, see the department website above.
Minor Declaration
To request declaration of a minor, CAS students should visit the host department. To request declaration of a cross-school minor, CAS students should complete the online Minor Application available in their Albert Student Center. Students may also use the Minor Application in Albert to request cancellation of a CAS or cross-school minor.
Program Requirements
The minor requires the completion of 20 credits with a grade of C or better (courses graded Pass/Fail do not count). In addition, the minor does not allow for any courses to double-count toward the requirements of any other major or minor.
Course List
Course |
Title |
Credits |
| 4 |
| Law and Society | |
| Law and Society | |
1 | 4 |
| Research Methods | |
| Introduction to Research Methods for Politics | |
2 | 12 |
| Human Rights & Culture | |
| Urban Design & The Law | |
| Special Topics: | |
| Mental Health and Juvenile Justice | |
| Topics: | |
| Journalism Ethics & First Amendment Law | |
| Islamic Law & Society | |
| American Constitution | |
| Civil Liberties | |
| The U.S. Supreme Court | |
| Gender in Law | |
| The Politics of Administrative Law | |
| The Politics of Human Rights | |
| International Law | |
| Constitution and People of Color | |
| Criminology | |
Total Credits | 20 |
Students who are also majoring in sociology must take SOC-UA 301 Research Methods for their major; they must therefore take a fourth elective for the law and society minor.
With special permission, exceptional students may be allowed, in their senior year and in consultation with the director, to substitute one of the following for one of the elective courses:
- an independent study culminating in a research paper or project;
- an apprenticeship with a faculty member doing relevant research (with permission of faculty); or
- a relevant graduate course (with permission of faculty).
Policies
Program Policies
Double-Counting of Courses
Courses applied to this minor cannot be double-counted toward a major, minor, or Core requirement.
NYU Policies
University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.
College of Arts and Science Policies
A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.