Undergraduate Minor in Legal Studies
- Jump to:
- General Introduction
- Management and Advisors
- Requirements
- Courses
- Sample Minor Concentrations
Introduction
Many undergraduates enter upon their studies at the University of Rochester with an interest in the law. For some students the law, especially constitutional law, is an intellectual interest they developed in high school after taking an introductory law course, an interest they would like to further develop even if they do not intend to attend law school. Other students have given thought to turning to the legal profession after graduating from the University. Yet other students may find a general introduction to legal studies to be a nice complement to their major, enriching and filling out an aspect of their other studies to which they are primarily devoted. For yet others the availability of this minor might operate as an "eye-opener" to a field of inquiry which they have only discovered and developed an interest in since coming to the University.
The minor in legal studies is an interdisciplinary program of study which gives students the opportunity to examine law from a variety of perspectives. The study of law is a humanistic enterprise and, while the minor should be useful for those who may be thinking of attending law school, it should not be considered a program in pre-professional training.
To be more precise, the goals of this minor are to:
- Educate students in certain broadly relevant analytical skills.
- Introduce students to what it means to study a social phenomenon from a variety of perspectives.
- Help students obtain a better understanding of law and the multiple functions it plays in a variety of societies.
- Encourage writing and the development of writing skills.
- Stimulate greater interaction among faculty interested in law and society.
Program Management and Advisors
Students who want to declare a Legal Studies minor or who just want to discuss questions about a Legal Studies minor should see any one of the Legal Studies Minor advisors:
- Professor John G. Bennett (Philosophy)
- Professor Randall Curren (Philosophy)
Program Requirements
Students who plan to declare a minor in legal studies must define a coherent program of study in consultation with one of the Legal Studies minor advisors (listed above). The program requires a minimum of six (6) courses, drawn from the lists below, and distributed as follows:
- two courses from the "analytical techniques" course list;
- at least one course from the "legal studies" list and at least one course from the "cognate" course listing; and
- two additional courses selected from any of the three lists, or any other two courses approved by the student's advisor.
- Note the following:
- A legal studies minor may count as a Humanities minor if at least three of its courses are in the humanities (English and Philosophy courses, except PHL 110, are humanities courses.)
- A legal studies minor may count as a Social Science minor if at least three of its courses are in social science (Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, and Sociology courses are social science courses.)
- No more than two courses used for the student's major(s) may be used toward the minor.
Official Course Lists
Note: courses marked with an asterisk are unlikely to be offered in the future; they are included for students who have already taken them.
- A. Analytical Techniques (at least 2 required)
- ECO 207 Intermediate Microeconomics
- ECO 288 Introduction to Game Theory (= PSC 288)
- ENG 135 Debate
- ENG 136 Advanced Debate
- PHL 105 Reason and Argument
- PHL 110 Introductory Logic
- PSC 107 Introduction to Positive Political Theory
- PSC 281 Formal Models in Political Science
- PSC 285 Strategy and Politics
- PSC 288 Introduction to Game Theory (= ECO 288)
- B. Legal Studies (at least one required)
- ECO 265 Law and Economics
- EDU 490* Higher Education Law
- EDU 509 Education Change and the Law
- HIS 204 Introduction to Law - History of Federal Indian Law
- LAW 205 Business Law
- PHL 223 Social and Political Philosophy
- PHL 226 Philosophy of Law
- PSC 223 Constitutional Politics
- PSC 240 Criminal Procedures and Constitutional Principles
- Cognate Courses (at least one required)
- ANT 104 Contemporary Issues and Anthropology
- ANT 202 Modern Social Theory
- ANT 205 Theories and Debates in Anthropology
- ECO 220 Fair Allocation
- ECO 234 Regulation of Economic Activity
- ENG 128* Freedom of Expression
- ENG 286 Presidential Rhetoric
- HST 146 Democratic America, 1800-1865
- HST 148 Recent America, 1929-present
- HST 231 British History to 1485
- HST 249 The Civil War
- HIS 267 American Thought, 1600-1865
- HIS 268 American Thought, 1865-1990
- HST 292 Kingship and Law in Medieval Europe
- HST 335 American Thought
- HST 339* America at War: the Civil War and Reconstruction
- PHL 103 Contemporary Moral Problems
- PHL 225 Ethical & Legal Decisions in Medicine
- PHL 230 Environmental Justice
- PSC 216 Legislative Politics
- PSC 225 Race and Political Representation
- PSC 237 Domestic and Social Policy
- PSC 245 Aging and Public Policy
- PSC 263 Comparative Law and Courts
- PSC 284 Democratic Theory
- PSC 287 Theories of Justice
- PSC 289 Political and Philosophical Perspectives on Equality
- PSC 291 Freedom and the First Amendment
- PSC 385* Theories of Rights
- PSC 387* Introduction to Social Theory
- SOC 233 Deviant Behavior
- SOC 234 Crime and Delinquency
Note: courses marked with an asterisk are unlikely to be offered in the future; they are included for students who have already taken them.
Sample Minor Concentrations
The following are examples of course packages with specific concentrations within the general field of legal studies. These sample packages are provided for illustrative purposes only.
- Legal History
- PHL 105 Reason and Argument
- PSC 285 Strategy and Politics
- PSC 223 Constitutional Politics
- HST 292 Kingship and Law in Medieval Europe
- HST 146 Democratic America, 1800-1865
- HST 339 America at War: the Civil War and Reconstruction
- HST 148 Recent America: 1929-present
- Legal Theory
- PHL 105 Reason and Argument
- ECO 288 Intro. to Game Theory
- PHL 226 Philosophy of Law
- PHL 223 Social and Political Philosophy
- ECO 265 Law and Economics
- PSC 284 Democratic Theory
- Law and Policy
- ECO 207 Intermediate Microeconomics
- ECO 288 Introduction to Game Theory
- LAW 205 Business Law
- PHL 226 Philosophy of Law
- PHL 225 Ethical and Legal Decisions in Medicine
- PSC 225 Race and Political Representation
- PUB H 440 Legal Issues in Health Care
- SOC 234 Crime and Delinquency
- Legal Reasoning and Processes
- PHL 105 Reason and Argument
- ENG 135 Debate
- PHL 226 Philosophy of Law
- PSC 223 Constitutional Politics
- PSC 240 Criminal Procedure and Constitutional Principles
- ENG 375 Presidential Rhetoric
- PSC 216 Legislative Politics
- PSC 315 Legislative Behavior
- Law and Social Science
- PSC 107 Introduction to Positive Political Theory
- ECO 207 Intermediate Microeconomics
- ECO 288 Introduction to Game Theory
- ECO 265 Law and Economics
- ANT 202 Modern Social Theory
- PSC 216 Legislative Process
- SOC 233 Deviant Behavior
- SOC 234 Crime and Delinquency
Send comments about this web page to: jbennett@philosophy.rochester.edu
Department of Philosophy