Law and Society Program
Division of Social SciencesGirvetz Hall 2326
Telephone: (805) 893-2318
Fax: (805) 893-5532
E-mail: lawso@lawso.ucsb.edu
Website: www.lawso.ucsb.edu (will open in a new browser window)
Program Chair: Lisa Hajjar
Contents:
Paul Amar, Ph.D., New York University, Assistant Professor (critical criminology, international security, comparative politics)
Eve Darian-Smith, Ph.D., University of Chicago, Professor (post-colonialism)
Lisa Hajjar, Ph.D., American University, Associate Professor (human rights, international law, war and conflict)
Kathleen Moore, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst, Associate Professor (immigration, Muslims in USA)
Jacqueline Stevens, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Associate Professor (political theory)
Juliet Williams, Ph.D., Cornell University, Associate Professor (political theory, women’s studies) Joint appointment with the Women’s Studies Program
Eileen Boris, Ph.D. (Women’s Studies)
Jennifer Earl, Ph.D. (Sociology)
Avery Gordon, Ph.D. (Sociology)
Daniel G. Linz, Ph.D. (Communication)
John S.W. Park, Ph.D. (Asian-American)
Eve Darian-Smith, Ph.D. (Law and Society)
Nancy E. Gallagher, Ph.D. (History)
Lisa Hajjar, Ph.D. (Law and Society)
Kathleen Moore, Ph.D. (Law and Society)
Jacqueline Stevens, Ph.D. (Law and Society)
Juliet Williams, Ph.D. (Law and Society, Women’s Studies)
Howard Winant, Ph.D. (Sociology)
The law and society major seeks to understand the nature of law and legal institutions from a variety of perspectives. The program is interdisciplinary, and is designed to benefit both the student who desires a liberal arts education and the student who intends to enter graduate or law school.
The law and society undergraduate advisor is available on a regular basis to assist students with questions related to all academic matters, including the honors program.
Graduates of the Law and Society program have entered careers ranging from urban planning, court management, probation, counseling, and legal practice, to federal, state, and local government service. Many professional programs are open to law and society majors, including advanced degree programs in the social sciences and judicial administration, as well as law school and paraprofessional legal training.
Students with a bachelor’s degree in law and society who are interested in pursuing a California Teaching Credential should contact the credential advisor in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education as soon as possible.
The law and society honors program is open to students with a minimum overall 3.5 grade-point average. Students who successfully complete a series of honors classes and an honors thesis during their senior year and maintain the minimum required grade-point average will graduate with Distinction in the Major.
Admission of new students to the law and society major has been suspended until further notice.
Bachelor of Arts - Law and Society
Students are not admitted directly into the law and society major. Instead, they are first admitted to the pre–law and society major, and they may advance to full major standing only after fulfilling the pre-major courses in Area A and grade requirements listed below. Acceptance into the pre-major does not guarantee admission to full major status. Note: Students may petition to full major status generally prior to the accumulation of 100 units, but not after the completion of 144 units. Students may declare a pre–law and society major after they have completed at least one course from the pre-major area with a grade of C or better.
Preparation for the major. Students must complete the pre-major courses with a combined grade-point average of 2.5. The pre-major courses in Area A are Law and Society 1, 2, Political Science 12, and one course in statistics selected from PSTAT 5AA-ZZ, or Psychology 5.
Transfer students should consult the undergraduate advisor in the Law and Society Program.
To complete the preparation for the major, students must also complete four courses in Area B, selected from the following, with no more than one from each discipline: Anthropology 2; Asian American Studies 1; Black Studies 6; Communication 1; Economics 1, 2, or 109; History 4A-B-C, 17A-B-C; Philosophy 4; Psychology 1; Religious Studies 40; Sociology 1; and Women’s Studies 20, 30, 60. These courses are not used in calculating the required 2.5 pre-major grade-point average, but they do apply to the overall major grade-point average.
Please note: Students must complete the four courses in the pre-major (Area A) with a grade-point average of 2.5 or better before they can be accepted into the full major. Further, only students in the full major will be allowed to take upper-division law and society courses. Courses in Area B need not be completed prior to the declaration of the full major.
Upper-division major. Forty upper-division units are required, distributed as follows:
-
Core courses: Law and Society 111, 112, 113. Students must complete at least two of the three core courses before enrolling in other upper-division Law and Society courses.
-
Elective component courses: Seven courses from the following (with at least five from Law and Society): Law and Society 114, 120, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 130, 140, 141, 146, 150, 151, 152, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 180, 181, 182, 192 (maximum of 8 units)*, 194AA-ZZ (maximum of 12 units) 196A-B-C, 199 (maximum of 5 units); Asian American 114, 115, 116, 119; Black Studies 100, 103, 160; Chicana/o Studies 135, 153, 172, 178A, 189, 189B; Communication 114, 130, 132, 153, 170; Environmental Studies 124, 125A, 125B, 126A, 131; History 131F, 146T, 163A, 163P, 166LB, 167CB, 167CP, 170A, 170B, 170P, 172A, 172B, 172P; Philosophy 100A, 121, 122, 129, 133, 143, 144, 145; Political Science 125, 165, 167, 168; Psychology 102, 103; Religious Studies 141C, Writing 109L
Up to 8 units of Law and Society 192, which is offered only passed/not passed, may be taken for major credit; all other courses must be taken for letter grade.
Law and Society Courses
1. Introduction to Law and Society
(4) Staff
An introduction to the interdisciplinary study of socio-legal studies.
2. Socio-Legal Research Methods
(4) Staff
Examines research methods and analytical approaches commonly used in the study of law and society, emphasizing the relationship between socio-legal theory, interpretive frameworks, and evidence-gathering strategies.
3A-B. Mock Trial
(2-2) Staff
Prerequisites: consent of instructor; Law and Society 3A (for 3B).
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 4 units.
Provides experience using the methods and techniques of trial advocacy to consider the social, institutional and procedural influences shaping litigation practices in the United States. Focuses on criminal and civil cases in alternate years
4. Police and Community Rights Project
(2) Amar
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 6 units. Course cannot be applied to the major.
Intensive research, fieldwork, training, policy-making and public-service course on monitoring police-community relations.
5A-B-C. Law and Society Journal
(1-1-2) Staff
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
In-progress sequence course with grades for all three courses awarded upon completion of Law & Society 5C. Course cannot be applied to the major.
For members of the editorial board of the Law and Society Journal at UCSB. Participants develop submission criteria and select articles for publication, edit, proof-read, do layout and publicity.
111. Law and Culture
(4) Darian-Smith
Prerequisite: open to Law & Society majors only.
Explores various perspectives on the interaction between culture and law, legal systems and legal consciousness.
112. Law and Society
(4) Hajjar
Prerequisite: open to Law & Society majors only.
Considers sociological concepts (e.g. identity, rights, consciousness, idealogy) central to inquiry in the field of law and society.
113. Law and Politics
(4) Moore, Stevens
Prerequisite: open to Law & Society majors only.
Examines competing conceptions of the rule of law from the perspectives of constitutional history, legal reasoning and political theory.
114. Law and Literature
(4) Williams
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Focuses on short stories, novels, dramatic films, and documentaries to analyze the representation of law, lawyers, and the legal system as an aspect of the social construction of justice in modern societies.
120. Anthropological Approaches to Law
(4) Darian-Smith
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Emphasizes theoretical developments in legal anthropology from classical to contemporary period, and their relationship to ethnographic analyses. Topics include non-western legal systems, (post) colonialism, nationalism, and legal constructions of race, class, and gender.
122. Law and Globalization
(4) Darian-Smith
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Explores the relationship between a global political economy, and international and transnational legal regimes.
123. Indigenous Legal Movements
(4) Darian-Smith
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Examines indigenous legal movements in Australia, Canada, Mexico, and the United States, highlighting the centrality of colonial and postcolonial rhetoric in modern western law. Topics include land and water rights, traditional practices, reservation gambling, tribal police, and voting recognition.
124. Capitalism and Racism
(4) Darian-Smith
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Not open for credit to students who have completed Anthropology 185DS.
Explores historical and contemporary perspectives on constructions of racial difference in philosophy, theory and law. Emphasizes the political uses made of racial categories accompanying the emergence of modern capitalism.
125. Europe in a Global Context
(4) Darian-Smith
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Not open for credit to students who have completed Anthropology 152.
Examines the changing nature of law, culture and politics in contemporary Europe. Topics include nationalism, regionalism, ethnic conflict, immigration, historical memory in the construction of national identities, and the cultural politics of European integration.
127. Law and Globalizing Cities
(4) Amar
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Analyzes the evolving geopolitics of social control in urban spaces, as reconstituted by international law, extralegal and criminal practices, cross-border solidarities, and community justice struggles.
130. Jurisprudence
(4) Williams
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Examines principles underlying judicial decision-making. Approaches to be considered include natural law, legal realism, legal positivism, law-and-economics, critical legal studies, critical race theory, and feminist legal theory.
140. Gender and the Law
(4) Williams
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Considers the construction and regulation of gender, sex, and sexuality by law in the United States, with an emphasis on feminist legal theory and analysis of landmark legal cases.
141. Law and the Family
(4) Stevens
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Focuses on legal developments and debates about rights and relations associated with the family, including marriage, divorce, custody, parenting, reproduction, and inheritance.
146. Lawyers and the Legal Profession
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Explores the various social and political roles lawyers play in society, including acting as agents of the state, defenders of the status quo, and proponents of change.
150. Alternative Dispute Resolution
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Introduces the principles and methods of conflict resolution alternatives, including negotiation, mediation, conciliation, arbitration and formal adjudication.
151. Law and Conflict
(4) hajjar
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Focuses on the legal dimensions of contemporary conflicts using a case study approach. Topics include the role played by law in creating and resolving conflicts, and the challenges of enforcing resolutions.
152. Law and Authoritarian States
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Examines the ideologies, legal cultures and systematized brutalities that characterize military dictatorships, elite oligarchies, fascist regimes and inquisitional administrations.
159. International Law
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Explores history and development of modern international law. Topics include the role of the United Nations in law making and enforcement, and challenges to international legality as a result of wars and unlawful practices by states and non-state groups.
160. Comparative Law
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Analyzes the structures, processes and principles of varied legal systems. Focuses on public and constitutional law with special attention paid to the contrast between common law and civil law countries.
161. Law and the Middle East
(4) Amar
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Examines topics related to law and legality in Middle Eastern societies, including the relationship between states and religious communities, gender relations and women’s rights, and international influences on national law and policy.
162. Human Rights
(4) Hajjar
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Explores the history and development of human rights law, debates over the meaning of human rights, and the influence of human rights on social movements and political struggles.
163. Law, Immigration, Citizenship, and Public Opinion
(4) Moore
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Examines the formation of public opinion on issues related to immigration restriction and citizenship.
164. World Culture and U.S. Law
(4) Moore
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Focuses on the legal, cultural, and political controversies arising from the so-called “clash of civilizations” within a pluralistic society. Topics include language diversity, religious pluralism, the rights of non-citizens, and the structural interests driving U.S. immigration policy-making.
165. Critical Security and Terrorism Studies
(4) Amar
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Compares the origins and politics of security states, and emergency and martial-law regimes. Highlights the interests, insecurities, and legal maneuverings of non-state actors, political elites, and international institutions engaging in counter-terrorism campaigns.
166. Global Policing of Sex and Drugs
(4) Amar
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Examines the politics and policies driving police “wars” against phenomena such as narcotrafficking, sex tourism, prostitution, money laundering, racialized labor migration, “queer” border-crossers.
167. Law and the Latin American/Caribbean Region
(4) Amar
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Examines legal regimes, criminal justice systems, and human rights politics in Latin America and the Caribbean.
170. Law and Media
(4) Moore
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Explores the representation of law and justice in entertainment media (film, television, music, fiction), and the relationship between the news media and the legal system.
171. Law and Technology
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
The tension between law and technology is explored through various topics, including intellectual property, biotechnology, and forensics. For example, implications of advances in genetically modified foods are analyzed through debates on risk and regulatory efforts to keep pace with science.
172. Social Theory and Law
(4) Stevens
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Explores the legal dimensions of social theory. Topics include social contract, social conflict, social history and development, and contemporary critical theories.
173. Law and American Society
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Considers the way individuals and groups use law to define and protect rights, contest injustices, and institutionalize visions of a just social order.
174. Criminal Justice and Society
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Examines various aspects of the criminal justice system in the U.S. Topics include police and police violence, the jury system, sentencing, prison and post-prison supervision.
180. Law and Social Science
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: two of the following three courses: Law & Society 111, 112, 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Advanced research experience course applying methods presented in LawSo 2 to the study of a selected topic in which social research informs the uses of law. Recommended as preparation for the Senior Honors Thesis sequence.
181. Psychology and the Legal System
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: students are required to take 2 of the following 3 courses: Law & Society 111, 112 and 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
Examines psychological research related to legal processes, institutions, and actors. Topics include jury decision-making, predicting criminal behavior, and assessing insanity and competence to stand trial.
192. Field Research in Law and Society
(1-8) Staff
Prerequisites: two of the following three courses: Law & Society 111, 112, 113; open to Law & Society majors only; consent of instructor.
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 8 units.
For students who seek greater understanding of the legal system through participant observation as an intern in a law-related agency. Depending upon the project, students may be required to work up to 40 hours a week. A research paper is required.
194AA-ZZ. Advanced Topics in Law and Society
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: two of the following three courses: Law & Society 111, 112, 113; open to Law & Society majors only.
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units provided letter designations are different.
Exploration of advanced topics in socio-legal studies.
196A-B-C. Senior Honors Thesis
(4-2-2) Staff
Prerequisites: two of the following three courses: Law & Society 111, 112, 113; open to Law & Society majors only; consent of instructor.
A three-quarter in-progress sequence course with grades for all quarters issued upon completion of Law and Society 196C. Students must maintain a 3.5 overall GPA, have completed at least 120 units and four or more upper-division courses in the major.
Three quarter sequence in which students research and write a thesis based on independent research. All three quarters must be successfully completed to qualify for Distinction in the Major.
199. Independent Studies in Law and Society
(1-5) Staff
Prerequisites: two of the following three courses: Law & Society 111, 112, 113; open to Law & Society majors only; consent of instructor.
Students must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average for the preceding three quarters and are limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199AA-ZZ courses combined. No more than 4 units may count toward completion of the major requirements.
265. Critical Security and Terrorism Studies
(4) Amar
Prerequisite: graduate standing.
Comparative global analysis of the origins and politics of security states, emergency and martial-law regimes, highlighting the interests, insecurities, and legal maneuverings of non-state actors, political elites, and international institutions engaging in counter-terrorism campaigns. Seminar attendance and research paper required.
266. Global Policing of Sex and Drugs
(4) Amar
Prerequisite: graduate standing.
Examines the politics and policies driving police “wars” against phenomena such as narcotrafficking, sex tourism, “queer” border-crossers, etc.; looking at judicial oversight, protection rackets, authoritarian and populist politics, and urban and international legal regimes. Seminar attendance and research paper required.
267. Law and the Latin American/Caribbean Region
(4) Amar
Prerequisite: graduate standing.
Examines legal regimes, criminal justice systems, and human rights politics in Latin America and the Caribbean. Comparatively assesses race, gender, political-economic, (neo) colonial and transnational aspects, and histories of struggle with the military, church, the U.S., etc. Seminar attendance and research paper required.
290A-B-C. Law & Society Proseminar
(2-2-2) Staff
Prerequisite: graduate standing.
Provides a forum for graduate students, faculty, and visiting faculty to share research and explore scholarly trends and debates.
596AA-ZZ. Law and Society Directed Reading and Research
(1-6) Staff
Prerequisites: graduate standing; consent of instructor.
Individual tutorial.
