Course Catalogs

Law, Society, and Policy, BA

Department Chair

Merril Silverstein, Professor of Sociology, 302 Eggers Hall, sociologychair@syr.edu, 315-443-2347

Program Director

Gretchen Purser, Associate Professor of Sociology, 400H Eggers Hall, gwpurser@syr.edu, 315-443-5848

Primary Faculty

Patrick Berry, Professor of Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition, pwberry@syr.edu, 315.443.1912, 239 HBC

Keith Bybee, Professor of Political Science, kjbybee@syr.edu, 315.443.8678, 321 Eggers Hall

Andrew Cohen, Professor of History, awcohe01@syr.edu, 315.443.3320, 305 Maxwell Hall

Verena Erlenbusch-Anderson, Associate Professor of Philosophy, verlenbu@syr.edu, 315.443.3155, 524 Hall of Languages

Tom Keck, Professor of Political Science, tmkeck@syr.edu, 315.443.5862, 312 Eggers Hall 

Gabriela Kirk, Faculty Fellow of Sociology, gmkirk@syr.edu, 315.443.5765, 426 Eggers Hall

Katie Quinn, Assistant Professor of Sociology, kquinn13@syr. edu , 315. 443. 5758 , 304 Maxwell Hall

Robert Rubinstein, Professor of Anthropology, rar@syr.edu, 315.443.3837, 209 Maxwell Hall

Yüksel Sezgin, Associate Professor of Political Science,  ysezgin@syr.edu, 315.443.4431,100F Eggers Hall

Program Description

This Integrated Learning Major (ILM) in Law, Society, and Policy introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of law and society. Drawing on a range of courses across the humanities and social sciences, this ILM grounds students in the study of law, legal institutions, the legal dimensions of social life, and the policy process. Students gain an understanding of how the law shapes, and is shaped by, society and how policies are devised and implemented to address social problems. Majors complete 27 credits, including 12 credits in required classes and 15 credits in an area of concentration:

  1. Law, Crime, and Society in the U.S. or
  2. Comparative and International Law.

At least 18 credits must be upper-division courses, The ILM cultivates interests in human rights and in the principles and pursuit of justice. It prepares students for a variety of careers and for graduate programs in law, public policy, or the social sciences.

This ILM may be combined with any other undergraduate major with approval by the program director. While certain majors typically serve as the base major for this ILM, students are encouraged to meet with the program director to determine their best choice of a base major. Dually enrolled students must have a base major within Arts and Sciences|Maxwell.

The major in Law, Society, and Policy will integrate with the following majors:

CAS/Maxwell: African American Studies, Anthropology, Economics, English and Textual Studies, Geography and the Environment, History, International Relations, Latino/Latin American Studies, Philosophy, Policy Studies, Political Science, Political Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Sociology, Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition

Falk: Food Studies, Human Development and Family Science, Public Health, Social Work

iSchool: Innovation, Science, and Technology, Information Management and Technology, Applied Data Analytics

Newhouse: Broadcast and Digital Journalism, Magazine, News, and Digital Journalism, Public Relations (Newhouse students can only declare the ILM by petitioning through their Advising Office.)

VPA: Communications and Rhetorical Studies