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Special Minor in Law and Society
Description
The new Law and Society Minor in Sociology moves beyond the abstract study of legal rules and doctrines to investigate the dynamic relationship between law and the social world. Rather than focusing solely on "law on the books," this field is dedicated to understanding "law in action": how social forces shape laws, legal institutions, and the very concept of legality, and in turn, shape human behavior, beliefs, and social structures. It examines the real-world functioning of police, courts, and prisons; how lawyers and judges make decisions; why people and social movements obey or resist the law; and how legislation and court rulings ultimately impact society. Ultimately, this minor seeks to foster among our students a more critical, nuanced, and empirically grounded understanding of one of society's most powerful institutions through a sociological lens. It equips students to analyze how the law can both reinforce and challenge social inequalities, serve as a tool for social change or a mechanism of social control, and have its legitimacy constructed and contested in everyday life. This knowledge is invaluable not only for those pursuing careers in law, public policy, social justice, research, or sociology but for any engaged citizen seeking to comprehend the intricate and often hidden ways in which the legal system structures our social world and our lives within it.
Questions the Minor Seeks to Answer
- How can we define the concept of "law" in a way that accounts for different forms across cultures and history?
- How do we move beyond a Western perspective to understand the social origins of law and its profound power to shape human thought and behavior?
- How do people navigate disputes and injustices in their everyday lives? What does the frequent avoidance of official legal channels reveal about the system's accessibility and legitimacy?
- What determines the real-world impact of legal action?
- When individuals engage with the legal system, what are the actual outcomes, and how do they differ from the law's ideal promises?
How to apply
- First, review the list of course requirements;
- Second, complete this form once you complete all the courses (18 units);
- Third, meet with Soc Chair (Dr. Heidy Sarabia) or Advisor (Dr. Amalia Perez Martin) to get the advisor and/or chair signature;
- Finally, submit the form to the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies, by email to ugs@csus.edu, who will approve or disapprove the course of study.
- Please note that a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on all course work completed to this point (when application is submitted) is required for special minors.
- Also note that this program is currently considered a “special minor,” but a new Minor in Law and Society is currently under review by campus authorities.
Total Units Required for Minor completion: 12 units
Total Units Required for Minor completion: 12 units
Please note that major and minor courses cannot overlap.
Required Upper Division Course (3 units)
- SOC 159 - Sociology of Law - 3 Units
Upper Division Elective Courses (9 units):
Three or more of the following upper-division elective courses.
SOC 126 - Sociology of Gender
SOC 155 - Criminology - 3 Units (GE Area 4)
SOC 156 - Delinquency - 3 Units (GE Area 4)
SOC 157 - Issues in Courts and Prison (3 units)
SOC 158 - Sociology of Deviance (3 Units)
SOC 106 - Birth, Deaths, and Borders (3 units) (GE Area 4)
SOC 118 - Chicano Community (3 units) (GE Race and Ethnicity & GE Area 4)
SOC 120 - Ethnic and Race Relations (3 units) (GE Race and Ethnicity & Area 4)
SOC 122 - Immigration Studies (3 Units)
SOC 123 - Black Studies Sociology (3 Units)
SOC 124 - Social Justice in Interdisciplinary Perspective (3 Units) (crosslisted)
SOC 129 - Change and Migration in Latin America (3 units) (GE Area 3)
SOC 136 - Social Movements (3 units)
SOC 138 - Environmental Sociology (3 units) (crosslisted)
SOC 140 - Sociology of Education (3 Units)
SOC 160 - Asian Societies (3 units) (GE Area 3)
SOC 162 - Middle Eastern Societies and Cultures (3 units)
SOC 176 - Labor and the American Social Structure (3 units) (GE Writing Intensive)
SOC 195 - Sociology Internship and Fieldwork (3 units) (student must enroll 3 units and be placed at a law-related community organization listed at CEC Connect under the following focus areas: advocacy and human rights, civic engagement, inclusion and social justice, restorative justice)
POLS 120A – Constitutional Law
POLS 120B – Constitutional Rights & Liberties
POLS 121/HIST 180 – American Legal History
POLS 123 – Elements of Law
POLS 126 – Politics and Lawyers
POLS 127 – International Law
POLS 128/ENVS 128 – Environment and the Law
PHIL 155 – Philosophy of Law
HIST 151B – Founding Documents: American Democracy before 1800
HIST 151C – Slavery and the Constitution
HIST 165/ENVS 165 – American Environmental History
HIST 167B – Women and the Law in U.S. History
HIST 173 – The History of the Civil Rights Movement: From Reconstruction to Deconstruction, 1865-Present
CRJ 111 – Women and the Criminal Justice System
CRJ 116 – Restorative Justice and Conflict Resolution
CRJ 117 – American Criminal Justice and Minority Groups
CRJ 125 – Law of Responsibility
CRJ 126 – Law of Evidence
CRJ 127 – Juvenile Law
CRJ 129A/B/C – Law School Readiness Series
SWRK 134 – Crimes without Victims
SWRK 137 – The Child and the Law
Note: Other courses may satisfy the elective requirement but must be approved by the minor advisor.