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Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (AP) – Law and Society

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Location: S741 Ross Building, Tel.: 416-736-2100, ext. 66272
Website: http://www.yorku.ca/laps/sosc/laso
Program Coordinator: D. Szablowski, Social Science
Affiliated Faculty: A. Bunting, Social Science; S. Frederiksen, Social Science/Public Policy and Administration; L. Jacobs, Social Science/Political Science; T. Juric, Social Science; O. Kobzar, Social Science; J. Krikorian, Social Science/Political Science; A. Lunny, Social Science; P. McDermott, Social Science/Women’s Studies; M. Smith, Social Science; D. Soennecken, Social Science/Public Policy and Administration; D. Szablowski, Social Science; R. Weisman, Social Science/Sociology; K. White, Social Science

The Law and Society program is an undergraduate, interdisciplinary Honours program that examines law in its broader social and cultural context. It is one of the oldest and largest such legal studies programs in North America with an over 30-year history and approximately 1,000 majors. Our faculty brings a range of interdisciplinary expertise and training to the classroom and draw from fields as diverse as anthropology, history, philosophy, law, sociology, criminology and political science.

The goals of the Law and Society program are to promote the intellectual importance of the study of law and society, and law in society; to provide a framework within which students may explore different approaches to law using interdisciplinary resources as well as international and comparative perspectives; to equip students with critical skills for socio-legal study and research; and to sharpen a view of law as implicated in the everyday life of students. The program must be seen within the context of a liberal arts undergraduate education. It is designed for interested undergraduate students, whatever their future career orientation.

While some of our students will plan to go on to law school, we in Law and Society distinguish sharply between law as a vocation or profession, and law as an object of interdisciplinary study. In turn, many of our students will also choose to follow up our program with a graduate degree in a related field of the social sciences, humanities or public policy and administration studies. Some will also choose to go on to acquire additional qualifications in Legal Assistant, Conflict Mediation or Court and Tribunal Administration programs offered at various community colleges. Others still will pursue careers focused on social justice, education or journalism.