Program Overview

Introduction to Law and Society Program

The Law and Society program at Acadia University is an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary undergraduate program in the Faculty of Arts. Students have the choice to complete an Honours, Major, or Minor in Law and Society (LAWS). The Co-op Program is also available for LAWS students.

Program Requirements

Honours in LAWS

• Students undertaking Honours in Law and Society must complete a minimum of 51 credit hours in Law and Society and cross-listed courses.
• There are 10 required courses (30 credit hours), as well as four courses (12 credit hours) that must be completed from Core Law and Society courses.
• The remaining three courses (9 credit hours) can be chosen from the Law and Society cross-listed courses.
• Of the courses completed for Honours, seven courses (21 credit hours) must be at the 3000/4000 level.
• Each course offered towards Honours must be completed with a minimum grade of B-.
• A program GPA of 3.0 is required in order to declare and graduate with Honours.
• Required Law and Society Courses for Honours:
  • LAWS 1003 or LAWS 1013 Introduction to Law and Society
  • LAWS 2003 Theories of Law and Justice
  • LAWS 3003 Approaches to Law and Society
  • LAWS 4003 Issues in Law and Society
  • LAWS 407T Honours Thesis 1
  • LAWS 408T Honours Thesis 2
  • PHIL 2813 Logic and Critical Thinking
  • POLS 1303 Introduction to Law, Politics, and Government or SOCI 1013 Introduction to Canadian Society
  • ENGL 1413 or 1483 Writing and Reading Critically 1
  • ENGL 1423 or 1493 Writing and Reading Critically 2
• Note: Students honouring in Law and Society must also complete a Minor in another discipline as part of the BA requirements.

Major in LAWS

• Students undertaking a Major in Law and Society must complete 42 credit hours in Law and Society and cross-listed courses.
• There are eight required courses (24 credit hours), as well as four courses (12 credit hours) that must be completed from Core Law and Society courses.
• The remaining two courses (6 credit hours) can be chosen from the Law and Society cross-listed courses.
• Of the courses completed for the Major, six courses (18 credit hours) must be at the 3000/4000 level.
• For a course to count towards your Major, you must receive a grade of C- or higher.
• Required Law and Society Courses for Major:
  • LAWS 1003 or LAWS 1013 Introduction to Law and Society
  • LAWS 2003 Theories of Law and Justice
  • LAWS 3003 Approaches to Law and Society
  • LAWS 4003 Issues in Law and Society
  • PHIL 2813 Logic and Critical Thinking
  • POLS 1303 Introduction to Law, Politics, and Government or SOCI 1013 Introduction to Canadian Society
  • ENGL 1413 or 1483 Writing and Reading Critically 1
  • ENGL 1423 or 1493 Writing and Reading Critically 2
• Note: Students majoring in Law and Society must also complete a Minor in another discipline.

Major with Co-op Option

• Law and Society students may complete the co-op option to make work study terms part of their BA experience.
• Acadia University's Co-op Program is nationally accredited and integrates study terms with paid, discipline-related work terms.
• Co-op students complete a minimum of three 4-month work terms or a 12 or 16-month internship.
• Students apply to co-op at the beginning of their 2nd year, but 3rd year students are also welcome (depending on total credits completed).

Second Major in LAWS

• BA students have the option of double-majoring.
• For a double-Major, you choose a first Major and a second Major.
• Students undertaking a Second Major in Law and Society must complete 36 credit hours in Law and Society and cross-listed courses.
• There are six required courses (18 credit hours), as well as four courses (12 credit hours) that must be completed from the Core Law and Society courses.
• The remaining two courses (6 credit hours) can be chosen from the Law and Society cross-listed courses.
• Of the courses completed for the Second Major, 18 credit hours must be at the 3000/4000 level.
• The requirements for a Second Major vary by faculty and program of study.

Minor in LAWS

• A Minor in Law and Society has two required courses: LAWS 1003 and LAWS 2003.
• The remaining courses for the Minor are chosen from Law and Society courses and cross-listed courses.
• Other than LAWS courses, no more than 12 credit hours (i.e., 4 courses) can be from a single discipline.
• For a course to count towards your Minor, you must receive a grade of C- or higher.
• Required Law and Society Courses for Minor:
  • LAWS 1003 Introduction to Law and Society
  • LAWS 2003 Theories of Law and Justice

Courses

LAWS Courses

• LAWS 1003 Introduction to Law and Society
• LAWS 1013 Introduction to Law and Society for Majors
• LAWS 2003 Theories of Law and Justice
• LAWS 2723 Canadian Criminal Justice
• LAWS 3003 Approaches to Law and Society
• LAWS 3013 Special Topics in Law and Society
• LAWS 3023 Language and the Law
• LAWS 3703 Crime and Punishment
• LAWS 4003 Issues in Law and Society
• LAWS 407T Honours Thesis 1
• LAWS 408T Honours Thesis 2

Core Law and Society Courses

• Majors, Second Majors, and Honours must complete four courses (12 credit hours) from the pool of Core Law and Society courses.
• BUSI 3613 Business Law
• BUSI 3623 Business Law 2
• CLAS 3113 Roman Law
• ECON 3363 Law and Economics
• ENVS 3113 Legal Issues in Environmental Science
• HIST 2653 Law and Life in Medieval England
• HIST 3663 Law and Punishment in Canada Before 1900
• HIST 3303 Genocide and Justice
• IDST 3123 Family Law
• LAWS 2723 Canadian Criminal Justice / SOCI 2723 Canadian Criminal Justice
• LAWS 3013 Special Topics in Law and Society
• LAWS 3023 Language and the Law
• LAWS 3703 Crime and Punishment / SOCI 3703 Crime and Punishment
• PHIL 2713 Biomedical Ethics
• PHIL 3713 Advanced Biomedical Ethics
• PHIL 3203 Philosophy of Law: Rights, Laws and Judges
• PHIL 3213 Philosophy of Law: Private Law
• POLS 3463 Law and Politics in Canada
• POLS 3063 Indigenous Law and Governance in Canada
• POLS 3083 Issues in International Law
• POLS 3163 Law, Religion, and the Modern State
• POLS 3563 Women, Gender and the Law in Canada
• POLS 4403 Canadian Constitutional Law
• SOCI 2023 Sociology of Law
• SOCI 3743 Criminal Law and Social Policy

Cross-Listed Courses

• For students completing an Honours, Major, or Minor in Law and Society, the remaining courses needed to complete their program requirements are drawn from these cross-listed courses.
• BUSI 2993 Professional Development
• BUSI 3323 Employment Relations
• BUSI 3613 Business Law
• BUSI 3623 Business Law 2
• BUSI 3643 Consumer Law
• BUSI 3753 Gender and Diversity in Organizations
• BUSI 4313 Labour Relations
• BUSI 4663 Project Management
• CLAS 2733 The Archaeology of Daily Life in the Ancient Mediterranean
• CLAS 2823 Race & Ethnicity in the Ancient Mediterranean
• CLAS 3113 Roman Law
• ECON 1013 Microeconomic Principles
• ECON 2713 Econ Natural Environment
• ECON 3363 Law and Economics
• ECON 3413 Public Finance
• ECON 3523 Industrial Organization 1
• ECON 3823 Urban Economics
• ENGL 1413 or 1483 Writing and Reading Critically 1
• ENGL 1423 or 1493 Writing and Reading Critically 2
• ENVS 3113 Legal Issues in Environmental Science
• ESST 2013 Environmental Justice & Equity
• HIST 1533 Britain in World History to 1707
• HIST 2313 The Dilemma of Modern America
• HIST 2503 Age of Lincoln
• HIST 2653 Law and Life in Medieval England
• HIST 3303 Genocide and Justice
• HIST 3663 Law and Punishment in Canada Before 1900
• HIST 3473 Power and Statecraft
• IDST 3103 Environmental Law
• IDST 3123 Family Law
• PHIL 1413 Introduction to Philosophy: God, Ethics and Justice
• PHIL 2713 Biomedical Ethics
• PHIL 2813 Logic and Critical Thinking
• PHIL 2923 Philosophical Issues in Science and Technology
• PHIL 2823 Symbolic Logic
• PHIL 2323 Ethics in the World
• PHIL 2313 Ethical Theory
• PHIL 3203 Philosophy of Law: Rights, Laws and Judges
• PHIL 3213 Philosophy of Law: Private Law
• PHIL 3223 Kantian Practical Reason
• PHIL 3713 Advanced Biomedical Ethics
• POLS 1303 Law, Politics & Government
• POLS 1403 Global Politics, Law and Culture
• POLS 2003 Intro to Public Policy
• POLS 2223 Canadian Politics
• POLS 2683 Global Politics
• POLS 2893 Comparative Politics
• POLS 3063 Indigenous Law and Governance in Canada
• POLS 3083 Issues in International Law
• POLS 3163 Law, Religion, and the Modern State
• POLS 3173 Model United Nations
• POLS 3433 Modern Political Theory
• POLS 3463 Law and Politics in Canada
• POLS 3503 Canadian Public Administration
• POLS 3563 Women, Gender and the Law in Canada
• POLS 4403 Canadian Constitutional Law
• POLS 4603 First Nations Peoples: Law, Politics and Policy in Canada
• POLS 4803 Canadian Public Policy
• POLS 4883 Politics of Human Rights
• PSYC 2183 Human Sexuality
• PSYC 2113 Abnormal Psychology
• PSYC 2103 Social Psychology
• PSYC 3623 Forensic Psychology
• SOCI 1013 Introduction to Canadian Society
• SOCI 2023 Sociology of Law
• SOCI 2113 Issues in Developing Societies
• SOCI 2413 Indigeneity and Sociology
• SOCI 2723 Canadian Criminal Justice (Note: cross-coded with LAWS 2723)
• SOCI 2753 Principles of Criminology
• SOCI 3183 Rape & Sexual Assault in Canada: A Socio-Historical View
• SOCI 3263 The Sociology of Health and Healthcare
• SOCI 3793 Violence
• SOCI 3703 Crime and Punishment (Note: cross-coded with LAWS 3703)
• SOCI 3743 Criminal Law and Social Policy
• THEA 2753 Performance Voice and Speech 1
• THEA 2763 Performance Voice and Speech 2
• WGST 2913 Global Women's Movements

First Year Students

Planning your first year as a Law and Society Major

• In your first year, please plan to take the following courses, which are required for your LAWS Major:
  • LAWS 1013 Introduction to Law and Society for Majors OR LAWS 1003 Introduction to Law and Society
  • POLS 1303 Introduction to Law, Politics, and Government OR SOCI 1013 Introduction to Canadian Society
  • ENGL 1413 OR 1483 Writing and Reading Critically 1
  • ENGL 1423 OR 1493 Writing and Reading Critically 2
• Arts Core: All Bachelor of Arts students are required to complete the Arts Core as part of their degree.
• The Arts Core requirements are:
  • 6 credit hours in a single language other than English
  • 6 credit hours in English at the 1000-level
  • 6 credit hours of Social Science
  • 6 credit hours of Humanities
  • 6 credit hours of Science
• We recommend that you complete as much of the Arts Core in your first year as possible.

Artificial Intelligence Policy

• Students are not permitted to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) software in a Law and Society course without the explicit permission of the course instructor.
• Violations of this policy may constitute a breach of Acadia University's policy on academic integrity.