Program Overview

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Introduction to the Legal Studies Program

The Legal Studies major at the University of WisconsinMadison provides a liberal arts education that focuses on law, legal processes, legal institutions, and their operation in society. This interdisciplinary program allows students to explore a wide range of courses offered by various units, including Sociology, Psychology, Religious Studies, Political Science, Educational Policy, African American Studies, Philosophy, Gender and Womens Studies, American Indian Studies, Chicanx/e & Latinx/e Studies, English, and History.

Program Structure

The curriculum is designed around five theme groups, each associated with a group of courses that incorporate comparative and historical approaches. These themes include:

• Theme Group 1: Legal Institutions - Institutions are at the core of social life, governing interactions, distributing power and resources, and influencing how we make sense of the world. Courses in this theme group focus on those institutions involved in the creation and application of law.
• Theme Group 2: Processes of Legal Order and Disorder - This theme examines the dynamics of order at the individual and societal levels, addressing how social and political biases relate to divisions of class, race, and gender.
• Theme Group 3: Law and Social Forces - This theme group explores the intersection between law, social structures, and social movements, particularly in the context of social inequality and the struggle for equality.
• Theme Group 4: Law, Literature, and Culture - Courses in this theme group introduce students to legal thought, institutions, and practices beyond mainstream or contemporary legal systems, presenting culturally based challenges to these systems.
• Theme Group 5: Law and Theory - This theme focuses on theoretical and philosophical questions about law, its nature, sources, contents, and relations to other aspects of social life.

Requirements for the Major

To complete the Legal Studies major, students must fulfill the following requirements:

• Introductory Course: Choose one introductory course from the specified list.
• Theme 1: Legal Institutions: Two courses are required from this theme group.
• Theme Distribution: Four courses are required from at least three of the theme groups (excluding Theme 1).
• Methods and Research: Two courses, one each from Research Design and Statistics, are required.
• Core Perspectives: Complete one Core Perspectives course.
• Electives: Complete at least two courses and any additional credits needed to reach 36 credits in the major.
• Global Legal Systems: At least two courses must have substantial content dealing with countries or cultures outside the United States, or with the international legal system.
• Race and Justice Studies: At least one course must have substantial content dealing with race and justice studies.

Residence and Quality of Work

Students must maintain a 2.000 GPA in all LEGAL ST and major courses, as well as a 2.000 GPA on 15 upper-level major credits taken in residence. Additionally, 15 credits in LEGAL ST and courses for the major must be taken on campus.

Honors in the Major

To earn Honors in the Major in Legal Studies, students must satisfy both the requirements for the major and additional requirements, including a 3.300 University GPA, completion of a two-semester Senior Honors thesis, and earning a B or better grade in each Honors course.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the Legal Studies major, students will be able to:

1. Analyze and articulate their own arguments about how social, political, and cultural phenomena shape law and legal systems.
2. Analyze and articulate their own arguments about the social, political, and cultural impacts of law at the societal and individual levels.
3. Demonstrate knowledge about how legal ideas and ideologies have changed over time and have shaped law and legal systems.
4. Demonstrate their abilities to find, interpret, and utilize resources relevant to law and society.
5. Demonstrate their abilities to analyze information, to write clearly and persuasively, and to construct original arguments.

Four-Year Plan

A sample four-year plan is provided to guide students in completing the major requirements, including the fulfillment of University General Education Requirements, College of Letters & Science Degree Requirements, and the specific requirements for the Legal Studies major.

Advising and Careers

The Center for Law, Society, and Justice offers advising appointments and resources to help students navigate the major and explore career opportunities. SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science also provides guidance on career advising, internships, and graduate school admission.