THE
UNIVERSITY SENATE OF
Proposal 14-08
(Voting Units: Academic)
MINOR IN LAW
AND SOCIETY
Department of
Social Sciences
1. Introduction
The Department of Social
Sciences proposes a Minor in Law and Society designed to provide students from
all majors with an opportunity to explore this field of study. A Law and Society concentration for Social
Science majors already exists.
2. Rationale
Legal and policy-related
issues affect many aspects of social and professional life and can be
intriguing and puzzling to students from majors across the campus. A minor in law and society complements our
curriculum by allowing students to explore their interests in this area and by
stimulating further interest in their own major as they develop new ways to
view the significant ethical, legal, and political issues in their profession
as well as in society at large.
Moreover, because
post-graduate education in law is open to graduates from any field, students
from all majors continually express interest in learning more about law in
order to see if they wish to pursue post-graduate opportunities in the legal
field. Indeed, many Michigan Tech alumni
who are practicing attorneys have expressed the hope that students here might
have opportunities to learn about law while undergraduates, especially since
they face a rather steep learning curve in law school with only an engineering
or science background. For example, the
field of patent law is particularly attractive to Michign Tech science and
engineering majors as one cannot practice patent law without a degree in
science or engineering. Due to this
restriction, lawyers with engineering expertise face particularly good career
options if they wish to pursue a legal degree.
In sum, this minor has been
developed to fill a specific niche in Michigan Tech’s curriculum, to satisfy
requests by students interested in legal careers, and in response to alumni who
are attorneys and who see the value in providing all students with this kind of
opportunity.
3. Catalog copy
I.
Title of Minor
Minor in Law and Society
II.
Catalog Description
The Minor in Law
and Society focuses on the nature, place, and meaning of law and policy in a
changing society. This minor provides
students with an opportunity to engage in legal reasoning and learn more about
legal careers and the judicial system, while developing their understanding of
how ethics, commerce, and culture impact legal and policy choices. This minor is open to all students except
those majoring in Social Science with a concentration in Law and Society.
III. List of Courses
To
receive a Minor in Law and Society, a student must earn at least 17 credit
hours of minor-related courses, with no more than 6 credit hours at the 1000-
or 2000-level and at least 6 credit hours of 3000-level or higher courses not
required for their major degree except as free electives.
Introductory
Topics in Legal Studies/Political Science (2 or 3 cr)
(Choose
one of the following courses)
SS 1002 Orientation to Legal Careers (2 cr)
SS 2610 Intro to Law and Society (alt) (3 cr)
Intermediate and Advanced Topics in Legal
Studies/Political Science and Policy (9 cr)
(Choose
9 cr of the following courses, all of which are 3 credits)
SS 3300 Environmental Problems (alt)
SS 3600 American Foreign Policy (alt)
SS 3610 International Law (alt)
SS 3630 Environmental Policy and Politics
SS 3640 Topics in Cyber Law and Policy (alt)
SS 3650 Intellectual Property Law (alt)
SS 3660 Constitutional Law (alt)
SS 3710 Social Problems (alt) or SS 3750 Social Inequality (alt)
SS 3801 Science, Technology, and Society
SS 4100 American Indian Political Issues (alt)
SS 4705 Critical Race Theory
FW 3110 Natural Resource Policy
Courses
in Law, Business, Ethics and Philosophy (6 cr)
(Choose
6 credits within the following courses, all of which are 3 credits.
BA 2500 Business Law I or BA 3580 Legal Environment of Business
HU 2700 Intro to Philosophy and Ethics or HU 2701 Logic and Critical
Thinking
HU 2702 Ethical Theory and Moral Problems
HU 3621 Journalism
HU 3710 Engineering Ethics or HU 3711 Biomedical Ethics
HU 4701 Political Philosophy
PSY 4220 Law and Psychology (pre-req PSY 2000)
Where
there is an “or” option noted, students may only use one of the course
options for credit toward the Law and Society minor. All prerequisites (other than UN1002 or 2002)
are listed above. Courses offered in
alternating years are designated (alt).
4.
New Courses in Support of this Minor
We do not need to propose any new
courses in order to offer this minor.
5. Estimated Costs
There are no costs associated with adding this minor.
All courses listed above are currently being offered. There are adequate library and electronic resources
for the minor.
Adopted by Senate: 13 February 2008
Approved by Administration: 18 February 2008