2018-19 General Catalog

27 Merrill College
(831) 459-2056
legalstudies@ucsc.edu
Department website

Faculty | Course Descriptions

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Program Description

Legal studies is an interdisciplinary, liberal arts major that provides multiple perspectives on legal issues and the conceptual frameworks of law. The program is housed within the Politics Department, but it is intended to appeal to students who wish to gain from a variety of disciplinary themes and methods.

Students who join our major have the opportunity to take courses with faculty from a range of backgrounds and disciplines in the social sciences and humanities, including law, but also politics, sociology, feminist studies, anthropology, economics, philosophy, and environmental studies. This allows our students to engage their interests through different approaches and analytical frameworks. For example, legal studies students might consider civil rights or privacy issues through approaches from critical race theory or feminist studies; they might use approaches from psychology and philosophy to think about problems of crime and punishment; they might use approaches from political theory and economics to think about property rights or market relations; and they might use approaches from history, sociology, and politics to think about human rights and legal systems outside the U.S.

Although legal studies may be of interest to students considering law school or law-related careers, the major is not designed as a “pre-law” preparation for law school.  Instead, it seeks to provide a broad academic platform from which students may pursue careers or advanced studies in various fields. Graduates from our program work in many areas: education and community services, technology and software engineering, business, consulting, and accounting, the entertainment industry, media, journalism, and communications, government, non-profits and non-governmental agencies, and in the legal profession. Our alums are also successful in pursuing graduate degrees in the humanities, social sciences, business, public policy, social work, as well as in law.

Legal studies encourages students to participate in program events, such as our Speakers Series, and to undertake law-related fieldwork or internships. Some students may also want to consider developing independent research projects on topics of special interest to them. In addition, legal studies encourages students to pursue additional academic opportunities. Possible programs include the UCDC program, a one-quarter program at the UC campus in Washington, D.C. that includes coursework and an internship, the Education Abroad Program (EAP), and the UC Center Sacramento, which offers a one-quarter study and internship program at the state capitol.  Students with strong academic preparation who know they want to attend law school may want to consider the UCSC/UC Hastings 3+3 program, in which students can apply to the UC Hastings Law School during their Junior Year and, if accepted, earn their B.A. and J.D. in six years.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the major, students will have met the following objectives.

• an understanding of the nature and function of law, including legal theory, institutions, and analysis;
• an understanding the role of law and legal institutions in the broader society, including the social, political, and economic context in which it operates;
• an understanding the unique nature of legal institutions and practices from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives;
• the ability to analyze and critically evaluate arguments about legal theories, practices, and institutions based on logic and evidence, and from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives; and
• the ability to develop, sustain, and communicate coherent written and oral arguments and analyses regarding legal issues based on appropriate empirical and/or theoretical evidence and logic.

Declaring the Major and Requirements of the Major

Declaring the major in legal studies is a two-step process:

1. Complete and pass Legal Studies 10 (LGST 10), Introduction to the Legal Process, with a grade of C or better;
2. Bring a completed declaration of major worksheet and legal studies major worksheet to the legal studies advising office to officially declare.

(Students who are informed that they are not eligible to declare the major may appeal this decision by submitting a letter to the department chair within 15 days from the date the notification was mailed. Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, the department will notify the student, college, and Office of the Registrar of the decision).

In addition to completing LGST 10, legal studies majors are required to take an introductory course in philosophy, a course on constitutional law, and a course on international or comparative law. They must also take courses in each of three broadly defined thematic areas: legal theory and philosophy, the role of law in society, and public law and legal institutions. Within the theory theme, students may take courses such as jurisprudence, logic, and social and political thought; within the law and society theme, courses range from feminism and race to psychology and economics; within the public law and institutions theme, courses range from environmental law to human rights law to an introduction to litigation. To fulfill the senior exit requirement, students can take a senior capstone seminar or they may opt to write a senior thesis.

Students develop a program of study during the major declaration process. The major requirements consist of 11 courses, mapped out below. Please also see the bottom of the page for a 4-year Sample Course plan for legal studies majors.

1. Lower-Division Course Requirements—2 courses

Legal Studies 10, Introduction to the Legal Process. All students are required to complete and pass LGST 10 prior to declaring the major. This course is normally taken the first year.

Philosophy 9, 22, or 24 (logic or ethics). All legal studies majors are required to take one of these Philosophy courses (transfer students are strongly encouraged to take a similar course prior to enrolling at UCSC). (See the Philosophy section of the UCSC general catalog for course descriptions.)

2. Upper-Division Course Requirements—2 courses

111A, Constitutional Law or 111B, Civil Liberties

and

160B International Law or 116 Comparative Law

3. Core Course Fulfilling Thematic Requirements—6 courses

Legal studies majors are required to take six core courses, two in each of the following three thematic areas or concentrations: A. theory, B. public law and institutions, and C. law and society.

A. Theory

103 Feminist Interventions (Politics course)
105A Ancient Political Thought
105B Early Modern Political Thought
105C Modern Political Thought
106 Marxism as a Method
109 Legal Theory
109 Orientalism (Politics course)
128C Genealogy of Political Thoughts on Democracy, Socialism, and Anarchism
128J The World Jury on Trial
144 Social and Political Philosophy
146 Philosophy of Law
155 Topics in American Legal History
157 Political Jurisprudence

B. Public Law and Institutions

111A Constitutional Law
111C Issues in Constitutional Law
115 Law and the Holocaust
116 Comparative Law120A Congress, President, and the Court in American Politics
120C State and Capitalism in American Political Development
125 History of U.S. Penal Law
128 Poverty and Public Policy
128J The World Jury on Trial
128M International Law and Global Justice
131 Wildlife, Wilderness, and the Law
132 California Water Law and Policy
133 Law of Democracy
134 Congress: Representation and Legislation in Comparative Perspective
135 Native Peoples Law
136 Federal Indian Law and Tribal Sovereignty
137 International Environmental Law and Policy
139 War Crimes
149 Environmental Law and Policy
152 Courts and Litigation
155 Topics in American Legal History
156 Administrative Jurisprudence
159 Property and the Law
167 Politics of International Trade
171 Law of War
175 Human Rights

C. Law and Society

107 Political Morality of Survivorship and Recovery
108 Gender, Sexuality, and the Law
110 Law and Social Issues
111B Civil Liberties
112 Women and the Law (Politics)
113 Gay Rights and the Law
114 Jews, Anti-Semitism, and the American Legal System
117 Sports, Law, and Politics
120B Society and Democracy in American Political Development
120C State and Capitalism in American Political Development
121 Black Politics and Federal Social Policy
122 The Sociology of Law
123 Law, Crime, and Social Justice
126 Law and Politics in Contemporary Japan and East Asian Societies
127 Drugs and Society
128I Race and Criminal Justice
135 Native Peoples Law
138 Political Anthropology
142 Anthropology of Law
147A Psychology and Law
147B Psychology and Law
150 Children and the Law
151 Politics of Law
154 The Legal Profession
155 Topics in American Legal History
160A Industrial Organization
162 Legal Environment of Business
169 Economic Analysis of the Law
183 Women in the Economy

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students in every major must satisfy that major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement. The DC Requirement in legal studies is satisfied by completing one of the following three alternatives:

1. Completion of legal studies 111A and legal studies 160B, or
2. Completion of legal studies 196, or
3. Completion of a senior thesis, legal studies 195A, B, C (2-3 quarters).

Comprehensive Requirement—1 course

Students can satisfy the comprehensive requirement in the legal studies major by successfully completing one of the following:

Senior Thesis (2-3 quarters). Completion of a senior thesis (legal studies 195A-B-C) of a minimum of 50 pages with a substantial research content, supervised by a legal studies faculty member.

Senior Capstone. The capstone (legal studies 196) is designed to provide an interdisciplinary integration of themes related to the study of law and includes a substantial writing requirement.

Honors

Honors in the legal studies major are awarded to graduating seniors, based primarily on a review of grades, whose academic performance is judged to be consistently excellent by a faculty committee. Highest honors in the major are reserved for students with consistently outstanding academic performance.

Requirements for the Minor

To complete a minor in legal studies, a student must take LGST 10 and any five, upper-division legal studies core courses numbered 101-190.

Transfer Students

Transfer students considering the legal studies major at UCSC are strongly encouraged to complete most, if not all, general education requirements during their prior college/community college experience. Transfers are also strongly encouraged to complete a philosophy course in ethics or logic at their prior institution, which can be used to fulfill one of our basic major requirements (UCSC Philosophy courses 9, 22, or 24).  To ensure that students are on track for meeting these goals, they need connect with their community college advisors for guidance and course planning.

Transfer students cannot declare the legal studies major until they complete LGST 10, Introduction to the Legal Process, at UCSC  (four-year students face the same requirement). However, transfer students can designate legal studies as their intended major and begin working toward the major as soon as they arrive at UCSC.  Students who wish to pursue the legal studies major should arrange to meet with the legal studies undergraduate adviser as early as possible to discuss plans for enrolling in LGST 10, declaring the major, and other course planning. Students should bring a copy of their UCSC Transfer Credit Summary to the meeting with the undergraduate advisor. This may be printed from the student portal. They are also strongly encouraged to attend the UCSC Summer Orientation Transfer Day and UCSC Summer Academy, if possible. This will help ensure a smooth transition.

A sample two-year course plan for transfer students majoring in legal studies is provided below.

Two-Year Sample Transfer Course Plan
Timing	Course Type	Credits
Pre-UCSC Enrollment and at Prior College	Students considering the legal studies major are strongly encouraged to complete as many GEs as possible, and to take a philosophy, logic, or ethics course that can fulfill the major requirement. They should work with a community college adviser for guidance.
Summer/ Orientation to UCSC	Transfer students are strongly encouraged to attend the UCSC Summer Orientation (Transfer Day) and UCSC Summer Academy. If you do so, the undergraduate adviser for legal studies can help plan your schedule, including helping secure enrollment in the required gateway course for the major, LGST 10.
Fall Year 1	LGST 10, Introduction to the Legal Process	5
	Philosophy 9 (if no equivalent previously completed)	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
Winter Year 1	Any LGST core fulfilling Law and Society (LS) Theme	5
	Any LGST core fulfilling Public Law and Institutions (PLI) theme	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Note: Student declares major in winter quarter after completing LGST 10 in fall with a C or better.
Spring Year 1	Any LGST core fulfilling Law and Society (LS) Theme	5
	Any LGST core fulfilling Public Law and Institutions (PLI) theme	5
	Any LGST core fulfilling Theory theme (T)	5
Summer Year 1	Option to take LGST coursework during Summer Session to accelerate completion of degree
Fall Year 2	LGST 111A, Constitutional Law or LGST 111B, Ciivil Liberties (required)	5
	Any LGST core fulfilling Theory theme (T)	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
Winter Year 2	LGST 196, (Senior Capstone)	5
	LGST 160B, International Law or LGST 116, Comparative Law (required)	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Note Student completes LGST major requirements by the end of winter quarter (year 2).
Spring Year 2	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
		90 credits
See the UCSC legal studies website to view courses and designations for which courses fulfill the majors' three-core thematic requirements: Theory, Law and Society, and Public Law and Institutions

A sample four-year course plan for students majoring in legal studies is provided below.

Four-Year Sample Course Planner
Timing	Course Type	Credits
Summer/ Orientation to UCSC	Students considering the legal studies major are strongly encouraged to attend the UCSC Summer Orientation and legal studies orientation.
Fall Year 1	LGST 10, Introduction to the Legal Process (required to officially declare the legal studies major)	5
	Philosophy 9, 22, or 24	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
Winter Year 1	Any LGST core fulfilling Law and Society (LS) theme	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Note: Student declares major in winter quarter after completing LGST 10 in fall with a C or better.	5
Spring Year 1	Any LGST core fulfilling Public Law and Institutions (PLI) theme	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course
Summer Year 1	Option to take LGST coursework during Summer Session to accelerate completion of degree
Fall Year 2	Any LGST core fulfilling Theory theme (T)	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
Winter Year 2	LGST 111A, Constitutional Law or LGST 111B, Ciivil Liberties (required)
		5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
Spring Year 2	Any LGST core fulfilling Law and Society (LS) Theme	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
Summer Year 2	Option to take LGST coursework during Summer Session to accelerate completion of degree.
Fall Year 3	Any LGST core fulfilling Public Law and Institutions (PLI) theme	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
Winter Year 3	LGST 160B, International Law or LGST 116, Comparative Law (required)	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
Spring Year 3	Any LGST core fulfilling Theory theme (T)	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
Summer Year 3	Option to take LGST coursework during Summer Session to accelerate completion of degree
Fall Year 4	LGST 196, (Senior Capstone)	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	LGST major requirements completed on this sample plan.
Winter Year 4	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
Spring Year 4	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
	Any 5-credit GE needed, or an elective course	5
		180 credits
See the UCSC legal studies website to view courses and designations for which courses fulfill the majors' three-core thematic requirements: Theory, Law and Society, and Public Law and Institutions.

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Revised: 07/15/18