Law and Society

Required Courses

In your second year, plan to take the following courses, which are required for your LAWS Major:

• LAWS 2003 Theories of Law and Justice
• PHIL 2813 Logic and Critical Thinking

If you have not already completed these required courses with a C- or higher, plan to take them in your second year:

• LAWS 1013 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

Core and Cross-listed LAWS Courses

A LAWS Major requires that you complete four courses (12 credit hours) from the list of Core Law and Society courses. These Core courses are listed HERE. In your second year, plan to take at least one course from this Core list.

A LAWS Major requires that you complete two courses (6 credit hours) from the Law and Society cross-listed courses. These cross-listed courses are listed HERE. In your second year, it will be helpful to complete one of these cross-listed courses. It is not advisable to leave both of these courses until your fourth year of study.

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: e.g., French, German, Greek, Latin, Spanish
• 6 credit hours in English at the 1000-level
• 6 credit hours of Social Science: Economics, Law and Society, Politics, Sociology, or Women's and Gender Studies
• 6 credit hours of Humanities: Art, Classics, Comparative Religion, History, Law and Society, Philosophy, Music, Women's and Gender Studies (Note: Studio classes in Art and Music do not fulfil this requirement)
• 6 credit hours of Science: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering (APSC), Geology, Math, Nutrition, Physics, or Psychology

Arts Core requirements should be completed by the end of your second year. Please keep in mind that you will complete some of these Arts Core requirements as part of your LAWS Major. These required LAWS courses will meet the Arts Core requirements for English (6 CH), Social Science (6 CH) and Humanities (6 CH):

• ENGL 1413/1483 and ENGL 1423/1493 meet the 6 credit hours in English requirement
• POLS 1303 or SOCI 1013 meet 3 credit hours of the 6 credit hours requirement in Social Science
• LAWS 1003/1013 meets 3 credit hours of the 6 credit hours requirement in either Humanities or Social Science
• LAWS 2003, which you will likely take in your second year, meets 3 credit hours of the 6 credit hours requirement in either Humanities or Social Sciences
• PHIL 2813, which you will likely take in your second year, meets 3 credit hours of the 6 credit hours requirement in Humanities

How many courses and at what level?

Typically, students take five courses in each semester (Fall & Winter). By your second year, you will have a better sense of whether five courses per semester is right for you. If your sessional grade point average from your previous session (Fall & Winter) was 2.5 or greater, you can take up to 33 credit hours (i.e., overload). If it was 3.0 or greater, you will be able to take 36 credit hours.

In your second year, you will likely be taking a mix of 1000-, 2000- and 3000-level courses. Most of your courses are likely to be at the 2000-level. It is ok to take one or two 3000-level courses, but more than this is not expected or recommended. As a general guide, think in terms of: 1000-level for year 1, 2000-level for year 2, 3000-level for year 3, and 4000-level for year four.

Keep in mind that you need 120 credit hours in order to graduate with a BA. Passing five courses each semester will put you on pace to graduate after four years (5 courses [=15 credit hours] x 8 semesters  = 120 credit hours).

Plan to declare a Minor

Students majoring in Law and Society must also complete a Minor in another discipline as part of their BA requirements. Students can declare a Minor at any time, from the Academic Units that offer minors. By your second year, you should be considering your Minor options and taking courses in the academic units you are considering for your Minor. You should plan to declare your Minor before your third year to ensure appropriate course selection and program plans. A BA Minor must be a minimum of 24 credit hours and all courses must receive a grade of C- or higher.

Remember that you cannot "double count" courses for both your Major and Minor. For example, if your Minor is Politics, POLS 3163 can count towards your LAWS Major or your POLS Minor, but not both.

Want to learn more?

Students are encouraged to contact the Law and Society Coordinator if they have questions regarding program requirements and course registration. There are also additional advising resources available on the Law and Society's Moodle site.

Required Courses

In your third year, plan to take LAWS 3003 Approaches to Law and Society, which is required for your LAWS Major.

If you have not already completed these required courses with a C- or higher, plan to take them in your third year:

• LAWS 2003 Theories of Law and Justice
• PHIL 2813 Logic and Critical Thinking
• LAWS 1013 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

Core and Cross-listed LAWS Courses

A LAWS Major requires that you complete four courses (12 credit hours) from the list of Core Law and Society courses. These Core courses are listed HERE. The number of Core courses you take in your third year will depend on the number of Core courses you have already completed. If you completed one course from the Core list in your second year, taking two courses from this Core list in your third year is recommended.

A LAWS Major requires that you complete two courses (6 credit hours) from the Law and Society cross-listed courses. These cross-listed courses are listed HERE. In your third year, plan to complete this cross-listed requirement if possible. It is not advisable to leave both of these courses until your fourth year of study.

Arts Core

All Bachelor of Arts students are required to complete the Arts Core as part of their degree. Arts Core requirements should be completed by the end of your second year. If you have any components of the Arts Core left entering your third year, plan to complete them. To learn more about the Arts Core requirements, go to the First Year Students page.

How many courses and at what level?

Typically, students take five courses in each semester (Fall & Winter). By your third year, you will know whether five courses per semester is right for you. If your sessional grade point average from your previous session (Fall & Winter) was 2.5 or greater, you can take up to 33 credit hours (i.e., overload). If it was 3.0 or greater, you will be able to take 36 credit hours.

In your third year, you will likely be taking a mix of 2000-, 3000-level, and 4000-level courses. Most of your courses are likely to be at the 2000- and 3000-level. It is ok to take one or two 4000-level courses, but more than this is not expected or recommended. As a general guide, think in terms of: 1000-level for year 1, 2000-level for year 2, 3000-level for year 3, and 4000-level for year four.

Of the courses completed for the Major, six courses (18 credit hours) must be at the 3000/4000 level. LAWS 3003 and LAWS 4003 are required for your Law and Society Major (i.e., 6 credit hours). You should plan to take the remaining four courses (i.e., 12 credit hours) from the Core and cross-listed course lists.

Keep in mind that you need 120 credit hours in order to graduate with a BA. Passing five courses each semester will put you on pace to graduate after four years (5 courses [=15 credit hours] x 8 semesters  = 120 credit hours).

Your Minor

Students majoring in Law and Society must also complete a Minor in another discipline as part of their BA requirements. By your third year, you should have declared your Minor and be working towards completing it. A BA Minor must be a minimum of 24 credit hours (i.e., 8 courses) and all courses must receive a grade of C- or higher.

Remember that you cannot "double count" courses for both your Major and Minor. For example, if your Minor is Politics, POLS 3163 can count towards your LAWS Major or your POLS Minor, but not both.

Want to learn more?

Students are encouraged to contact the Law and Society Coordinator if they have questions regarding program requirements and course registration. There are also additional advising resources available on the Law and Society's Moodle site.