Law and Society Program

Degrees Offered What is Law and Society? Why Take This Program? Required Courses Career Paths How To Apply Have More Questions	Student and Alumni News  Research Profile: Can there be an end to Genocide?    What can I do with my degree?

 

Degrees Offered

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
• Co-operative Education

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What is Law and Society?

Laws are fundamental to any successful society. Throughout history, as communities and countries have struggled to create and nurture robust economies and higher standards of living for their citizens, social and legal institutions have been essential to their efforts. Law and Society is the study of how legal and social systems are interconnected, how people live and how law is woven into communities. Students gain an understanding of what happens when legal innovations and institutions succeed and when they fail.

The international scope of the Law and Society program investigates how legal systems affect every aspect of life and compares legal systems from several jurisdictions, regions and cultures including North America, Great Britain, Europe, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Students learn about political, social, and legal concepts and, statutes as well as public advocacy documents, public debates about socio-legal issues, statistical and analytical research studies and court and tribunal decisions. As well, students study the founding and central tenets of Canadian jurisprudence and examine Canadian political and legal history.

As an interdisciplinary liberal arts program, the Law and Society major encompasses many diverse disciplines of study - among them anthropology, economics, humanities, business management, philosophy, economics, political science and sociology.

The program gives students strong critical and theoretical skills as well as broad appreciation of socio-legal movements.  It emphasizes research and reasoning, and offers students opportunities to explore a variety of political, legal and social systems. Students investigate their own beliefs, notions and experiences - and develop new perspectives. They learn to search out, analyze and write about complex legal and social concepts and issues. As a discipline, Law and Society, provides an opportunity to gain a broad and intricate knowledge of legal and social institutions that contribute to students becoming engaged and active citizens in local, national and international spheres.

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Why Take This Program

Experiential learning

The law profession depends on the ability to search out, analyze and commit to paper complicated legal and social concepts. Law and Society at the University of Calgary provides training in legal research and reasoning and offers opportunity for exposure to political, legal and social systems. Students develop strong critical analytical written and oral skills through active classroom discussion, while senior courses provide an opportunity to perform directed legal research. Law and Society students also acquire team-building skills through work on group projects.

Understanding your world

If you are interested in understanding social and legal structures that underpin our society, the Law and Society program will engage you. Laws provide the essential founding elements of any successful society. As we watch former Eastern Bloc and developing countries struggle to create robust economies and higher standards of living, it is clear the rule of law is essential to this effort. For example, countries such as Poland, which have concentrated on creating and maintaining strong legal institutions are far more successful and demonstrate more economic and political stability than those that have ignored the essential role of law in building and maintaining society.

Make the connection

By providing a good theoretical and research base, the Law and Society program makes the links between society and law clear. During the program, students will gain exposure to political, social and legal concepts, laws and statutes, public advocacy documents, public debates about socio-legal issues, statistical and analytical research studies and court and tribunal decisions.

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Career Paths

A degree in Law and Society prepares students for careers or further education in wide range of areas including law, diplomacy, civil service, policy development and analysis, journalism, publishing and business. Graduates have gone on to the following professions:

• Community Development Officer
• Community Program Developer
• Constable
• Contract Administrator
• Corporate Paralegal
• Criminal Law Instructor
• Crown Prosecutor
• Enforcement Council
• Human Resources Consultant
• Legal Assistant
• Project Coordinator
• Regulatory Superintendent
• Research Consultant
• Resource Analyst
• Risk Manager
• Security Coordinator

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To Apply Click Here.

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Have More Questions?

For comprehensive advising on your program of studies, contact:
Undergraduate Programs Office
4th Floor, MacEwan Student Centre
403-220-5881
http://www.ucalgary.ca/upo

For more details on the Law and Society program, contact:
Dr. Chloe Atkins
Program Co-ordinator
Phone: (403) 220-9433
Email: catkins@ucalgary.ca

The Faculty of Communication and Culture has a Director of Students, a full-time faculty member whose job is to help you make the most of your experience as a student in C&C.  If you have questions about academic mentoring, student success skills, extra-curricular involvement, transition from high school to university, or what life will be like as a Communication and Culture student, Dr. Dawn Johnston can help you out.
Please contact her at:

Dr. Dawn Johnston
Director of Students
Phone: (403) 220-3199
Email: debjohns@ucalgary.ca

For more course information visit the University Calendar.

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