Law & Society:
Frequently Asked Questions

It is possible to use academic internship credit if the internship is law-related and approved by the Warren College Academic Advisors for the minor. Up to eight units of academic internship credit can be used in lieu of upper-division elective courses. Please see the Academic Internship Program (AIP) website for more information on the program.

NOTE: AIP courses can only be taken with a pass/no pass grading option. These units will count toward your pass/no pass limit. Therefore, if you use a 4-unit internship as an upper-division elective for the minor you can only take one other course pass/no pass.

It is possible to use a Law and Society minor in lieu of a Humanities and Fine Arts (H&FA) or Social Sciences (SS) Program of Concentration (PofC).

Humanities and Fine Arts: To use the Law and Society minor in lieu of a H&FA PofC, you must complete all minor requirements and at least 4 of the 7 classes taken for the minor must be chosen from the approved History or Philosophy courses. LAWS 101 or 102S may also be applied.

Social Sciences: To use the Law and Society minor in lieu of a SS PofC, you must complete all minor requirements and at least 4 of the 7 classes taken for the minor must be chosen from the approved Anthropology, Communication, Critical Gender Studies, Economics, Environmental Studies, Ethnic Studies, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, or Urban Studies and Planning courses. LAWS 101 or 102S may also be applied.

If you need to change a majority of your declared course, please resubmit your minor form online using the Major and Minor tool on TritonLink. The tool does not yet have a revision feature so you have to delete the existing minor before you can add it back in with the revised course list. Once the new minor is approved it can take up to two weeks for your degree audit to reflect the changes.

If you only need to update a few courses, you may also submit a VAC request to a Warren Advisor. In your request, clearly state which of your declared courses you would like removed from your degree audit, and which you would like added. (Note: if a requested course is not on our pre-approved list, you must submit a petition to receive credit for the course before requesting the update.)

The online minor system requires students who have completed 135+ units to receive special permission from the department before declaring. To avoid this additional step, be sure to declare before you hit 135 units.

Students are encouraged to declare the minor early as there are many benefits:

• By submitting your course selections for review, you will ensure that your planned courses appropriately fulfill all minor requirements.
• Your degree audit will be updated to include the minor and more accurately reflect your planned path to graduation.
• You will receive information from the department about new courses, approved topics courses, Law and Society events, and more.

The Law and Society program does not currently have the capacity to house students for a major. Students who are interested in the major can go through their College’s Academic Advising Office to create an Individualized Studies or Special Studies Major in Law and Society. The requirements and process are slightly different at each college but there are some common items:

• Faculty Advisor
  • Students interested in the major will need to secure a faculty advisor who will sign off on selected courses and serve as a mentor throughout the process.
• Minimum GPA
  • Based upon cumulative UCSD GPA.
• Statement of Intent
  • Students interested in the major will be required to submit a written proposal, typically two-pages in length, that explains the purpose of the proposed major, how the major will help with long-term career or graduate school goals, etc.

Please find your college below and contact the appropriate Academic Advising Office for more information on this option.

• Earl Warren College
• Eleanor Roosevelt College
• Roger Revelle College
• John Muir College
• Sixth College
• Thurgood Marshall College
• Seventh College

Requirements

The Law and Society Department requires that you meet all of your college's requirements plus the following:

1. One of the following four courses:
   HIstory 50, Philosophy 50, Political Science 40, Sociology 50
2. Law & Society 101
3. One of the following four courses:
   History US 150
   History US 151
   Political Science 104A
   Political Science 104B
4. One of the following two courses:
   Philosophy 168 - Philosophy of Law
   Sociology 140 - Sociology of Law
5. 9 additional upper-division courses from the approved course list, approved academic internship units from a law-related internship (AIP 197), or approved independent research on a law-related topic (199 credit).

In total, there are 13 courses - 1 lower-division and 12 upper-division.

Within these 13 courses, students must take at least one course from each of the following academic departments to ensure an interdisciplinary learning experience: History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology.

The process will be slightly different for each student but here are some tips and ideas to keep in mind.

• It is strongly recommended that you write your statement of intent first.  This will help prepare you to answer the questions “why should I be your faculty advisor” or “what do you hope to gain from this major” when asked. 
• Think about the classes you have taken in the Law and Society program.  Was there a faculty member you particularly connected with or whose research interests are similar to yours?  If so, that faculty member might make an excellent candidate.  If not, be proactive in the next class you take -- go to Office Hours and speak with the Professor about your goals and your plan to create a major within the program.
• When you write to or meet with the faculty member be courteous, be prepared, and make sure to be on time.  When they agree, be grateful and demonstrate your appreciation with a thank you note.
• It is important to have a faculty advisor who will be easily accessible throughout your tenure at UCSD as you will need approvals or signatures at various stages during the process.  Therefore, is it generally best not to ask someone who is a Visiting Professor, is planning to take an extended leave of absence or sabbatical, or who plans to retire in the near future.