Law, Society, and Advocacy Minor

Modern western law is conceived as a social instrument which aims to maximize the freedom and legal equality of those subject to it. This substantive, modern conception of law carries certain implications for how law should be practiced. Are legal advocates obliged to simply zealously assert a client’s position, as in more proceduralist conceptions of law, or should this advocacy be potentially tempered by a commitment to law’s more substantive goals, including the promotion of freedom and legal equality? Through immersive activities such as Mock Trial, Moot Court, and internships, students are encouraged to explore how these abstract considerations manifest in the everyday practice of law. As such, the minor works at the intersection of the theoretical and the practical.

The Law, Society, and Advocacy minor focuses on the social and institutional context in which the body of statutes that constitutes the law acquires significance. The minor also recognizes that to best understand the institutional context of law, one must master the advocacy techniques and procedures that scaffold legal discourse. Both of these dimensions of the LWSA minor are reflected in its Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):

Understanding Legal Foundations and Social Impact Develop a foundational understanding of key legal principles, statutes, and case law while analyzing how these laws shape—and are shaped by—societal norms, values, and institutions.
Analyzing the Role of Advocacy in Legal Systems Examine the function and importance of advocacy within the legal system, exploring how various advocacy techniques impact legal discourse, influence policy, and drive social change. 3. Critical Thinking and Ethical Analysis Cultivate critical thinking and ethical reasoning skills, enabling students to evaluate the broader implications of laws and legal decisions in diverse social and cultural contexts, with an emphasis on responsible advocacy and social responsibility.
Practical Advocacy Skills Develop essential skills in advocacy, including legal writing, legal research, public speaking, negotiation, and/or argumentation, to prepare for effective engagement in legal and civic discourse.

Law, Society, and Advocacy Minor Requirements:
Core = 4.5 units, Collateral = 0 units, Total = 4.5 units

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Requirements
LWSA 200	Introduction Law, Society and Advocacy	1
Law and Society (select two from the following)		2
BLAW 407	Business Law I
COMM 335V	Crime and Punishment in Media
ENGL 335V1	Literature of Revenge
HIST 252H	Gender in American History, 1800 to Present
HIST 292S	Introduction to Public History
HIST 323S	The French Revolution, 1770-1815: The Enlightenment, Terror, and Napoleon
HIST 365H	The American Revolution
POLI 306V	Law and Society
POLI 322	The American Judicial Process
POLI 415	American Constitutional Law
POLI 426	American Political Thought
POLI 427V	Democracy and Political Participation
PHIL 284	Philosophy of Law
PSYC 353	Forensic Psychology
RELS 277V	Between Martin and Malcolm: Religion, Civil Rights, and the Black Freedom Movement
SOBA 209V	The Ethical and Legal Context of Business
SOCI 302V	Criminology
SOCI 276S	Sociology of Criminal Procedure
SOCI 379	Sociology of Law
Advocacy Skills (select one from the following)		1
COMM 216	Argumentation and Debate
COMM 108	Public Speaking
ENGL 218	Technical Writing
ENGL 325	Grammar and Rhetoric
PHIL 104Q	Introduction to Logic
LWSA 321	Law, Society, and Advocacy	0.5
Total Units		4.5

LWSA 200. Introduction Law, Society and Advocacy. 1 Unit.

This class explores the nature and origins of our contemporary conception of law. In particular, we examine how the Enlightenment and the French Revolution shaped our understanding of law’s purpose as a means of ensuring mutual freedom and legal equality. This historical foundation informs further inquiry into the relationship between morality and law, as well as a related examination of the objectives of legal advocacy. Concepts developed throughout the course will provide students with a deeper understanding of the principles underlying our contemporary legal order and how those principles shape the practice of law.

LWSA 321. Law, Society, and Advocacy. 0.5 Units.

The Law Ready immersive requirement provides students with hands-on experience in the application of legal advocacy, bridging the theoretical inquiry of the Law, Society, and Advocacy (LWSA) minor with real-world practice. Through direct engagement in Mock Trial, Moot Court, legal internships, and other "law-adjacent" activities, students learn to analyze and argue within the confines of technical social knowledge.LWSA 321: This course provides a credit-bearing mechanism (0.5 units) for law-adjacent immersives that do not otherwise carry academic credit, such as Mock Trial, Moot Court, Model UN, Model Senate (for those students not participating in the context of a class), or a non-credit bearing legal internship.Defining "Law-Adjacent" Immersive: To qualify, an activity must engage participants in structured reasoning and advocacy within a codified social or discursive framework (reflecting Max Weber’s notion of "intellectual rationalization"). Whether through law firm internships or competitive debate, the activity must require the analysis of rules and the practice of persuasive advocacy under institutional constraints.

Kurlander, Eric
William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of History, 2001
Director, Jewish Studies Program

Petrovic, Jelena
Associate Professor and Chair of Communication and Media Studies, 2013
BA, MA, Wichita State University
PhD, University of New Mexico

Rust, Joshua
Professor and Chair of Philosophy, 2007

Smith, Sven
Professor of Sociology, 2014
BA, Stetson University
JD, Florida State University
MA, PhD, University of Chicago