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The Legal Studies major provides a liberal arts education across traditional disciplines, focusing on law, legal processes, legal institutions, and their operation in society. In addition to courses in Legal Studies, students can take a wide range of courses offered by other units, including Sociology, Psychology, Religious Studies, Political Science, Educational Policy, African American Studies, Philosophy, Gender and Women’s Studies, American Indian Studies, Chicanx/e & Latinx/e Studies, English, and History.

The curriculum is designed around five themes, each of which is associated with a group of courses, and each of which incorporates comparative and historical approaches.

Theme Group 1: Legal Institutions

Institutions are at the core of social life. They govern our interactions, distribute power and resources, and influence how we make sense of the world. Courses in this theme group focus on those institutions involved in the creation and application of law. They explore such questions as how legal institutions evolve; how legal institutions help determine the shape of law—in doctrine and in action—and how and whether, in turn, legal institutions can be shaped to create different social outcomes. Institutions are central to the studies of society and politics throughout the disciplines, and courses in the group include perspectives from history, anthropology, sociology, political science, and political theory.

Theme Group 2: Processes of Legal Order and Disorder

This theme examines the dynamics of order at the individual and societal levels. In the course of this examination, students are made aware of the political and social biases that can underlie definitions of “order.” This theme should also allow students to address how social and political biases relate to divisions of class, race, and gender, and how the mechanisms of conflict resolution and order maintenance can be used to reinforce or challenge existing power structures.

Theme Group 3: Law and Social Forces

This theme group explores the intersection between law, social structures, and social movements. Courses in this group address social inequality, generally in the U.S. context, grounded in ethnoracial, gender, and sexuality-based difference. At critical points, the struggle for equality has taken pointedly legal form, whether in the shape of campaigns for legislative change or recognition, or through the litigation of particular cases. Legal categories have informed social identities. Equally, changing social identities have pushed back on legal categories. Courses integrate broad social dynamics with the rise of organized social movements that use law as an arena in which to reassess social life and values.

Theme Group 4: Law, Literature, and Culture

This theme group introduces students to legal thought, institutions, and practices beyond mainstream or contemporary legal systems, specifically modern Euro-American legal cultures. Courses in this theme group present either culturally based challenges to mainstream modern legal systems or legal systems that are culturally or historically distinct from them. The comparative study of distinct legal traditions and movements forces us to reexamine the cultural presuppositions embedded in modern legal systems, revealing both good reasons for defending mainstream Euro-American laws and arguments and models for changing or questioning prevailing systems. Courses examine historical developments in or affecting law, non-Western legal thought or traditions, and the effect of cultural institutions such as religion, literature, or media on law.

Theme Group 5: Law and Theory

Many theoretical and philosophical questions are articulated as propositions about law: its nature, sources, contents, and relations to other aspects of social life. While only some philosophers or social, political, or legal theorists work specifically in the area of “legal theory,” almost all work in any of these areas contributes to our understanding of the sources and nature of law, legal institutions, and legal practices, and for many theorists, explicit discussions of law are central elements of their work. Courses in this theme group focus on the ways in which “law” is treated as a working concept or as a subject of study in theoretical works, and conversely on how understandings drawn from theoretical writings inform our own understanding of law in all its dimensions.

How to Get in

Requirements to Declare the Major

Requirements Details
How to get in No application required. All students who meet the requirements listed below are eligible to declare. For information on how to declare, visit Advising & Careers.
Courses required to get in None
GPA requirements to get in None
Credits required to get in None
Other None
On This Page

University Requirements

All undergraduate students must complete both the following Core General Education (Core GenEd) and University Degree and Quality of Work requirements. The requirements below apply to students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution is Summer 2026 or later. 

Students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution occurred before Summer 2026 should refer to the archived Guide for the requirements that apply to them.

Core General Education (Core GenEd) Requirements

Civics & Perspectives 3 credits of Civics & Perspectives coursework.
Communication & Literacy 6 credits of Communication & Literacy coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingenglishplacement
Humanities & Arts 6 credits of Humanities & Arts coursework.
Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning 6 credits of Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingmathplacement
Natural Science & Wellness Complete both:
  • 6 credits of Natural Science & Wellness or Natural Science & Wellness + Laboratory coursework.
  • one course must be in Natural Science & Wellness + Laboratory coursework.
Social & Behavioral Science 3 credits of Social & Behavioral Science coursework.
Total Credits 30 credits.

For more information see the policy.

University Degree and Quality of Work Requirements

All undergraduate degree recipients must complete the following minimum requirements. Requirements for some programs will exceed these requirements; see program requirements for additional information.

Total Degree 120 degree credits.
Residency Complete 30 credits in residence. A course is considered “in residence” if it is taken when in undergraduate degree-seeking status and:
  • is offered by UW-Madison and completed on the UW-Madison campus or at an approved off-site location, or
  • is offered by UW-Madison in an online or distance format, or is completed during participation in a UW-Madison study abroad/study away program.
Quality of Work Achieve at least the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, and/or academic program.
Math Demonstrate minimal mathematics competence by:
English Language If required to take the UW-Madison English as a Second Language Assessment Test (MSN-ESLAT), demonstrate minimal English language competence by:
  • earning credit for ESL 118 at UW-Madison, or
  • achieving a qualifying MSN-ESLAT placement test score.
Language Complete one:
  • 2 high school units of a single language other than English, or
  • one course with the second semester Language designation.
Major Declaration Declare and complete the requirements for at least one major.

College of Letters & Science Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Letters & Science must complete all of the requirements below. Some courses satisfy more than one L&S degree requirement (visit College of Letters & Science: Requirements for details).

This major can be paired with either the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree requirements.

Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements

Communication Complete both:
  • Part A: one course with the Communication A designation or eligible UW Placement Score; and
  • Part B: one course with the Communication B designation
Quantitative Reasoning Complete both:
  • Part A: one course with the Quantitative Reasoning A designation or eligible UW Placement Score; and
  • Part B: one course with the Quantitative Reasoning B designation
Ethnic Studies one 3+ credit course with the Ethnic Studies designation
Language Complete either:
  • the fourth unit of one language other than English; or
  • the third unit of one language other than English and the second unit of an additional language.
L&S Breadth: Humanities Complete 12 credits with the Humanities or Literature designation, which must include at least 6 credits with the Literature designation.
L&S Breadth: Social Sciences Complete 12 credits with the Social Science designation.
L&S Breadth: Natural Sciences Complete 12 credits with the Natural Science, Biological Science, or Physical Science designations, which must include both:
  • one 3+ credit course with the Biological Science designation, and
  • one 3+ credit course with the Physical Science designation.
Liberal Arts and Science (LAS) Coursework at least 108 credits
Depth of Intermediate/Advanced work at least 60 credits at the Intermediate or Advanced level
Major Declare and complete at least one major.
Total Credits at least 120 credits
UW-Madison Experience
  • 30 credits in residence, overall; and
  • 30 credits in residence after the 86th credit
Quality of Work
  • 2.000 in all coursework at UW–Madison
  • 2.000 in Intermediate/Advanced level coursework at UW–Madison

Non–L&S students pursuing an L&S major

Non–L&S students who have permission from their School/College to pursue an additional major within L&S only need to fulfill the major requirements. They do not need to complete the L&S Degree Requirements above.

Requirements for the Major

12 total courses in the following categories and a minimum of 36 credits.

Introductory Course

Choose one:

LEGAL ST/​SOC  131Criminal Justice in America3-4
LEGAL ST/​POLI SCI  217Law, Politics and Society3-4

Theme 1:  Legal Institutions

Two courses required from:

AMER IND/​LEGAL ST  480Federal Indian Law and Policy3
AMER IND/​LEGAL ST  485American Indian Natural Resources Law3
GEN BUS 301Business Law3
GEOG 307International Migration, Health, and Human Rights3
INTL ST 601Topics in Global Security (Topic: Human Rights, Lat. Am Policy, Law and Security)3
INTL ST 602Topics in Politics and Policy in the Global Economy (Topic: The EU and the World)3
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  261American Legal History to 18603
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  262American Legal History, 1860 to the Present3
LEGAL ST/​POLI SCI  352Transitional Justice in World Politics3-4
LEGAL ST 400Topics in Legal Studies and the Social Sciences3-4
LEGAL ST/​GEN&WS/​SOC  406Law, Sexuality, & Society3-4
LEGAL ST 409Human Rights in Law and Society3
LEGAL ST/​ELPA  442Civil Rights Laws, the Courts, and Public Education3
LEGAL ST 444Law in Action3
LEGAL ST/​POLI SCI  445Legal Writing, from Counselor to Advocate3
LEGAL ST 450Topics in Legal Studies and the Humanities3-4
LEGAL ST/​ED POL/​ELPA  542Law and Public Education3
LEGAL ST/​LAW/​SOC  641Sociology of Law3-4
POLI SCI 304The Political Economy of Race in the United States3-4
POLI SCI 311United States Congress3-4
POLI SCI 340The European Union: Politics and Political Economy3-4
POLI SCI 347Terrorism3
POLI SCI 349Global Access to Justice3
POLI SCI 354International Institutions and World Order3-4
POLI SCI 356Principles of International Law3-4
POLI SCI 400Topics in Political Science (Topic: Int'l Environmental Politics)3
POLI SCI 401Selected Topics in Political Science (Topic: Crime and Politics)3
POLI SCI 405State Government and Public Policy3-4
POLI SCI 408The American Presidency3-4
POLI SCI 411The American Constitution : Powers and Structures of Government4
POLI SCI 412The American Constitution: Rights and Civil Liberties4
POLI SCI 414The Supreme Court as a Political Institution3
POLI SCI 417The American Judicial System3-4
POLI SCI/​PUB AFFR  419Administrative Law3-4
POLI SCI/​INTL ST  434The Politics of Human Rights3-4
POLI SCI/​GEN&WS  435Politics of Gender and Women's Rights in the Middle East3
POLI SCI/​INTL ST  439The Comparative Study of Genocide3-4
POLI SCI 470The First Amendment3-4
POLI SCI 601Proseminar: Topics in Political Science (Topic: Supreme Court)3
POLI SCI 635Comparative Politics of Sport3-4
PUB AFFR 270The Private and Public Sectors in Policymaking3
PUB AFFR 520Inequality, Race and Public Policy3

Theme Distribution

Four courses from at least three of the following Theme groups.

Theme 2: Processes of Legal Order and Disorder

COM ARTS 371Communication and Conflict Resolution3
HISTORY 344The Age of the American Revolution, 1763-17893-4
INTL ST 601Topics in Global Security (Topic: International Criminal Justice: Models & Practice)3
LEGAL ST/​L I S  460Surveillance, Privacy, and Police Powers3
LEGAL ST/SOC 694Criminal Justice Field Observation3
POLI SCI 314Criminal Law and Justice3-4
PSYCH 526The Criminal Mind: Forensic and Psychobiological Perspectives4
PSYCH 601Current Topics in Psychology (Topic: Juv Delin)3
PSYCH 626Issues in Prisoner Reentry3
SOC 421Processes of Deviant Behavior3-4
SOC 441Criminology3-4
SOC 446Juvenile Delinquency3-4
SOC 496Topics in Sociology (Topic: Serial Killers in America)3

Theme 3: Law and Social Forces

AFROAMER 272Race and American Politics from the New Deal to the New Right3
AFROAMER/​HISTORY  321African American History Since 19003-4
AFROAMER/​GEN&WS  323Gender, Race and Class: Women in U.S. History3
AFROAMER/​GEN&WS  326Race and Gender in Post-World War II U.S. Society3
AFROAMER 621Slavery and Capitalism in the United States3
AFROAMER/​GEN&WS  625Gender, Race and the Civil Rights Movement3
AFROAMER 671Selected Topics in African American History (Topic: Cim Blkns; Race & Inprison; TopicL Women & US Slavery)3
AFROAMER 673Selected Topics in African American Society (*Race and Policing )3
AMER IND 450Issues in American Indian Studies (Topic: Indigenous Rights; Topic: Ind Child Welfare; Topic: Land Grant/Grab; Topic: Sovereignty and the Schoolhouse)3
CHICLA/​GEN&WS  332Latinas: Self Identity and Social Change3
CHICLA/​GEN&WS  334Feminist Social Movements Across the Americas3
ECON 522Law and Economics3-4
ED POL/​INTL ST  220Human Rights and Education3
ED POL 355The Politics of Education Injustice in the US3
ENVIR ST 349Climate Change Governance3
ENVIR ST/​GEOG  439US Environmental Policy and Regulation3-4
GEN&WS/​PSYCH  322Sexual & Relationship Violence Research & Activism3
GEN&WS/​INTL ST  535Women's Global Health and Human Rights3
HISTORY/​ED POL  143History of Race and Inequality in Urban America3
HISTORY 201The Historian's Craft (Topic: Global History of Unpaid Labor; Topic: Global History of Human Rights)3-4
HISTORY/​AFROAMER  393Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction, 1848-18773-4
HISTORY 403Immigration and Assimilation in American History3-4
HISTORY 500Reading Seminar in History (*Chinese Law)3
HISTORY 600Advanced Seminar in History (Topic: Abolitionist Movements; Gen, War Crimes and Human Rights; Topic: Global Anti-Apartheid Movement; Topic: Indian Removal)3
HISTORY/​AFROAMER  628History of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States3
INTL ST 401Topics in Global Security (Topic: Human Rights in Global Context)3-4
INTL ST 601Topics in Global Security (Topic: Refugees in Global Context)3
LACIS 440Topics in Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies (Topic: Spanish: Immigration Law Clinic)2
LEGAL ST/​RP & SE  135Disability and the Criminal Justice System3
LEGAL ST/​JEWISH/​RELIG ST  203Jewish Law, Business, and Ethics3
LEGAL ST/​CURRIC/​ED POL  250Incarceration and Education3
LEGAL ST 400Topics in Legal Studies and the Social Sciences3-4
LEGAL ST/​GEN&WS/​SOC  406Law, Sexuality, & Society3-4
LEGAL ST/GEN&WS 422Women and the Law3
LEGAL ST/​GEN&WS/​SOC  425Crime, Gender and Justice3
LEGAL ST/​ENVIR ST/​HISTORY  430Law and Environment: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives3
LEGAL ST/​AFROAMER  434Criminal Injustice in America3
LEGAL ST/​AFROAMER  435Civil Rights: Policing, Prisons, Voting, Housing, Employment3
LEGAL ST/​CHICLA/​SOC  440Ethnicity, Race, and Justice3-4
LEGAL ST/​CHICLA/​SOC  443Immigration, Crime, and Enforcement3-4
LEGAL ST/​SOC  451Race, Family & the State3
LEGAL ST/​L I S  645Intellectual Freedom3
LEGAL ST/​L I S  663Introduction to Cyberlaw3
POLI SCI/​INTL ST  434The Politics of Human Rights3-4
PSYCH 401Psychology, Law, and Social Policy3
PSYCH 601Current Topics in Psychology (*Legal Psych)3
SOC/​ASIAN AM  220Ethnic Movements in the United States3-4
SOC WORK 275Contemporary Issues in Social Welfare (*Families and Crim Legal System)1-3
SOC WORK 375Contemporary Issues in Social Welfare (Topic: Pwr Poss, SJ and Social Change)2-3
SOC WORK/​AMER IND  636Social Work in American Indian Communities: The Indian Child Welfare Act3
SOC WORK 675Topics in Contemporary Social Welfare (*Reproductive Justice)1-4
SPANISH/​CHICLA  215Border and Migration Studies of Latinx America3

Theme 4: Law, Literature and Culture

ANTHRO 350Political Anthropology3-4
ED POL 150Education and Public Policy3
ENGL 174Literature and Social Justice (*Law and Literature)3
ENGL 177Literature and Popular Culture (Topic: Narco-Narratives)3
ENGL 548Topic in Literature and Politics (*Guilt)3
ENGL 182Introduction to Literature for Honors (Topic: Doing Time)3
ENGL/​GEN&WS  350Special Topics in Gender & Literature (*Human Rights and Global Lit)3
ENGL 457Topic in American Literature and Culture since 1900 (Topic: Law and Literature; Topic: Cultures of AIDS Activism)3
HISTORY 201The Historian's Craft (*Shanghai Life)3-4
HISTORY 500Reading Seminar in History (*Chinese Law)3
ILS 371Interdisciplinary Studies in the Arts and Literature (*Books by Crooks)3
LEGAL ST/​ENGL  160Truth and Crime3
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  477History of Forensic Science3
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  510Legal Pluralism3
LITTRANS 236Bascom Course-In Translation (*Extreme Stories )3

Theme 5: Law and Theory

HISTORY/​LEGAL ST  476Medieval Law and Society3
HISTORY 500Reading Seminar in History (Topic: Medieval Law and Society)3
HISTORY 600Advanced Seminar in History (*Law and the Sacred)3
LEGAL ST 213Introduction to Law and Humanities3
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  235Prisons: From Antiquity to Supermax3-4
LEGAL ST 407Jurisprudence and Social Issues3
LEGAL ST/HISTORY 426The History of Punishment3-4
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  459Rule of Law: Philosophical and Historical Models3-4
JOURN 563Law of Mass Communication4
L I S 461Data and Algorithms: Ethics and Policy3
MED HIST/​PHILOS  558Ethical Issues in Health Care3
PHILOS 304Topics in Philosophy: Humanities (Philos and Criminal Punishment)3-4
PHILOS 341Contemporary Moral Issues3-4
PHILOS/​C&E SOC/​MED HIST  565The Ethics of Modern Biotechnology3

Methods and Research

Two courses, one each from:

Research Design
POLI SCI 170
Research Methods in Political Science
ED POL 308
Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods in Education
POLI SCI/​JOURN/​URB R PL  373
Introduction to Survey Research
PSYCH 225
Research Methods
PUB AFFR 240
Evidence-Based Policy Making
PUB AFFR 380
Analytic Tools for Public Policy
SOC/​C&E SOC  357
Methods of Sociological Inquiry
SOC WORK 650
Methods of Social Work Research
Statistics
ECON 310
Statistics: Measurement in Economics
ED POL 209
Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Education Policy
GEN BUS 306
Business Analytics I
L I S 440
Navigating the Data Revolution: Concepts of Data & Information Science
PSYCH 210
Basic Statistics for Psychology
SOC/​C&E SOC  360
Statistics for Sociologists I
STAT 301
Introduction to Statistical Methods
STAT 371
Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences

Core Perspectives

Please note: Though some courses may appear in a Theme and the Core Perspective listing, a single course will only satisfy one (and only one) requirement.  Courses will not be double counted in the Theme section and the Core Perspectives section.

Complete one Core Perspectives course.
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  235
Prisons: From Antiquity to Supermax
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  261
American Legal History to 1860
LEGAL ST/HISTORY 262
American Legal History, 1860 to the Present
LEGAL ST/​POLI SCI  352
Transitional Justice in World Politics
LEGAL ST 400
Topics in Legal Studies and the Social Sciences
LEGAL ST/​GEN&WS/​SOC  406
Law, Sexuality, & Society
LEGAL ST 407
Jurisprudence and Social Issues
LEGAL ST 409
Human Rights in Law and Society
LEGAL ST/​GEN&WS/​SOC  425
Crime, Gender and Justice
LEGAL ST/HISTORY 426
The History of Punishment
LEGAL ST/​ENVIR ST/​HISTORY  430
Law and Environment: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
LEGAL ST/​AFROAMER  434
Criminal Injustice in America
LEGAL ST/​AFROAMER  435
Civil Rights: Policing, Prisons, Voting, Housing, Employment
LEGAL ST/​CHICLA/​SOC  440
Ethnicity, Race, and Justice
LEGAL ST/​CHICLA/​SOC  443
Immigration, Crime, and Enforcement
LEGAL ST 450
Topics in Legal Studies and the Humanities
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  459
Rule of Law: Philosophical and Historical Models
LEGAL ST/​L I S  460
Surveillance, Privacy, and Police Powers
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  476
Medieval Law and Society
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  477
History of Forensic Science
LEGAL ST/HISTORY 510
Legal Pluralism
LEGAL ST 600
Special Topics in Legal Studies
LEGAL ST/SOC 641
Sociology of Law
Electives
Complete at least two courses and any additional credits (as needed) to reach 36 credits in the major. Students may complete either a Senior Thesis sequence or additional courses from the Theme: Legal Institutions or Theme Distribution requirements for the two course minimum.
LEGAL ST 681
& LEGAL ST 682
Senior Honors Thesis
and Senior Honors Thesis
LEGAL ST 691
& LEGAL ST 692
Senior Thesis
and Senior Thesis
POLI SCI 681
& POLI SCI 682
Senior Honors Thesis
and Senior Honors Thesis

Global Legal Systems

At least two courses in the major must have substantial content dealing with countries or cultures outside the United States, or with the international legal system. For this requirement, a course can count both for purposes of meeting Theme or Core requirements and the Global Legal Systems requirement. The following courses fulfill the Global Legal Systems requirement:

ANTHRO 350Political Anthropology3-4
ENGL 174Literature and Social Justice (*Law and Literature)3
ENGL/​GEN&WS  350Special Topics in Gender & Literature (*Human Rights and Global Literature)3
ENGL 457Topic in American Literature and Culture since 1900 (Topic: Law and Literature)3
ENGL 548Topic in Literature and Politics (*Guilt)3
GEN&WS/​INTL ST  535Women's Global Health and Human Rights3
GEOG 307International Migration, Health, and Human Rights3
HISTORY 201The Historian's Craft (Topic: Shanghai Life and Crime; Topic: Global History of Unpaid Labor; Topic: Global History of Human Rights)3-4
HISTORY 500Reading Seminar in History (Topic: Chinese Law)3
HISTORY 600Advanced Seminar in History (Topic: Global Anti-Apartheid Movement)3
INTL ST 401Topics in Global Security (Topic: Human Rights in Global Context)3-4
INTL ST 601Topics in Global Security (Topic: International Criminal Justice; Topic: Human Rights, Lat Am Policy; Topic: Refugees in Global Context; Law and Security)3
INTL ST 602Topics in Politics and Policy in the Global Economy (Topic: The EU and the World)3
LACIS 440Topics in Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies (Topic: Spanish: Immigration Law Clinic)2
LEGAL ST/​JEWISH/​RELIG ST  203Jewish Law, Business, and Ethics3
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  235Prisons: From Antiquity to Supermax3-4
LEGAL ST/​POLI SCI  352Transitional Justice in World Politics3-4
LEGAL ST 400Topics in Legal Studies and the Social Sciences (Topic: Law and Climate Justice)3
LEGAL ST/​GEN&WS/​SOC  406Law, Sexuality, & Society3-4
LEGAL ST 409Human Rights in Law and Society3
LEGAL ST/SOC 425Crime, Gender and Justice3
LEGAL ST/HISTORY 426The History of Punishment3-4
LEGAL ST/​ENVIR ST/​HISTORY  430Law and Environment: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives3
LEGAL ST 450Topics in Legal Studies and the Humanities (Topic: Criminal Justice and Popular Culture)3-4
LEGAL ST 450Topics in Legal Studies and the Humanities (Courts, Constitutionalism and Human Rights)3-4
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  459Rule of Law: Philosophical and Historical Models3-4
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  476Medieval Law and Society3
LEGAL ST/​HISTORY  477History of Forensic Science3
LEGAL ST/HISTORY 510Legal Pluralism3
LEGAL ST 600Special Topics in Legal Studies1-3
LITTRANS 236Bascom Course-In Translation (Topic: Extreme Stories)3
LITTRANS 324/SCAND ST 436Topics in Scandinavian Literature (Topic: Criminal Utopias)3-4
POLI SCI 340The European Union: Politics and Political Economy3-4
POLI SCI 347Terrorism3
POLI SCI 349Global Access to Justice3
POLI SCI 354International Institutions and World Order3-4
POLI SCI 356Principles of International Law3-4
POLI SCI 400Topics in Political Science (Topic: Int'l Environmental Politics)3
POLI SCI 401Selected Topics in Political Science (Topic: Global Access to Justice; Topic: Transitional Justice)3-4
POLI SCI/​INTL ST  434The Politics of Human Rights3-4
POLI SCI/​GEN&WS  435Politics of Gender and Women's Rights in the Middle East3
POLI SCI/​INTL ST  439The Comparative Study of Genocide3-4
POLI SCI 635Comparative Politics of Sport3-4
SPANISH/​CHICLA  215Border and Migration Studies of Latinx America3

Race and Justice Studies

At least one course in the major must have substantial content dealing with race and justice studies. The following courses fulfill the Race and Justice Studies requirement. For this requirement, a course can count both for purposes of meeting Theme or Core requirements and the Race and Justice Studies requirement.

AFROAMER 272Race and American Politics from the New Deal to the New Right3
AFROAMER/​HISTORY  321African American History Since 19003-4
AFROAMER/​GEN&WS  323Gender, Race and Class: Women in U.S. History3
AFROAMER/​GEN&WS  326Race and Gender in Post-World War II U.S. Society3
AFROAMER 621Slavery and Capitalism in the United States3
AFROAMER/​GEN&WS  625Gender, Race and the Civil Rights Movement3
AFROAMER/​HISTORY  628History of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States3
AFROAMER 671Selected Topics in African American History (Topic: Women & US Slavery)3
AMER IND 450Issues in American Indian Studies (Topic: Land Grant/Grab; Topic: Sovereignty and the Schoolhouse)3
CHICLA/​GEN&WS  332Latinas: Self Identity and Social Change3
CHICLA/​GEN&WS  334Feminist Social Movements Across the Americas3
HISTORY/​ED POL  143History of Race and Inequality in Urban America3
HISTORY/​AFROAMER  393Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction, 1848-18773-4
HISTORY 403Immigration and Assimilation in American History3-4
LEGAL ST 400Topics in Legal Studies and the Social Sciences (Topic: Criminal Injustice in America)3-4
LEGAL ST/​AFROAMER  434Criminal Injustice in America3
LEGAL ST/​AFROAMER  435Civil Rights: Policing, Prisons, Voting, Housing, Employment3
LEGAL ST/​CHICLA/​SOC  440Ethnicity, Race, and Justice3-4
LEGAL ST/​CHICLA/​SOC  443Immigration, Crime, and Enforcement3-4
PUB AFFR 520Inequality, Race and Public Policy3
SOC/​ASIAN AM  220Ethnic Movements in the United States3-4

Residence and Quality of Work

  • 2.000 GPA in all LEGAL ST and major courses
  • 2.000 GPA on 15 upper-level major credits, taken in residence1
  • 15 credits in LEGAL ST and courses for the major, taken on campus

Honors in the Major

Students may apply for admission to Honors in the Legal Studies Major in consultation with the Legal Studies undergraduate advisor(s).

Honors in the Legal Studies Major: Entrance Requirements

  • Declaration of the legal studies major
  • A 3.300 University GPA
  • A 3.500 GPA for all LEGAL ST courses, and all courses accepted in the major
  • Completion of or current enrollment in, for Honors credit, at least one course accepted in the major

Honors in the Legal Studies Major: Requirements

To earn Honors in the Major in Legal Studies, students must satisfy both the requirements for the major (above) and the following additional requirements:

  • Earn a 3.300 University GPA
  • Earn a 3.500 GPA for all LEGAL ST courses, and all courses accepted in the major
  • Complete the research design and statistics requirements for the regular major prior to enrollment in the Senior Honors Thesis (typically junior year)
  • Complete 15 credits in the major, taken for Honors, earning a B or better grade in each course
  • Complete a two-semester Senior Honors thesis in LEGAL ST 681 and LEGAL ST 682, for a total of 6 credits.

Footnotes

1

Upper-level in the major includes all LEGAL ST and major courses that are designated Intermediate or Advanced level.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyze and articulate their own arguments about how social, political, and cultural phenomena shape law and legal systems.
  2. Analyze and articulate their own arguments about the social, political, and cultural impacts of law at the societal and individual levels.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge about how legal ideas and ideologies have changed over time and have shaped law and legal systems.
  4. Demonstrate their abilities to find, interpret, and utilize resources relevant to law and society.
  5. Demonstrate their abilities to analyze information, to write clearly and persuasively, and to construct original arguments.

Four-Year Plan

This Four-Year Plan is only one way a student may complete an L&S degree with this major. Many factors can affect student degree planning, including placement scores, credit for transferred courses, credits earned by examination, and individual scholarly interests. In addition, many students have commitments (e.g., athletics, honors, research, student organizations, study abroad, work and volunteer experiences) that necessitate they adjust their plans accordingly. Informed students engage in their own unique Wisconsin Experience by consulting their academic advisors, Guide, DARS, and Course Search & Enroll for assistance making and adjusting their plan.

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Communication A (complete during the first year)3Ethnic Studies (complete within first 60 credits)3
Quantitative Reasoning A (complete during the first year)3Humanities Breadth3
Language (if needed)3-4Biological Science Breadth3
LEGAL ST/​SOC  131 or 2173-4I/A COMP SCI, MATH, or STAT (if required for the BS)3-4
First-Year Seminar (optional)1Electives3
 13 15
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Legal Studies Theme Course3Legal Studies Theme Course3
Literature Breadth3Communication B3-4
Statistics (also satisfies Quantitative Reasoning B)3-4Research Design requirement3-4
Science Breadth3Physical Science Breadth3
Elective3Elective3
 15 15
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Legal Studies Theme Course4Legal Studies Theme Course4
Global Legal Studies Course3Global Legal Studies Course3
Literature Breadth3Humanities Breadth3
Race and Justice Legal Studies Course3Elective (Intermediate/Advanced level)6
Science Breadth3 
 16 16
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Additional Theme Course or First Semester Senior Thesis3Additional Theme Course or Second Semester Senior Thesis3
Core Perspectives Course3Elective (Intermediate/Advanced level)12
Elective (Intermediate/Advanced level)9 
 15 15
Total Credits 120

Advising and Careers

Declare or Cancel This Major

Please follow the process described on the Center for Law, Society, and Justice website.

Advising Appointments 

Please use Starfish to schedule an appointment with a Center for Law, Society, and Justice academic advisor.

If you are not a current UW–Madison student, please email us at cjcp@ssc.wisc.edu to schedule a meeting.

Study Abroad

Learning in Letters & Science emphasizes discovery, growth, understanding different perspectives, and challenging yourself, which makes studying abroad an excellent fit for many L&S students: studyabroad.wisc.edu

As a university with global influence, we have more than 300 study abroad programs in over 80 countries. These vary in length, academic focus, teaching format, language requirements, cost, and level of independence. There are many programs to complement every major and any year of college (including the final semester)—and all meet UW–Madison’s high academic standards. Students admitted into Letters & Science can even choose a short program in the summer before they start college or their whole first year: studyabroad.wisc.edu/launch. Talk with your academic advisor about how studying abroad might fit with your academic plan.

SuccessWorks

SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps you turn the academic skills learned in your classes into a fulfilling life, guiding you every step of the way to securing jobs, internships, or admission to graduate school.

Through one-on-one career advising, events, and resources, you can explore career options, build valuable internship and research experience, and connect with supportive alumni and employers who open doors of opportunity.