Arts Departmental Academic Plans

Legal Studies and Criminology is an interdisciplinary option focusing on issues in law and criminology primarily from a multidisciplinary perspective. Given the centrality of the legal system to most human institutions and practices, a great deal of attention has been paid to law by scholars working in a wide variety of disciplines including Accounting, Actuarial Science, Economics, Environmental Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology. Students are invited to join these scholarly investigations. The liberal arts orientation of this option emphasizes the student's development of broadly-based critical and creative intellectual skills, clarity and facility in the communication of ideas, and humane values in this examination of law and the legal system as a major feature of social life. In this respect it should be noted that Legal Studies and Criminology should not be regarded as either a necessary or a sufficient preparation for law school.

The Legal Studies and Criminology Option is intended for students who wish to develop a broad understanding of the impact of law and the legal system upon society through legislatures, courts, law enforcement agencies and the penal system. It is designed especially for students with interests in careers related to these institutions, such as the legal and para-legal professions, policing, corrections, and social work.

Requirements

The Legal Studies and Criminology Option is open to students in General or Honours academic plans.

In addition to fulfilling the requirements for the General or Honours degree in the home discipline, the Legal Studies and Criminology Option requires the successful fulfilment of at least five academic course units (ten courses), with a minimum cumulative average of 65%, including:

1. five Legal Studies courses (see Sections 1 and 2 below)
2. five Criminology courses (see Sections 1 and 3 below)
3. of the ten courses, a minimum of five courses must be in different disciplines
4. a maximum of five courses can be taken in any one discipline

Legal Studies and Criminology Core, Foundation and Approved Courses

Courses for the option are divided into Core Interdisciplinary (Section 1), Legal Studies (Section 2), and Criminology (Section 3). Part A in the Legal Studies section includes courses considered to be foundational to an understanding of legal systems. Section B contains courses that focus on specific types of legislation and courses that deal more generally with political, ethical and legal issues relevant to modern social life. The Criminology side of the option (Section 3) focuses on crime and the criminal justice system. Part A contains courses that critically examine theory and research on crime and delinquency. Part B courses deal with a variety of topics related to crime and the administration of the criminal justice system, conflict resolution, victimology, and the criminal law.

Core Interdisciplinary Courses (Section 1)

LS 101 Introduction to Legal Studies
LS 102 Introduction to Criminology

Note: LS 101 counts as a Legal Studies course, LS 102 as a Criminology course. Neither are required courses for the Legal Studies and Criminology Option.

Legal Studies Courses (Section 2)

Part A Students must complete at least two of the following Foundation Courses:
HIST 277 Canadian Legal History
PHIL 327 Philosophy of Law
PSYCH 230 Psychology and Law
SOC 370 Sociology of Law

Part B Students must complete at least two of the following approved courses:
ACTSC 458 Insurance Law
AFM 231 Business Law or MTHEL 100 Commercial and Business Law for Mathematics Students
AFM 361 Taxation 1
AFM 431 Professional Ethics for Financial Managers
AFM 432 Legal Environment and Corporate Governance
AFM 461 Taxation 2
CLAS/HIST 210 History of Ancient Law
ENGL 210I Legal Writing
ENGL 213 Litigious Literature
ENVS 201 Introduction to Environmental and Planning Law
ENVS 401 Environmental Law
HIST 236 Law and Society in the Middle Ages: 500-1000
HIST 329 Origins of the Common Law
ISS 350E Family Law and Public Policy
ISS 350G The Evolution of Family Law in Canadian Society
LS 201/WS 206 Women and the Law
PACS 323 Negotiation: Theories and Strategies
PHIL 215 Professional and Business Ethics
PHIL 226 Ethics and the Life Sciences
PLAN 471 Planning Law
PSCI 225 Classics in Political Thought 1
PSCI 226 Classics in Political Thought 2
PSCI 260 Canadian Government & Politics
PSCI 291 The Canadian Legal Process
PSCI 333 Administrative Law
PSCI 363 Canadian Constitutional Law
SOC 249 Sociology of Mental Disorder
SOC 325 Sexuality and the Law

Note: Students in the Faculty of Environmental Studies must take ENVS 201 and one of ENVS 401 or PLAN 471. Planning students must take ENVS 201 and PLAN 471.

Criminology Courses (Section 3)

Part A Students must complete at least two of the following Foundation Courses:
PSCI 292 Issues in Canadian Criminal Law
SOC 222 Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 227 Criminology
SOC 229 Selected Topics in Criminology

Part B Students must complete at least two of the following Approved Courses:
ENGL 212 Convict Literature
PACS 202 Conflict Resolution
PSCI 459 Organized Crime and Politics
PSYCH 330 Criminal Profiling
SOC 201 Victims and Society
SOC 223 Deviance: Perspectives and Processes
SOC 226 Juvenile Justice
SOC 228 Sociology of Corrections
SOC 327 Policing in a Democratic Society
SOC 369 Custodial and Rehabilitative Institutions
SOC 428 Sentencing as a Social Process

Other Academic Plans in Legal Studies

A Four-Year General, an Honours, an Honours Legal Studies (Arts and Business Co-op and Regular), a Joint Honours, and a Joint Honours Legal Studies/Sociology with Criminology Specialization academic plan can be obtained by successfully completing certain requirements. Please consult the Legal Studies section of the UW Calendar.