Premajor Requirements

In order to be considered eligible for admission to the Law, Societies, and Justice major students must have a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average and complete at least three prerequisite courses. Many of the prerequisite courses are popular and fill quickly, so students are advised to begin planning early.

We make every effort to offer each premajor course as often as possible. If you have trouble registering for prerequisites, e-mail lsjadv@u.washington.edu. Admission decisions will be made on a competitive basis from among those students who meet the minimum requirements.

Admission to Major

Applications are accepted during autumn, winter and spring quarters. The application deadline is typically the second Friday of the quarter; admission decisions are made prior to the start of registration. The exact date for these deadlines will be printed on the application to the major. 

Law, Societies, and Justice Prerequisite Checklist

1. A minimum cumulative G.P.A. of no less than 2.00.

2. Completion of 15 credits (3 courses) from the following categories:
    a. One LSJ Core course (5 credits)

    b. One research methodology/ statistics course from the program requirement list (4-5 credits):

    c. One English Composition class (5 credits, ENGL 198 recommended). Additional classes involving writing in the social sciences will also benefit students.

3. Admission is competitive, based on the following: a) GPA, with emphasis on grades received in courses required for admission (applicants accepted normally present cumulative GPAs considerably above 2.50); b) personal statement representing the student's interest in and commitment to study of Law, Societies, & Justice; c) evidence of writing, analysis and academic skills suitable to success in upper level classes in the department.

Note: Students must have all three prerequisites completed and graded in order to be considered for admission.

If you are admitted to the major: Applicants admitted to the major will receive email notification as soon as decisions are finalized. After receiving such notification, students should make an appointment to speak with the adviser in Gowen 42. During your appointment, major requirements will be reviewed and the necessary paperwork to formally declare the major will be completed. Your acceptance to the major cannot be formalized unless these forms are filled out and signed. Students are encouraged to make an appointment as soon as possible after receiving an email indicating their acceptance to the major in order to facilitate registration for the following quarter.

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Major Requirements

Graduation as a major in LSJ the program requires completion of a minimum of 58 credits from the Law, Societies, & Justice list of affiliated courses to include:

1. All four LSJ core courses (20 credits), listed above;
2. Three additional courses (not including the core courses) from one of the three designated subfields of study (Crime, Social Control, and Justice; Comparative Legal Institutions & Politics; Rights, Resistance, and Reconstructions in Law) and two courses from one of the other subfields;
3. Senior Seminar: courses meeting the LSJ Senior Seminar requirement will be indicated on the quarterly Time Schedule (Senior Seminar cannot also count as an LSJ Subfield course).
4. LSJ 401 Internship (for further information see internship link above); and
5. 5 credits of research methodology, listed above.

Credits for the LSJ major:

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Subfields

Subfield Courses (23-25 credits) for Major: Students must take 23-25 credits to include three courses in one primary subfield, and two courses in a secondary subfield. The three required core courses may not be used to satisfy both the core and the subfields requirement. Also, note that you may apply only one course of less than five credits toward the subfields requirement.

Subfield 1: Crime, Social Control, and Justice

* Only one of these three courses may count toward completion of the major.

Subfield 2: Comparative Legal Institutions & Politics

Subfield 3: Rights, Resistance, and Reconstructions in Law

*If student takes both LSJ 320 and LSJ 321, the first counts towards the LSJ Core and the second can count in this subfield.

        Click here for Major Checklist (pdf)

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Senior Seminar & Fieldwork Internship (LSJ 401)

General Requirements
The required senior seminar (5 credits) and Field Experience, LSJ 401 (5 credits) are to be taken in the senior year after the majority of the other required courses have been completed. NOTE: ONLY DECLARED LSJ MAJORS ARE ELIGIBLE TO TAKE 401.

Senior Seminar
Each year several courses listed as LSJ Senior Seminars will be featured. While the number of qualifying seminars will vary each year, no less than four will be offered every year and a minimum of one each quarter, excluding summer. An effort will be made to offer a range of diverse substantive specializations in these seminars matching the three program subfields and the diverse interests of student majors. Completion of one such course is required for graduation. *Students are responsible for telling the LSJ adviser which course is to be used for the Senior Seminar requirement.

LSJ 401 Fieldwork Internship

Students are required to complete one hundred hours of service for the LSJ 401 course. In addition to the hours worked in your field site, students are expected to complete an organizational profile and an analytic paper. Students also attend an informational meeting at the beginning of the quarter in which they are enrolled in 401. For more information, and recommended internship listings click here.

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Courses

Course Lists and Descriptions --go to the University Course Descriptions .

Time Schedules -- go to the University Time Schedule for class information.

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