Law and Society Minor

A Law and Society minor can be taken alongside any major at LVC. The 18 credit minor is composed of the following courses:

An introduction to the rules of clear and effective thinking. Attention is given to the logic of meaning, the logic of valid inference and the logic of factual inquiry. Main emphasis is upon deductive logic. Students are introduced to the elements of symbolic logic as well as to traditional modes of analysis. 3 credits.
This course uses key cases to study important doctrines established by the Supreme Court with respect to the structure and functions of the constitutional system (judicial, legislative and executive power and federalism). There is a particular emphasis on various forms of textual interpretation used by individual justices to apply the Constitution in deciding cases and writing opinions. Prerequisites: sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. PSC 110 strongly recommended. 3 credits.
This course uses key cases to study important doctrines established by the Supreme Court with respect to civil rights and civil liberties. Students will examine the Court's rulings concerning the establishment and free exercise of religion, protection of freedom of speech and of the press, privacy rights (abortion and sexual freedom), the rights of the accused in the criminal justice system, and the law governing racial or sexual discrimination. The course places particular emphasis on various forms of textual interpretation used by individual justices to apply the Constitution in deciding cases and writing opinions. Prerequisites: sophomore standing and permission of the instructor. PSC 110 strongly recommended. Writing Process. 3 credits.
Field experience in a political science environment. Prerequisite: GPA of 2.50 in major and permission of department chair. 3-6 credits fall or spring semester; 3-12 credits during the summer.
This capstone seminar examines the historical and philosophical development of constitutional law in the United States; the seminar emphasizes the dynamic relationship between the law and moral and political philosophy. Prerequisites: junior or senior standing and completion of either PHL 215 or PSC/PHL 220. Writing process. 3 credits.
† indicates a required course

One of:

An examination of some of the important philosophical issues, including the ethical and valuational, to be found in the social institutions of politics, law, government and religion. Writing process. 3 credits.
Students in this course study the development of Western political thought from Classical Greece to modern times, examining the conceptual evolution of citizenship, civic obligation, and the nature of justics and exploring the connection between moral and positive law in the western tradition. Prerequisites: sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. Writing Process. Disciplinary Perspectives. [Cross-listed as Political Science 345.] 3 credits.