This minor focuses on the effect of law on society as well as the ways in which social forces influence the legal system. The program encourages students to look beyond "law on the books" to "law in action." Thus, it includes the study of key legal institutions such as the legal profession, the judiciary, juries, the police, legislatures, and administrative agencies. In addition, the minor introduces students to legal policies like plea bargaining, the death penalty, and to the constitutional principles that underlie political debates about these policies, e.g., equal protection, due process, and privacy.
