Law & Society Approved Courses

Students minoring in Law and Society are required to successfully complete (with a letter grade of B-or better, effective January 2020) 5 approved courses selected from at least 3 different categories, with no more than 2 courses in any one category and no more than 2 courses in any one academic department (NOTE: ILR courses are all considered to be one department). Cross-listed courses can be counted as any of their cross listings.

**PHIL 2990: Foundations of Law & Society course may be taken by any undergraduate student whether they are registered for the minor or just interested in learning more. This course may be counted toward any category of your choosing in the minor. This course is a "wild card." You can learn more about the course through the class roster. 

At the discretion of the Law & Society directors, permission may be granted to substitute an appropriate course that has been:

1. accepted from another educational institution toward the student's degree program (1 course maximum)
2. taken as part of a semester abroad program
3. recently added to the Cornell curriculum

Petitions for course substitutions must be submitted prior to the student's final semester using the Course Petition Form. The completed form should be submitted to the EPL office, 218 Goldwin Smith Hall.

The list below includes all the courses that have been officially approved to count toward Law & Society. The course codes are listed with the parent department first followed by any cross listings. For course information, please consult the appropriate department web site or the University's online Courses of Study.

Courses marked as (Inactive) are not currently and/or have not been offered for at least the past 3 years as of Fall 2021. However, if you took this course in a previous semester, you may still count it toward your course requirements. Courses previously designated as ILRCB have been changed to ILRLR.

NOTE: Courses identified as being offered in the Spring 2023 semester (as of 10.19.22) have been highlighted in bold; individual department changes possible.

American Constitutional Development - HIST 3180 / AMST 3180

American Impeachment - HIST 3435 / GOVT 3431 / AMST 3425

American Political Campaigns - GOVT 3082 (Inactive)

American Political Development in the 20th Century - GOVT 4041 / AMST 4041 (Inactive)

American Political Thought Madison to Malcom X - GOVT 3665 / AMST 3665 / HIST 3160 (Inactive)

Children and the Law - HD 3330 

Congress and the Legislative Process - GOVT 3112 / AMST 3112 

Constitutional Aspects of Labor Law - ILRLR 4890 

Constitutional Law - LAW 5021

Constitutional Law & American Politics - GOVT 3001

Constitutional Politics: The U.S. Supreme Court - LAW 3281 / GOVT 3281 

Contemporary Problems in Development and Society - DSOC 4800 

Crime, Politics, & the Law - LAW 4041 

Disability Law - ILRLR 4033 

Economics of Criminal Justice Policy - PAM 4340 (Inactive)

Employment Discrimination - HADM 4850 

Enduring Global & American Issues (Cornell in Washington) - GOVT 3071 / AMST 3071 

Environmental Law - CRP 4510 (Inactive)

Environmental Politics - CRP 3800 (Inactive)

Fighting Discrimination in the  Workplace: Employment Discrimination and the Law - ILRLR 4842 

Foundations of Law & Society - PHIL 2990 *** This course can count once in any category of your choosing.

History of Law - HIST 1600     

History of the UN - HIST 2163

History of the U.S. Senate - HIST 4030 / GOVT 4218 

Imprisonment in Europe and America in the Middle Ages to Present - HIST 2815 

Inquiry in Politics & Policy - GOVT 4998 / ALS 4998 / AMST 4998 / CAPS 4998 / PAM 4060

International Law - GOVT 3898 (Inactive)  

Intro to Comparative Government and Politics - GOVT 1313 

Intro to Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies - FGSS 2010 

Intro to the Structure and System of American Law - GOVT 3052

Judging the Jury - LAW 4122  

Labor and Employment Law - ILRLR 2010 

NYS Govt. Affairs: Capital Semester in Albany - PAM 3920 (Inactive)   

Orange is the New Black (formerly Prisons and Society) - PAM 2610 / AMST 2615 / SOC 2610 (Inactive)

Political Institutions Under Autocrats - GOVT 2283 

Politics of Nations Within - GOVT 3645 (Inactive)

Politics of Public Policy - GOVT 3032 / AMST 3033 

Regulating Financial Institutions - PAM 3440 (Inactive)                   

The American Legal System: Nature, Functions, Institutions - GOVT 3150

The American Presidency - GOVT 3161 / AMST 3161                         

The Birth of the Prison - HIST 4945 

The History of the U.S. Prison - HIST 2422 

The International Laws of War - HIST 1630 (Inactive)

The Nature, Functions, and Limits of Law -  LAW 4131 / AMST 3131 / GOVT 3131 

The Old English Laws - ENG 4190 / HIST 4691 (Inactive)

The U.S. Constitution: Crisis, Change and Legitimacy - GOVT / AMST 3072 / LAW 3920 

The U.S. Supreme Court and Crime - GOVT 3202 / AMST 3202 (Inactive)

U.S. Congress - GOVT 3181 / AMST 3181 (Inactive)

Affordable Housing Policy and Programs - CRP 3430

America Confronts The World - GOVT 2817 / AMST 2817 

America's Promise: Social & Political Context of American Education - DSOC 2710 / AMST / EDUC / DSOC / SOC 2710 

Arbitration - ILRLR 4022        

Behavioral Economics and Public Policy - PAM 3130 / ECON 3670 / PAM 5130

Comparative Labor and Employment Law - ILRIC 4333 

Comparative Social Inequalities - DSOC 3700 / SOC 3710

Competition Law & Policy - LAW 4021 / ECON 3805 

Contemporary Italy: Politics & Society - CRP 3720

Contract Administration - ILRLR 4040 

Controversies About Inequality - SOC 2220 / PAM / GDEV / ILROB  2220, AMST / GOVT 2225, PHIL 1950 (and formerly DSOC 2220)

Corporations, Shareholders, and Policy - PAM 3340 

Crime and Punishment - GOVT 3121 / AMST 3121 

Dazed & Confused: Politics of Drugs & Alcohol in the U.S. - HIST 2423   

Drugs and Society - SOC 2460 (Inactive)      

Economics and Environmental Policy - PAM 3670 / ECON 3850

Economics of Consumer Protection and Law - PAM 3410 / ECON 3830 /4410  

Economics of Public Health - PAM / ECON 4380 (Inactive)   

Economics of the Public Sector - PAM 2040 

Education, Social Justice, and the Law - GOVT 4435 / AMST 4435 

Environmental Governance - NTRES 3311 / BSOC / DSOC / S&TS 3311 

Environmental Policy Processes II - NTRES 4300 

Environmental Sociology - DSOC 3240 / SOC 3240 / STS 3241 

Evolving Families: Challenges to Family Policy - PAM 3360 / SOC 3360

Exceptionalism Questioned: America & Europe - GOVT 3557 / AEM 3557 / ILRIC 3557         

Families & Social Inequality - PAM 4470 / SOC 4470

First Amendment - HIST 4060 (Inactive)     

Foreign Policy as Subversion - HIST 1951 / AMST 1951 / LATA 1951 

Foreign Policy, Democracy, & Dictatorship - GOVT /AMST 3988 (Inactive)

Foundations of Law & Society - PHIL 2990 *** This course can count once in any category of your choosing.

Gender, Public Policy, and Law - LAW 4121               

Global Comparative Disability Policy - ILRIC 4360    

Govt. & Public Policy: An Intro to Analysis & Criticism - GOVT / AMST 4281 (Inactive) 

Govt. Gun Control: Constitution, Law, & Politics - GOVT 3222 (Inactive)  

How Do You Know That? - GOVT 3999 

Immigrant America: Race & Citizenship in Modern Working-Class History ILRLR 3065 / AMST / LATA / LSP 3065 

Immigrant Incorporation - PAM 6140 / SOC 6140

Immigration and a Changing America - DSOC 2750

(Im)migration & (Im)migrants Then & Now - GOVT 2152 / AMST / LSP 2152 (S'22)

Immigration and Public Policy - DSOC / PAM / SOC 3040 / ILRLR 3047 

Immigration Since 1965 - HIST 4850 / AMST / LSP 4850 

Incarceration, Policy Response, and Self-Reflection - GOVT 3142 / AMST 3142 / EDUC 3143 

Industrial Organization and Competitive Strategy - ECON 4906 

Information Policy: Research, Analysis, & Design - INFO / COMM 4201 

Intellectual Property Law and Policy - PAM 3764 

International Conservation - NTRES 4340    

International Human Rights Law and Advocacy - LAW 4081 / GOVT 3087           

International Labor Law - ILRIC 4344             

Intro to Policy Analysis - PAM 2300  

Knowledge, Technology, & Property - STS 4111 (Inactive)       

Labor Relations in the Hospitality Industry - HADM 4810 / ILRLR 4060 

Law of the Internet and E-Commerce - HADM 4890 

Making Sense of World Politics - GOVT 1817 

Managing and Resolving Conflict - ILRLR 4012 / LAW 6024 

Migration in the Americas: Engaged Research Methods and Practice - COML 4575 / DSOC 4312 / ILRIC 4312 / LSP 4312

Migration: Histories, Controversies, and Perspectives - ILRLR 2810 / SOC / LSP / PAM 2810 

Money, Work and Social Life - SOC 3770

People, Planning, and Politics in the City - CRP 2010 

Pharmaceutical Mgmt. & Policy - PAM 3110 

Political Freedom - GOVT 3735 

Poverty and Social Policy - GOVT 6021

Prisons - GOVT 3141 / AMST 3141  

Prisons, Politics, & Policy - GOVT 3152 / AMST 3155       

Public Finance: Resource Allocation & Fiscal Policy - ECON 4904 (was 3360)              

Public Finance: The Microeconomics of Government - ECON 4260 (was 3350) 

Public Policy & African American Urban Community - ASRC 4605 (Inactive)              

Refugees - HIST 4851 / AMST / LSP 4851 (

Schooling, Racial Inequality, & Public Policy in America - SOC 3570 / 4520    

Seminar on Genocide - HIST 2180 (Inactive)         

Social Inequality - SOC 2208 / DSOC 2090 / PAM 2208 

Social Movements in American Politics - GOVT / AMST 3021 (Inactive)

Social Policy - PAM 4730 (Inactive)       

Social Policy & Social Welfare - CRP 4480 / 5480 (Inactive)

Social Problems in the US (formerly Problems of Contemporary Society) - PAM 2250 / SOC 2070 

Sociology of Health and Ethnic Minorities - DSOC 2200 / LSP 2200 

Sociology of Race & Education - ASRC 4515 / SOC 4524 (Inactive)

Special Topics in International & Comparative Labor - ILRIC 4340

Special Topics in Labor Law - ILRLR 3045 / 6045 

Statistical Applications in Law & Policy - ILRST 2150

The Economics of Consumer Policy - PAM 3400 / ECON 3610

The History of Consumption: From Wedgewood to Wal-Mart - ILRLR 3870/ AMST / HIST 3870

The Politics of Change - GOVT 4112 

The Politics of Technology - GOVT 3042

The US Healthcare System - PAM 2350 

Topics in Corporations Policy - PAM 4330 (Inactive)

Urban Inequality - SOC 3380

U.S. in the World - HIST 3140 / AMST 3149 / CAPS 3140

War:  Causes & Conduct - GOVT 3867 

Work & Family Policy in Comparative Perspective - ILRIC 4315 (Inactive)

African American Social History 1910-2000 - ILRLR 3860 / LAW 7060 (Inactive)

Afro-American Social Political Thought - ASRC 2601 (Inactive)

Asian American Politics & Public Policy - AAS 3901 (Inactive)

Civil Disobedience - GOVT 3785 / PHIL 2945 / AMST 3785 

Constructing Antiquity: The World the Slaves Made - SHUM 4655

Death Penalty in America - LAW 4051 / AMST 4051 

Ecology & Politics of the Metropolis - GOVT 2240 / HORT 2240

Education, Inequality, & Development - DSOC 3050 

England's Age of Revolutions, 1500-1815 - HIST 2521

Equality, Liberty, & Democracy - PHIL 1930 / GOVT 2935 / SOC 2930

Ethnoracial Identity in Anthro., Lang., & Law - ANTHR 3475          

Feminism and Philosophy - PHIL 2490 / FGSS 2490

Feminism and Philosophy - PHIL 4490 / FGSS 4491    

Foundations of Law & Society - PHIL 2990 *** This course can count once in any category of your choosing.  

Gender and the Global Economy of the 20th Century - ILRIC 2361 (Inactive)  

Gender, Power, and Authority in England, 1600 to 1800 - HIST 4950 / FGSS 4650

Global Justice - PHIL 3470 / GOVT 3685

Global Thinking - GOVT 2947   

International Law - HIST 2230 (Inactive)

Intro to Asian American History - HIST 2640 / AMST 2640 / AAS 2130

Intro to Peace and Conflict Studies - GOVT 3937

Intro to Disability Studies - ILRLR 1200 

Intro to the Global Study of Law - LAW 4031      

Inventing an Information Society - ECE 2980 / INFO 2921 / AMST / ENGRG 2980 / STS / HIST 2920 

Latinos, Law, & Identity - DSOC 3550 / AMST 3550

Law and Society in Early Modern and Modern China - HIST /CAPS 2132 / ASIAN 2280 

Law, Crime & Society in Early Modern Europe - HIST 3730 (Inactive)          

Law, Liberty, & Revolution in Early Modern England - HIST 4940 (Inactive)

Low Wage Workers and the Law - ILRLR 6079                

Marriage & Sexuality in Medieval Europe - HIST 3680 / FGSS 3680 / RELST 3680

Migrant Workers (frmr. Farmworkers) - CRP 3850 / HIST 4310 / LSP 4310 / ILRLR 4020 (Inactive)

Neighborhoods, Housing, and Urban Policy -  PAM 3250 / SOC 3250 

People, Planning, & Politics in the City - CRP 2010 

Politics of the Global North - ILRIC 4330 / GOVT 3303 

Population and Public Policy - PAM 2030 

Population Controversies in Europe - PAM 3620

Race & Politics in 20th Century America - HIST 3231 / AMST 3231    

Race and Ethnicity in the United States: Social Constructs, Real World Consequences - SOC 1104 / AMST / LSP 1104   

Race and Modern US History - HIST 2641 / AAS / ASRC 2641 / AMST 2645       

Race and Public Policy - PAM 3370 / SOC 3370           

Racial & Ethnic Politics in the United States - GOVT / AMST / LSP 3191 (Inactive)

Refugees & the Politics of Vulnerability: Intersection of Feminist Theory & Practice - GOVT 3401 / AMST 3420 / FGSS 3400        

Rural Humanities Seminar - SHUM 4800 

Sex, Power, and Politics - GOVT 3043     

Sexuality and the Law - GOVT 4625 / FGSS 4610 (Inactive)           

Social and Psychological Aspects of the Death Penalty - HD 4140  

Social Welfare as a Social Institution - PAM 3830 (Inactive)

Society and Natural Resources - NTRES/BSOC/GDEV 2201

Sociology of Law - SOC 2560

The Body Politic in Asia - HIST 4127 / ASIAN 4415, BSOC 4127, FGSS/CAPS 4127  

The Court, Crime, and the Constitution - HIST 2020 (Inactive)             

The European Social Model - ILRIC 4325    

The History of the Present - HIST 3343 / GOVT 3646 (Inactive)            

The Politics of Poverty in the U.S. - GOVT 3012 / AMST 3012

The Politics of the Inner City - GOVT 4232 

The Progressive Era in Work, Law, & Politics - HIST / AMST / ILRLR 3845 (Inactive)   

The Race and Gender of Poverty in Literature and Film - ENGL/AMST 3690/FGSS 3691 (Inactive) 

Theories of Equality & Their Application in the Workplace - ILRLR 6040 (Inactive) 

Urban Politics - GOVT / AMST 3111 (Inactive) 

Urban Transformations in the Global South - CRP 4740 (Inactive)

U.S. Racial and Ethnic Relations - DSOC 3750      

Women in American Society Past & Present - HIST 2730 / AMST 2730 / FGSS 2730

Women in the Economy - ILRLE 4450 / ECON 3440 / FGSS 4460 

Writing Seminar in Law - ILRLR 2060 

African Politics - GOVT 3353 / ASRC 3353 

American Conservative Thought - GOVT 4021 / AMST 4021 

American Ideals  -  ILRLR 4880 

China Under Revolution and Reform - GOVT 2403 (Inactive)

Communication Law - COMM 4280 (Inactive)

Comparative Corruption - SOC 3680 / GOVT 3683 

Comparative Politics of Lat. Amer. - GOVT 3293 / DSOC / LATA 3290 

Conflict Resolution in Medieval Europe - HIST 4360               

Conflict, Dispute Resolution, & Law in Cultural Context - ANTHR 3428    

Controversy and Debate in Islam - ASIAN 2247 /  NEW 2649 / RELST 2247 / SHUM 2247

Copyright in the Digital Age - COMM 4290 / INFO 4290 (Inactive)

Culture, Law, and the Politics of the Internet - INFO 5150 (Inactive)

Devel. of Economic Thought and Institutions - ILRLE 3440 / ECON 3300 

Drugs and Gangs - PAM 4360 (Inactive)     

Economics and the Law - ECON 3800 / 4040 

Feminist Theory/Law & Society - GOVT / AMST 4635 (Inactive)  

Foundations of Law & Society - PHIL 2990  *** This course can count once in any category of your choosing.                

Governing Economic Development: The US Experience - ILRLR 3071

History of Modern Middle East in the 20th Century - NES 2674 / HIST / JWST 2674/ GOVT 2747 

History of State and Society in Modern Iran (Through Literature and Film) - NES / HIST 3519 

History of the Israeli-Palestinean Conflict - NES 3697 / GOVT 3977 / JWST 3697

Human Rights and Literature - ENGL 3930 (Inactive)

Information Policy: Research, Analysis & Design - INFO 4200 / STS 4200 / COMM 4201 

Information, Technology, & Society - INFO 6210 

Introduction to the Economics of Development - AEM 2350 

Israeli Politics - GOVT 3805 / JWST / NES 3805 

Kinship and Social Organization - ANTHR 3423 (Inactive)

Language and the Law - LING 2223 

Law and Literature - ENGL 3762 

Law, Latinos, and Illegality - ANTHR 3762 / AMST / LSP 3762    

Law, Science, and Public Values - BSOC 4071 / STS 4071 (Inactive)      

Law, Society, and Culture - NES 3551 (Inactive)                  

Memory and the Law - HD 3190 

Middle Eastern Politics - GOVT 3313 / NES 3550               

Multiculturalism in Israel - JWST 3767 / NES 3767 / GOVT 3766 / SOC 3760   

Origins of the Social - HIST 2330 (Inactive)     

Policing and Prisons in American Culture - ENGL 3970 / AMST 3970 (Inactive)

Political Theory and Cinema - PMA3490 

Political Violence - GOVT 2264 

Politics and Culture - SOC 2480 / GOVT 3633

Politics of Violence in 20th Cent. Europe - HIST / JWST 2711 / GOVT 2716 (Inactive) 

Populism, Democracy, and Authoritarianism - GOVT 3284 

Post-Truth Politics - GOVT 3294

Psychology and the Law - LAW 2650 / PSYCH / HD 2650

Recent History of American Workers - ILRLR / AMST 3060 (Inactive)     

Resource Management & Environmental Law - CRP 4440  / NTRES 4440 

Roman Law - CLASS 2806 / FGSS / GOVT 2806

Science, Race, & Colonialism - STS 4751 / HIST 4751    

Surveillance and Privacy - INFO 4250 

Technology, Policy, and the Law - PAM 4650 (Inactive)

The Asian Century: The Rise of China and India - ILRIC 3380 / ASIAN 3380 / AEM 3388 / GOVT 3384 / CAPS 3387

The Economics of Risky Health Behaviors - PAM 4280 / ECON 3710 

The New Latin American State - ANTHR / LATA 4732 (Inactive)

The United States - ANTHR 3777 / AMST / LSP 3777 

Treaties and Aboriginal Rights in North American History - HIST 4662 / AMST 4301

Values, Rights, and Justice at Work - ILRLR 4075 

Varieties of American Dissent - AMST 3240 / HIST 3240 (Inactive)

Advanced Topics in Clinical Ethics - STS 4650 / BSOC 4650 

Animal Rights - LAW 7072  

Applied Environmental Philosophy - NTRES 4330   

Biblical Law Seminar - COML / RELST 4260 (Inactive) 

Biblical Seminar II - COML 4280 / RELST 4280 (Inactive)

Choices and Consequences in Computing - INFO 1260 / CS 1340 

Christianity and Judaism - COML 3260 / RELST 3260 (Inactive)

Contemporary Moral Issues - PHIL 1450             

Ethical Issues in Engineering Practice - ENGRG 3600 / STS 3601 

Ethical Issues in Health and Medicine - BSOC 2051 / STS 2051     

Ethics - PHIL 2410 

Ethics and Health Care - PHIL 2450                

Ethics and Policy in Data Science - INFO 4270 

Ethics and the Environment - BSOC 2061 / STS 2061 / PHIL 2960

Ethics at Work - ILRLR 4820    

Ethics in International Relations - GOVT 4917 (Inactive)  

Ethics in New Media, Technology, and Communication - COMM 4300 / INFO 4301

Ethics of Eating - PHIL 1440    

Ethics, Public Policy, and American Society - PAM 5310 (Inactive)   

Foundations of Law & Society - PHIL 2990  *** This course can count once in any category of your choosing.         

Health Care Services: Consumer & Ethical Perspectives - PAM 5520     

HR, Ethics, and Corporate Responsibility - ILRHR 4663 (Inactive)      

Human Rights and Global Justice - GOVT / AMST 3635 (Inactive)  

Human Rights and Government - GOVT 4819 (Inactive)

Human Rights, Ethics and Literature - ENGL 2781 (Inactive)

Human Rights: Ideals and Realities - ENGL 2890 (Inactive)

Information Ethics, Law, & Policy - INFO 1200 / STS 1201 

International Humanitarianism - HIST 2791 (Inactive)

International Human Rights in Theory and Practice - LAW 3887 / GOVT 3887            

Introduction to Bioethics - PHIL 2455 / SHUM 2455 / STS 2451 

Introduction to Early History of Political Philosophy - PHIL 1410 / GOVT 3626 / CLASS 1665

Introduction to Ethics and the Environment - NTRES 3320 

Introduction to the Qur'an - NES 2556 / JWST 2556 (Inactive) 

Justice and Equality - GOVT 4796 / GOVT 6796 / PHIL 6996 (Inactive)  

Law, Society, and Culture in the Middle East - NES 3651 (Inactive)           

Law, Society, and Morality - PHIL 1960 

Literature as Moral Inquiry - ENGL 4020        

Modern Political Philosophy - PHIL 3460 / GOVT 3625        

Moral Dilemmas in the Law - PHIL 2430 / GOVT 2432 

Philosophy of Law - PHIL 3480 / SHUM 3475 

Philosophy of Punishment - PHIL 3475 / SHUM 3475 

Robot Ethics - ECE 2750 / STS 2751 / ENGRG / INFO 2750 

Sex, Power, and Politics - GOVT 3043 (Inactive) 

Social and Political Philosophy - PHIL 2420 / GOVT 2605 

Terrorism - GOVT 3022     

The Dark Side of Biol.: Biol. Weapons, Bioterrorism, and Biocriminality - STS / BSOC / GOVT 4711 (Inactive)      

The U.S. Constitution: Crisis, Change, and Legitimacy - GOVT / AMST 3072 / LAW 3290 

Topics in Law & Legal Ethics - GOVT 3102 (Inactive)

Topics in Social & Political Philosophy - PHIL 4470 / GOVT /AMST 4655 / SOC 4430             

Values in Law, Economics, & Industrial Relations - ILRLR 4075

Weapons of Mass Destruction - GOVT 3847 (Inactive) 

Workers Rights as Human Rights - ILRLR 3830

Workplace Health and Safety as a Human Right - ILRIC 3342