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Law and Society (BA)

brantford

There’s more to the law than rules and regulations. Study how the complex dynamics that shape people’s personal and social lives intersect with the judicial system. Investigate how social factors, including power, money and race, influence lawmaking and its enforcement. Critically analyze how the law can help relieve or reinforce discrimination based on race, gender, socioeconomic status and more. Be prepared for many careers, including legal professions.

You can also pair your Law and Society (BA) degree from Laurier with a Law (LLB) degree from the University of Sussex (United Kingdom) through our six-year pathway program!

Apply Your Learning

Make the most out of your university career by taking advantage of all that Laurier has to offer you. Volunteer work, campus clubs, leadership programs, studying abroad, work experience – there are so many ways you can extend your classroom experience into the real world.

Here are just a few examples of the experiences you’ll have access to in the Law and Society program:

  • Take the Walls to Bridges course at the Grand Valley Institution for Women with equal numbers of incarcerated students and Laurier students learning together as peers.
  • Complete a directed studies course in your fourth year, studying a topic that interests you.
  • Earn a research or instructional assistantship position applying your learning while assisting a professor from the Law and Society program.
  • Showcase your work for the public and Laurier community at the Academic, Creative and Engaged Research Showcase (ACERS).

Check out the Law and Society Experience and Career Guide.

 

2022 graduates who secured employment or went on to postgraduate studies

 

Laurier ranks in the top 6 percent of universities worldwide*

 

students who gained hands-on learning experiences at Laurier in 2022

*Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)

Admissions

Format: full time or part time      Duration: four years     Start: September (fall term) or January (winter term) or May (spring term)     OUAC code: UVT (Law and Society); ULL (Sussex Law Pathway)

Your Next Steps

Apply Now Strengthen Your Application Important Dates

Program Options and Courses

Options and Minors

These are a few of the many popular academic opportunities which allow you to dive deeper into your major area of study or broaden your knowledge:

  • Criminology Minor
  • Human Rights Minor
  • Social and Environmental Justice Minor

Check out other options to enhance your degree.

First-Year Courses

  • Introduction to Law and Society
  • Introduction to Law and Society II

Sample First-Year Electives

  • Designing Digital and Social Media
  • Introduction to Human Rights
  • Law and Culture

Sample Upper-Year Courses

  • Compassion, Justice and the Law
  • Poverty, Law, and Society
  • Sentencing Law
  • Academic Literacy: Humanities
  • Academic Literacy: Social Sciences
  • Modernity and the Contemporary World
  • Modernity: Critique and Resistance

Similar Programs

Community Service-Learning

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Community Service-Learning (CSL) courses at Laurier integrate service in the community with what you are learning in your classes. Placements are approximately 10 weeks and take place on a weekly basis from the second week of classes to the final week, typically for two hours per week.

CSL placements consist of volunteering at a local community service, such as a soup kitchen or a children's treatment centre. It’s a great way to apply classroom knowledge and gain practical experience in your field of study. Build your resume, develop your network, and graduate with experience.

Interested? Learn more about Community Service-Learning.

Tuition and Scholarships

Getting a university education is an investment in your future.

At Laurier, we take financial health seriously by providing a wide variety of funding opportunities for you throughout your degree, such as scholarships and bursaries, and by equipping you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.

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"I would recommend this program to any law, crime and philosophy student because it covers many different aspects of law, its creations, and how it works. It gives a historical background one would not get from other legal studies programs."

Natalie Wilson, Law and Society student

Your Career Awaits

It’s not only about the journey; it’s about the destination. Let us help you get to where you’re going.

Here are just some examples of our graduates' destinations. What’s yours?

Sample Career Options

Note: Additional training and education may be required.

  • assistant legal counsel
  • child protection worker
  • correctional officer
  • court reporter
  • human rights advocate
  • immigration officer
  • lawyer
  • police and probation officer
  • public policy advisor

Explore more careers.

Support After Graduation

Alumni for life means that you have access to Career and Employment Support offered at Laurier for your entire career.

Brantford Campus

The Brantford campus is woven into the downtown core of the City of Brantford and is home to more than 3,000 students. Close to great walking and biking trails, you get the best of both worlds.

There are many ways to tour our Brantford campus, whether that's on a guided tour with one of our Laurier student ambassadors, on your own using virtual reality, or even on-demand through one of our pre-recorded tours. See our campus spaces and start to picture yourself at Laurier.
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"Laurier upholds its standard in student satisfaction through the unique Law & Society program. The program values independent and critical thought [... and by] taking a practical approach to learning, Law & Society's courses prepare you well for a career in the legal field."
Prabhnoor Grover, Law and Society student

Interested in More Info?

Email chooselaurier@wlu.ca, call 548.889.8888 or see all contact information.

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