Socio-Legal Studies  (Certificate)


Put your understanding of the legal system into action once you understand the impacts the system has on society and how people experience law in their everyday lives.



Program Description

The distinction between law on the books and law in action, which refers to how people experience law in their everyday lives, is a cornerstone of the certificate program.

The undergraduate certificate program in socio-legal studies offers a model for educating and training students in the study of legal ideas, institutions and practices from the perspectives of the social sciences, law and the humanities.



Certificate Map

Major/Certificate Map archive


At a Glance: program details

  • Location: Tempe campus
  • Additional Program Fee: No
  • Second Language Requirement: No


Program Requirements

Students who have attained sophomore standing (30 credit hours) in any undergraduate degree program at ASU are eligible for admission to the certificate program for socio-legal studies.

A student pursuing an undergraduate certificate must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at ASU. Undergraduate certificates are not awarded prior to the award of an undergraduate degree. A student already holding an undergraduate degree may pursue an undergraduate certificate as a nondegree-seeking graduate student.

Enrollment Requirements

Students must complete 15 credit hours of qualifying course work from ASU. A minimum grade of "C" (2.00 on a 4.00 scale) is required for a course to count toward the certificate.

Core Theory and Foundation Courses: (6 credit hours; select two courses)

JUS 303 Justice Theory, L (3)
JUS 308 Courts and Society (3)
JUS 360/CRJ 350 Law and Social Control, SB (3)
JUS 410 Punishment: Logic and Approach (3)
JUS 463 Discretionary Justice, SB (3) or CRJ 470 Discretionary Justice, L or SB (3)
JUS 465 Death Penalty in the United States, L (3)
JUS 479 Law and Disputing, L or SB (3)
PHI 307 Philosophy of Law, HU (3)
PHI 336 Social and Political Philosophy, HU (3)
PHI 408 Feminist Ethics, HU (3)
POS 315 The Supreme Court, SB (3)
POS 465 International Organization and Law, SB, G (3)
POS 471 Constitutional Law I, SB (3)
POS 472 Constitutional Law II, SB (3)

Interdisciplinary Elective Component: (9 credit hours)
To provide students an opportunity to focus on a particular area of socio-legal justice, students will select three electives. The courses must be taken from at least two academic units. For questions pertaining to any courses listed or additional course options, please speak with the certificate program director. Exceptions need to be approved in advance of enrollment.

AFR 215 Bob Marley and Reggae: Lyrics of Resistance, HU, G (3)
AFR 301/JUS 300 Race and Racism in Africa/African Diaspora, SB, G (3)
AFR/JUS 304 Islands of Globalization: Caribbean Politics and Political Economy, SB, G, H (3)
AFR 420/JUS 421 Race, Ethnicity and Politics in African Diaspora, SB, G (3)
AFR/APA/JUS/SST 428 Critical Race Theory (3)
CRJ 305 Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice, C (3)
CRJ 306 Race, Ethnicity, Crime and Criminal Justice, C (3)
HON 310 Justice and Law (3)
HON 410 Philosophy, Politics and Law (3)
HST 306 Topic: US Race and the Law, HU or SB, H (3)
JUS 329 Domestic Violence, SB (3) or CRJ 461 Domestic Violence (3)
JUS 350 Immigration and Justice, SB, C (3)
JUS 374 The Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights (3)
JUS/WST 422 Women, Law and Social Control (3)
JUS 425 Race, Gender and Justice, L or SB, C (3)
JUS 430 Social Protest, Conflict and Change, L or SB, C (3)
JUS 432 Racial Justice, L (3)
JUS 467 Terrorism, War and Justice, SB (3)
JUS 469 Political Deviance and the Law, L or SB, C (3)
JUS 470 Alternative Dispute Resolution, L, C (3)
JUS 474 Legislation of Morality, L or SB, C (3)
JUS 484 Internship (3)
JUS 498 Pro-Seminar (3)
POS 370 Law and Society, SB (3)
POS 470 Law and the Political Order, SB (3)
PSY 468 Psychology and Law (3)
SOC 340 The Sociology of Deviance, SB (3)
SOC 445 Globalization, Development and Resistance, SB, G (3)
TCL 335/HST 323/AFR 335 Historical Studies in Race, Crime and the Law (3)
TCL 340 Chicana/o and Latina/o Politics and Policy, L, C (3)
WST 345 Gender, Religion and Global Violence, SB, G (3)
WST 375 Women and Social Change, SB, C (3)

Depending upon a student's undergraduate program of study, prerequisite courses may be needed in order to complete the requirements of this certificate.







Program Contact Information

If you have questions related to admission, please click here to request information and an admission specialist will reach out to you directly. For questions regarding faculty or courses, please use the contact information below.