Political Science vs. Law & Society

[awakenedream]

<p>I’m going to UCSB and I’m planning on double majoring with Business Economics and Political Science or Law & Society.</p>

<p>What are the major differences between PoliSci and Law and Society? I’m leaning toward Law & Society. I am wary of PoliSci because it’s very impacted at UCSB (as is BizEcon) because it’s so popular, and thus more competitive. Law & Society isn’t as popular and may be more manageable (and not that impacted, easier to declare a full major versus polisci), along with Business Economics which is not an easy major.</p>

<p>Someone told meLaw&Society is just a “crappier Political Science”, is that true?</p>

<p>Also, I’m def not sure about everything but I’m planning on either entering the business world and getting an MBA or going to Law School to be a business lawyer (not a litigator). But who knows, I may change my mind tomorrow, lol.</p>

<p>About Law and Society according to UCSB web site:

The Law & Society Program, established in 1972, offers an undergraduate major leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. The discipline of Law and Society is composed of scholars in many fields and countries, whose interests involve the place of law and legal systems in social, political, economic, and cultural life. Such scholars bring training in law, sociology, political science, psychology, anthropology, economics, and history, as well as in other related fields.</p>

<p>Although the discipline of law and society focuses broadly on developing both theoretical and empirical understandings of law, narrower areas within the field range widely. These concerns include, for example, the place of law in relation to other social institutions, the nature of law in the context of broad social theories, the legal decision-making of individuals and groups, the implementation and impact of specific legal acts, compliance with the law, police discretion and plea bargaining in the criminal justice system, legal rules and litigation, alternative dispute resolution, the role of lawyers, the functioning of juries, and law’s relationship to language.</p>

<p>The Law and Society major at UCSB involves such a study of law and legal systems. The Program is interdisciplinary, and is designed to benefit both the student who desires a liberal arts education, as well as the student who intends to enter graduate or law school.

</p>

<p>this is the description of the ucsb polisci program:

Are democracies with only two political parties more representative than those with many parties? How can governments respect diverse ethnic, racial, and religious identities, and still promote bonds of common citizenship? What should be the role of the United States in an increasingly interdependent global economy? These are the types of questions that political scientists explore, but they also represent issues that require ordinary citizens to make informed judgments.</p>

<p>The Department of Political Science offers a balanced program, emphasizing the integration of theory and practice rather than any single approach or methodology. In addition to its standard program, the department also offers a public service emphasis and an international relations emphasis for undergraduate majors and an undergraduate honors thesis program is available to selected students.

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[WesttoEast]

<p>I was debating the same issue not that long ago. I am a Political science majour at my current school, but was accepted into the law and soc program at ucsb. I find that the political science majour offers excellent classes in rudimentary politics and the like, but I prefer the more theoritical aspects of the governments. Personal preferences and whinging aside, consider what you would enjoy in the last two years of college and stick to that:)</p>

[awakenedream]

<p>anybody else???</p>

[ucsbheart]

<p>I think there is alot of crossover in the departments (including sharing of some fauculty). Either one will serve you just fine. You will be able to take courses in both, so it really doesn’t matter. The only question in my mind would be which one will look better to graduate schools or potential employers in 4 years… and that probably depends on what you want to do. For law school it probably doesn’t matter. I heard somewhere that the #1 undergraduate majors for law school are English and History, so… Good luck!</p>