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Spring 2020
Mar 28,2024
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LAWS 100 - INDEPENDENT STUDY: LAW AND SOCIETY
Limited opportunities to enroll for course work on an Independent Study basis are available. A student interested in this option should obtain an Independent Study Registration Form from the Registrar, have it completed by the instructor and school dean involved, and return it to the Registrar's Office. Consult the current Schedule of Classes for policies concerning Independent Study.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Independent Study

Law and Society Department

LAWS 131 - LAW & SOCIETY
The objective of this course is to serve as an introduction to Law and Society from a social science perspective. Students will explore our society's "law-mindedness" through the ways in which law pervades our lives, influences our actions, and shapes our principles and institutions of social justice. Readings and discussions will include works of historical narrative, social science analysis, and court opinions.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 198 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation describes a transfer course from another institution where an equivalency to a Ramapo College course has not been determined. Upon convener evaluation, this course ID may be changed to an equivalent of a Ramapo College course or may fulfill a requirement.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Law and Society Department

LAWS 199 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation is used to describe a transfer course from another institution which has been evaluated by the convener. A course with this course number has no equivalent Ramapo course. It may fulfill a requirement or may count as a free elective.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Law and Society Department

LAWS 200 - INDEPENDENT STUDY: LAW AND SOCIETY
Limited opportunities to enroll for course work on an Independent Study basis are available. A student interested in this option should obtain an Independent Study Registration Form from the Registrar, have it completed by the instructor and school dean involved, and return it to the Registrar's Office. Consult the current Schedule of Classes for policies concerning Independent Study.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Independent Study

Law and Society Department

LAWS 201 - GLOBAL LEGAL ORDER
"The greater the number of laws and enactments, the more thieves and robbers there will be." Lao-tzu. "Laws are spider webs to which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught." Honore de Balzac "This is a court of law young man, not a court of justice." Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. As these quotes illustrate, societies around the world have different social norms, beliefs and traditions, as well as different ways of ordering society through law and of reflecting upon the relationship between law, justice, and society. This course is an introduction to the current global legal order from a sociolegal, interdisciplinary perspective. We will explore the major legal traditions of the world—customary law, Civil law, common law, the Islamic legal tradition, the Hindu legal tradition, the Confucian legal tradition, and the similarities and differences among them, primarily in terms of their origin, main features, sources, institutions, embeddedness in cultures, and current controversies. We will also examine some of the ways in which they are changing in our globalized world in light of legal pluralism, the globalization of law, and new regional and supra~regi0nal structures.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
Gen Ed 2018, Gen Ed 18-Global Awareness, OLD GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

LAWS 202 - FAMOUS TRIALS
This course will highlight several famous trials that have stirred the American consciousness. Although it will focus on actual criminal trials that have arisen in the United States, fictional, civil and international cases will be cross-referenced when appropriate. By examining the particular details of each case within its socio-historical context, we will attempt to uncover the universal aspects that make a trial famous, and in so doing disclose the various ways in which a case is reflective of the society in which it emerges.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-AMER-Amer Politics & Soc., MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 203 - CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
This course entails an analysis of the history, functions, components, and evolution of the criminal justice system in America with particular attention on criminal investigations. Traditional and contemporary concepts of criminal justice within open and closed social systems as a mechanism for social control will be contrasted. Understanding human behavior, the process of socialization,conformity, and deviance will also be discussed.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-AMER-Amer Politics & Soc., MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 204 - PRACTICUM IN COMMUNITY POLICING

0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 205 - COMMUNITY POLICING INSTITUTE
The Community Policing Institute is designed to train officers, educate citizens, and promote community-oriented government. The ten-module course covers such topics as cultural diversity in community policing, conflict resolution, strategic planning, and ethical issues in policing. This course will be taught off-campus at the Bergen County Police and Fire Academy.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 206 - HUMAN RIGHTS
This course offers an overview of the human rights system, looking at its basic elements and studying how it works, with special attention paid to the cross-cultural dimensions of international human rights. European, African, Middle Eastern and Latin-American cultural perspectives are particularly examined in relation to the universality of rights. The course focuses on how the human rights system mediates global standards and local cultures, and on the meanings of human rights at global, regional and domestic levels. The goal of the course is to develop an understanding of human rights as law, meaning and practice. The course is structured in two main parts: a historical, conceptual and institutional overview of the human rights sytem, and regional perspectives of human rights in Europe, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and United States.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES, MJ-INTL-Global Issues Conc, MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 207 - COMMUNITY POLICE CAPSTONE
Upon completion of the 10-module Community Policing Institute, students may register for this one-credit capstone project to complete the Community Policing Sequence. The project will focus on addressing a community-based problem or concern using the skills attained during the Institute.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 210 - LAW JUSTICE AND MORALITY
This course explores the dialectical relation between law, justice, and morality from the perspectives of law and the humanities--drawing substantially from the field of general jurisprudence, and specifically from the disciplines ofphilosophy, history, and literature oflaw. The course focuses on how justice as a moral and a legal construct has been conceived in its social and historical contexts from Biblical and Hellenic to modern and contemporary times. In particular, we will examine: the theoretical foundations oflaw, justice and morality; the embeddedness of law and justice in specific contexts and the extent to which our increasingly global world increases the number and complexity of moral and legal dilemmas confronting us as local and global citizens; and the ways in which law mediates the relationship between the individual and the state.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
Gen Ed 2018, Gen Ed 18-Values and Ethics

LAWS 212 - ISSUES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
A detailed analysis of the various aspects of criminal justice. Students will research and report on law making; the police; the courts and their ancillary programs, such as probation and the spectrum of corrections; and focus on how decisions are made by victims, police, prosecutors, defense lawyers, parole officers, and other actors in the system. The course will explore plea bargaining, court appointed counsel, the sentencing procedure, and the ideal of equality before the law.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 213 - LAW ENFORCEMENT,CRIME & COMMUNITY
This course explores the history and scope of the relationship between the police and the community. Community relationships are examined from psychological and sociological perspectives. The course analyzes police issues such as media relations; citizen grievances; civilian review boards; selection, training, and education of personnel; police professionalism; discretionary use of police authority; police unionism; crime prevention; and the role of women in police agencies.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 214 - DISABILITY LAW & SOCIETY
This course seeks to help students place current ideas of disability within their broadest possible legal and social context. This course seeks to engage students in the historical and contemporary definitions of disability, the relationship between law and the disability community. The goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of disabled populations and law that deinstitutionalizes legal responses to difference and creates in the student an imagination for innovative resolutions regarding contemporary issues affecting disabled populations, their family, caregivers and the society in which they live and work.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 215 - MOOT COURT
This course is dedicated to learning about the court process from an attorney's point of view. It will expose students to the stages of pretrial, trial and appellate proceedings, and the requirements of presenting arguments and evidence in court. This is an experiential course, in which students learn by doing. This course will build on the skills of public speaking, persuasive communication and critical thinking. It includes mock trials and appeals before judges and jurors.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 220 - LAW AND ECONOMIC THOUGHT
This course examines the interrelationship between law and economic thought. Through a historical account of the evolution of economic ideas in relation to law, as well as narrative accounts of contemporary legal and economic intersections, students will reflect on theory through consideration of practical examples. The impact of domestic notions of law and economic thought on global and international economics will be a primary consideration in the case studies considered. This course is an elective in the Law and Society major. This course is highly recommended as a starting point for students interested in further coursework in Law & Society electives in the category of “Globalization and Sustainability.”
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Lecture/Online, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 224 - CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
This course will explore American constitutional law by examining: (1) the moral and ideological foundations of the Constitution; (2) the socio-historical context in which it emerged and developed; (3) the profiles of the most prominent Supreme Court justices; and most importantly, (4) the landmark cases which form the basis of our constitutional system. It presupposes a basic knowledge of American history and some familiarity with legal terminology and concepts.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-AMER-Amer Politics & Soc., OLD GE TOPICS SOCIAL SCIENCE, MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 228 - CRIMINAL LAW
A survey of the American legal system in relation to the apprehension, conviction, and ultimate treatment of the criminal. Specific analysis will focus on the meaning of crime as well as the constitutional principles which are related to this field of law.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 233 - AMERICAN LEGAL HISTORY
This course explores the central themes, debates, and ideologies that have molded (and continue to mold) the American legal system by critically examining the fundamental legal documents and the pivotal cases which constitute the legal history of the United States. Legal history is not merely a mass of empty facts and judgments abstracted from a past long since passed away. Rather, it is the essential, vital source of our living present—an enduring past constantly projected into the future in the everyday trials, the legislative debates, and the administration of justice composing so much of our modern world. As fledgling legal historians, we must remain attentive to the ever-present influence of this living history, despite the overwhelming temptation to bury it in the long forgotten recesses of our past.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-AMER-Amer Politics & Soc., MJ-AMER- Amer History, Gen Ed 18-Historical Prspctve, OLD GE-INTERCULT NORTH AMERICA

LAWS 240 - LAW AND SEXUALITY
This course is designed to explore the interactions between law and sexualities. Sexuality is both a biological drive and a culturally-influenced practice. From the ancient world to the modern, sexuality of various forms has been embraced, required, prohibited and regulated. Recently, new theories of human freedom have influenced changes in law, in tension with older theories that condemned and regulated sexualities considered harmful. Cohabitation, no-fault divorce, right to contraception and abortion, same-sex marriage, and transgender righs have moved the needle on acceptable sexual practices, with predictable backlash. Activists have pushed the limits in struggling for acceptance, finding both success and failure. This course will examine these developments and the future of the legal regulation of sexuality.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 250 - LAW AND SUSTAINABILITY
Our society is challenged from multiple points and each of these questions our ability to sustain ourselves. Important issues such as over consumption, capitalism, social unrest, immigration, environmental quality, food and water scarcity, climate change has heightened policy and legal interest in sustainable development, both globally and locally. It has led to a spate of policy measures at the global, national and local level to develop sustainably. This course will examine the main legal, political, analytical, and ethical approaches used to craft responses to sustainable development. Taking institutions and society into account, it will study the vairous factors that shape global law and policy processes and its implications for sustainability. The course is divided into three segments: the first constitutes an ethical exploration of the meanings and problems of sustainability and its institutionalization in different political contexts. The second segment introduces key legal concepts pertaining to sustainable law, and the third segment concentrates on case studies.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 251 - LAW, POWER AND INEQUALITY
This course engages in an exploration of contemporary issues of law and society through the lenses of power and inequality. lt examines structural inequalities in society, questioning why some forms of inequality persist in society, and how law constructs. legitimizes and subverts socio-economic inequalities. Using social science methodologies, it will critically analyze several dimensions of inequality in society such as class, race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and environment through legal, historical and socio-cultural examination of contemporary issues such as poverty, education, environmental justice health care, access to food and water, right to voting, wage equality, etc., at the local. national and international level. The course will locus on the implications of structural inequalities and power structures on the sustainability of our legal, political. economic and social system. and will address the importance of social mobilization and the rule of law to establish intra and intergenerational equity.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
Gen Ed 2018, Gen Ed 18-Syst, Sust&Society, OLD GE TOPICS SOCIAL SCIENCE

LAWS 298 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation describes a transfer course from another institution where an equivalency to a Ramapo College course has not been determined. Upon convener evaluation, this course ID may be changed to an equivalent of a Ramapo College course or may fulfill a requirement.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Law and Society Department

LAWS 299 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation is used to describe a transfer course from another institution which has been evaluated by the convener. A course with this course number has no equivalent Ramapo course. It may fulfill a requirement or may count as a free elective.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Law and Society Department

LAWS 300 - INDEPENDENT STUDY: LAW AND SOCIETY
Limited opportunities to enroll for course work on an Independent Study basis are available. A student interested in this option should obtain an Independent Study Registration Form from the Registrar, have it completed by the instructor and school dean involved, and return it to the Registrar's Office. Consult the current Schedule of Classes for policies concerning Independent Study.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Independent Study

Law and Society Department

LAWS 310 - LAW AND THE ELDERLY
This course is intended for students in social work, psychology, law and society, gerontology, and other human service professions. The elderly are increasing three-times as fast as other groups in our society. Programs and residences for seniors are appearing everywhere. Practitioners need to know how to protect the elderly and assist the family in long-term planning. We will consider the recently changed legal climate for the elderly. Topics include: wills, guardianships, powers of attorney, living trusts, Medicare, and social security regulations.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 315 - LAW AND CULTURE
This course offers an overview of the complex relationship between law and culture. "Culture," an often troubling and vague concept, has been the subject of study for humanities, the social sciences--primarily sociology and anthropology, as well as lawyers. We will explore the meanings of culture, the extent to which law influences, is influenced by, and constitutes culture, and specific areas within the larger topic, such as law and popular culture, law in everyday life, law and "other" cultures, and law and literature.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 320 - TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE
Can evil take place with impunity? Answering this questions is the subject matter of transitional justice and of this class. Transitional justice explores why, or even IF, societies should confront past human rights abuses and atrocities. Transitional justice raises difficult legal, political, moral, psychological, and societal dimensions. This course will explore these issues and is accordingly divided into two parts. The first part maps the transitionall justice field--what it is, who are the victims and what kind of wrongs are involved, who are the perpetrators, and goals of transitional justice. In the second part we will examine the three main approaches to transitional justice: prosecution, truth and reconciliation, and non-legal models such as memorials, historical inquiry and restitution.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 321 - FIELD STUDIES: LAW AND SOCIETY
This course is the first of three courses comprising the capstone of the Law and Society Program that generally seek to foster propensities toward experiential and life-long learning. It is only open to Law and Society majors--specifically juniors and seniors who intend to graduate in four semesters or less. This course encourages students to combine theory and practice in a law-related field placement, such as a legislative or executive office, a criminal justice setting or a legal advocacy group. Students should contact the instructor for a permit to enroll in the course. Students will keep a daily journal of their experiential learning, and upon completion of the internship will prepare a critical field report reflecting upon their experience through the lenses of Law and Society.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 324 - CHILD, FAMILY AND THE STATE
A contemporary study of the legal and social features of the relationships between children, parents, and the state, this course includes consideration of conventional domestic United States legal requirements regarding marriage and divorce, as well as contemporary social issues that vary from state to state concerning how family is defined, how parental rights are defined, and the participation of children in the relationship between the family and the state. The impact of substantive and procedural legal requirements as a sustainable system will be studied. The impact of religious, environmental and economic factors will be considered. Global guidelines and best practices will be used to examine traditional justice approaches compared to innovative emphases such as harm reduction; restorative justice (RJ); therapeutic justice (TJ).
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 325 - SOCIAL REALITY OF CRIMINAL LAW
This will be an exciting opportunity not only to study criminal law, but also to leave the classroom frequently and visit police training programs, correctional institutions, go to court and see the delivery of services. We will tailor the off-campus excursions to our needs and interests.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 326 - CRIMINAL JUSTICE FIELDWORK
Criminal Justice Fieldwork incorporates limited classroom work with non-salaried off-campus work experience with various components of the criminal justice system. The objective of this course is to provide the student with an opportunity to observe the functions of the police, courts and corrections components of the criminal justice system and experience their work environments.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 329 - LAW AND GLOBALIZATION
This course explores the development and diffusion of law beyond its traditional domestic and public international spheres of action. It focuses on the growing role of regional and other intermediary legal orders, the importance of non-state actors on the global scene, and some of the key important topics in the globalization of law. The course is accordingly divided into two parts. The first part examines the concept of globalization, the interplay between law and globalization, the main institutional and private actors, and current challenges. The second part consists of case studies on human rights, the global economy, and protection of the environment.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 330 - MEDIA AND THE LAW
This class studies the history and philosophy behind laws and regulations affecting free expression in the United States. Of special interest are media organizations and practitioners--the legal environment facing journalists, broadcasters, and advertisers, including libel, privacy, regulation of radio-tv, fairness doctrine, and commercial speech. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the major legal, ethical and policy issues related to the mass media. This will be done by exposing students to primary documents and cases as well as to methods of analysis. Upon completion, students should be able to explain in broad context, existing media law and policy and be able to critique and analyze future laws and policies. Students should also be able to articulate the ethical issues that are relevant to media conduct.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 331 - LAW AND DEVELOPMENT
This course examines claims that both the substantive content of law and the effective operation of institutions that implement law are important to economic development. We explore in this course the main conceptions and theories of development, some of the key issues that plague development practice, such as corruption and the relationship between human rights and development, and a couple of case studies. The key question throughout is whether law reform and strong justice systems are indeed essential for development.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 332 - PSYCHOLOGY AND THE LAW
This course explores the complex relationship between psychology and the law, focusing on the historical development of this interdisciplinary field, the role of mental health professionals in the interrogation process, and the role of psychology and psychiatry in the trial process. Topics to be examined include coercion in the interrogation process, criminal profiling, the assessment of competence and sanity, as well as the role of psychologists and psychiatrists in shaping jury selection, influencing judges, presenting evidence and assessing risk and predicting future behavior in sentencing decisions.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 334 - JUVENILE JUSTICE
An exploration of various forms of delinquency in America. The course will examine official and informal reactions to delinquency, discuss relevant explanations for this delinquency, and analyze the juvenile justice system.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-AMER-Amer Politics & Soc., MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 337 - CRIMINAL COURT PROCESS
This course examines the prosecution to adjudication process in the American criminal court system. We will examine the "middle stages" of the criminal justice system, the prosecution's decision to charge, pre-trial procedures, and the criminal trial and sentencing phase. Specifically, the roles of the prosecution, defense and judiciary will be discussed from an historical, legal, and social science perspective. Finally, this course will highlight developments and changes in the court process and the legal rights of the accused. The course is highly recommended for those students who have already taken MLWS 228. Recommended prerequisite: MLWS 228.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 340 - CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
This course is a sustained inquiry into the phenomenon of modern civil disobedience, primarily by way of the thinking and practice of its greatest proponents. It will proceed in two distinct stages. First, it will uncover the pivotal foundations of modern civil disobedience by exploring the lives and times of its founding fathers--Socrates, Thoreau and Tolstoy. We will then turn from foundations to contemporary practice to examine the lives and times of its two greatest practitioners (Gandhi and King), and to critically highlight some of the most salient historical examples of the practice.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-TOPICS ARTS&HUMANATIES, MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 341 - GENDER AND THE LAW
This course will examine the position of women and gender in U.S. law. It will address the philosophical underpinnings of the law's understanding of sex and gender, and the subordination of women and gender non-conforming individuals. Efforts to reshape this law will be reviewed. Legal victories and current controversies over marriage, reproduction, rape, sexual harassment and gay/transgender rights will be examined.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-AMER-Gender & Sexuality, MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 342 - LYRICS AND THE LAW
The course will look at the connection between music and law. We will connect classic jurisprudential schools of thought -- natural law, legal positivism, legal realism, and constitutive theory -- to musical lyrics. Music is one of the most influential aspects of our society and culture and thus, deserves critical attention. This course aims to critique some of the ethnomusicology literture regarding lyrical influences. Additionally, we will introduce sociolegal literature that draws the connection between music and race, gender, class, speech, and privacy.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective, WRITING INTENSIVE

LAWS 343 - PROBATION AND PAROLE
The objective of this course is to introduce the students to the different components of community corrections and establish the criteria and guidelines under which probation and parole officers operate. As an alternative to traditional incarceration, probation and parole serves a three-fold ideology of rehabilitation, reduction in the prison population, and protection of the community. These three themes will be examined in detail on both the state and federal levels. In addition, other correctional alternatives such as intensive supervision programs and boot camps will be addressed during the semester.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 345 - ANCIENT FAMILY LAW
This course will examine the religious dimensions of law and the legal dimensions of religion through the comparative examination of underlying principles behind Biblical, Mesopotamian, and Greek family law. Attention will be given to judicial procedures with concentration placed on the legal role of women in society, including marriage, adoption, and succession. The Biblical view that law and religion are inseparable will also be contrasted with secular approaches to family law as found in Mesopotamian and Classical "codes" as well as with the growing Moslem theocratic belief that traditional Islamic family law is compatible with the needs of a modern society.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES, MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 346 - VICTIMS AND THE LAW
This course will introduce you to issues relevant to victims in the crime and criminal justice context. The history, theory and collection of victimization data that will be discussed. However, the collection of factual knowledge is less important than the development of critical thinking and abstract reasoning. It is expected that you will identify the strength and weakness in the information provided to you in the text, journal articles, and statistics. Also, you must be able to articulate opinions on a variety of issues and support your position. The ability to conceptualize ideas and apply information to an assortment of scenarios is required. Each student will be required to participate in steps to create a program dedicated to the protection of child victims in the court system. This will result in a final paper in the course. Recommended prerequisite: MLWS 203.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 347 - DEATH PENALTY IN AMERICA
The course will look at the history of the death penalty in the United States and examine empirical data. Heavy emphasis will be given to Supreme Court decisions concerning the death penalty as well as political arguments about capital punishment. We will view the death penalty from the vantage point of citizens, judges, lawyers, juries, and the accused. State and federal death penalty issues will be discussed from a legal and political perspective.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 348 - DRUGS, CRIME AND SOCIETY
Why do people take drugs? How does society attempt to control drug use? Distribution? This course will examine the explanations of drug use and the social construction of drug policies. We will look at the history and patterns of drug use in modern society. At the heart of the discussion will be the causes and consequences of modern U.S. drug policies and their relation to crime. Throughout the semester we will be using a sociolegal lens to examine drugs, crime, and society, and what happens to offenders once they are released back into the community.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 351 - CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTIES
Constitutional Liberties explores the values and principles our society adopted by establishing the U.S. Constitution. The course will trace the evolution of those values by examining court cases where rights and liberties, such as freedom of speech, religion, privacy, rights of the accused, and the equality of minorities emerged. The case law approach allows the student to critically examine the process of constitutional interpretation and judicial review. The course will emphasize the evolution of constitutional liberties within the political, racial, social and economic context of U.S. history.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-AMER-Amer Politics & Soc., MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective

LAWS 353 - SOCIOLEGAL RESEARCH & WRITING
This course is designed to assist students in refining their legal research and writing skills. This course seeks to help students to understand the relationship between classical rhetoric, legal reasoning, writing, and interpretation. It introduces students to legal semiotics--the study of certain categories of argument that recur throughout the law. This course also seeks to help students to see a legal argument as a "roadmap" that guides jury, jurist and lawyer to certain "destinations" or conclusions. The goal of this course is to provide students with the tools that they will need to assess the sufficiency of quantitative and qualitative legal arguments, and to enable students to formulate arguments of their own--two foundational skills for the development of their Law and Society theses.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

LAWS 355 - INTERNATIONAL LAW
This course is an introduction to public international law, which consists of rules, institutions and practices that bind the international conduct of states and non-state actors. The course is divided into two parts. The first part examines the history and normative boundaries of international law (including actors, creation and compliance), while the second part focuses on key areas in international law: legitimacy, terrorism, the use of force, international criminal law, and a case study (the U.S.).
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 360 - LAW OF WAR
This course explores the complex relationship between modern wars and international legal system, which consists of rules, institutions and practices that bind the international conduct of states and non-state actors. We will explore the history of war, justifications for war, the legal boundaries of modern wars, regulating conduct in modern wars, the punishment of war crimes, and special issues in this area (children and women). This course is one of the elective courses of the Law and Society major. Law and Society is a recommended prerequisite.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Lecture/Online, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 390 - TOPICS:
The descriptions and topics of this course change from semester-to-semester, as well as from instructor-to-instructor. Prerequisite: varies with the topic offered. LAWS 390 01 FORENSICS. Multidisciplinary and reality based approach introduces students to "Forensic Investigation" to demonstrate how Anthropology, Botany, and Entomology provide critical data in resolving investigational goals. The coursework covers origin, history and the role of science in bringing criminals to justice. Student's work in the field and classroom environment locate, identify, collect and transport physical evidence that may be used at trial for determining causation and linking the accused to a crime. LAWS 390 02 CRIME, CRIMINALS AND BILL OF RIGHTS. This course shall analyze selected landmark criminal cases addressing issues arising out of the prosecution of various criminal offenses, such as: homicide; sexual crimes; terrorism; arson; kidnapping; weapons offenses; controlled dangerous substances; RICO; organized crime; fraud; white collar crimes; etc. The case method approach, as utilized in law schools, shall be followed in the study of these decisions which involve analysis of Bill of Rights guarantees such as: probable cause; due process; search and seizure; confessions; cruel and unusual punishment; right to keep and bear arms; right to counsel; competency; speedy trial; confrontation of witnesses; double jeopardy; etc. LAWS 390 03 PROOF, SCIENCE & COURTS. This topics seminar will address the principal themes of (1) certainty and proof in science and the law, including the historical development of epistemological criteria applied in science and the courts; (2) forensic science and the law, particularly the concepts of "scientific reliability" and the admissibility of scientific evidence; (3) advances in biomedical science and the law, including their impact on traditional ideas of family and kinship; and (4) intellectual property in the digital culture, and other issues as they may arise in class discussions. LAWS 390 DEATH PENALTY: The course will look at the history of the death penalty in the United States and examine empirical data. Heavy emphasis will be given to Supreme Court decisions concerning the death penalty as well as political arguments about capital punishment. We will view the death penalty from the vantage point of citizens, judges, lawyers, juries, and the accused. State and federal death penalty issues will be discussed from a legal and political perspective. LAWS 390 LAW & SEXUALITY. The course examines the law attempting to regulate human sexuality. It looks at the theories behind sexual morality laws, the methods used, the effectiveness of such regulation and its effects on us as sexual beings. Topics covered include marriage, laws covering sexual conduct, sexual orientation and gender identity. LAWS 390 TRANSGENDER EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION: "This Topics course will focus on the nuts and bolts of civil rights litigation, specifically the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, and its application to transgender employees who experience discrimination on the job. Professor Weiss has extensive experience in high-profile high-impact litigation of this type. The course will also look at the intersection of other forms of oppression and their treatment in law, including but not limited to race, class, sexual orientation and disability. Students will learn to brief cases, and to construct and present written and oral arguments regarding the law." LAWS 390 RESPONSES TO WRONG-DOING: The course explores the various responses to wrong-doing from a legal systems approach. Students will consider the philosophical bases for approaches to wrong-doing such as retribution, rehabilitation, incapacitation, deterrence, restorative justice, and therapeutic justice. The substantive applications to be examined include: criminal law, juvenile law, dependency law, and civil tort law. The emphasis of the course will be on case studies comparing the efficacy of different legal systems and models including: procedures for resolving conflict, results for the parties – including non-legal impact, role of the professional actors, ethical considerations, and impact on society. While the emphasis will be on assessing best practice models for the United States legal system, the case studies for comparison will include systems used in other domestic legal systems. This course satisfies the Criminal Justice Elective requirement of the major. LAWS 390: COMPARATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW This course is a study of environmental law from a comparative perspective, primarily focusing on common law countries, EU jurisdictions and indigenous legal traditions. The course will provide students an overview of the philosophical debates, principles and ethics that are foundational to the development of environmental law. Students will examine critical approaches to the study of environmental law in the Global North and Global South. Students will work with laws that govern the protection and management of environment, liabilities for environmental harm, environmental human rights, indigenous rights, and international treaties on climate change to analyze how different legal traditions respond to issues of environmental harm, protection and justice. The course is appropriate for those with a general interest in law, as well as for those concerned with environmental problems. This course satisfies the Law and Globalization Elective requirement of the major. LAWS 390 Topics: Technology, Crime, and Justice -- This topics seminar explores the massive impact of technology on the nature of crime, crime control, and criminal justice. Particular emphasis is on contemporary advances in technology and the ongoing reshaping of the modern world. The course will cover five broad areas. First, conceptual understandings of technology and its relation to crime and justice. Second, how criminals employ technology and how technology shapes crime. Third, technology as a part of crime control, both through law enforcement and informal social control. Fourth, technological incorporation and influence within legal practice, the judiciary, and judicial process. Fifth, the potential wonders and worries of the future to come! LAWS390: WII INTERNSHIP: Students will take an in-depth look at a variety of different domestic and/or foreign policies and policy-making systems. In this course, students will learn the theories, trends, and major historical events in U.S. and/or foreign policies. External speakers will facilitate discussions on contemporary U.S. and foreign policy issues and challenges. Co-requisites: POLI 389 and POLI 390; Credits: 4 LAWS390: ACTUAL INNOCENCE: This course covers wrongful convictions that lead to innocent people being sentenced to prison or death. Through the study of individual cases of wrongful conviction and exoneration, students will learn about the legal and cultural practices and beliefs that contribute to wrongful convictions. Throughout the course, students will consider possible solutions to the problem of wrongful conviction, as well as barriers to those solutions. An overarching goal of the course is to explore what wrongful convictions reveal about the criminal justice system.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-LAWS-Law & Society Elective, TS-Sch Core- SCP Category

LAWS 398 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation describes a transfer course from another institution where an equivalency to a Ramapo College course has not been determined. Upon convener evaluation, this course ID may be changed to an equivalent of a Ramapo College course or may fulfill a requirement.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Law and Society Department

LAWS 399 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation is used to describe a transfer course from another institution which has been evaluated by the convener. A course with this course number has no equivalent Ramapo course. It may fulfill a requirement or may count as a free elective.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Law and Society Department

LAWS 400 - INDEPENDENT STUDY: LAW AND SOCIETY
Limited opportunities to enroll for course work on an Independent Study basis are available. A student interested in this option should obtain an Independent Study Registration Form from the Registrar, have it completed by the instructor and school dean involved, and return it to the Registrar's Office. Consult the current Schedule of Classes for policies concerning Independent Study.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Independent Study

Law and Society Department

LAWS 411 - LAW AND THE LITERARY IMAGINATION
This course examines the field of law and literature. We will use available bibliographic resources and selected texts to examine the issues and approaches dominant in critical discussions among scholars and jurists. We will examine such traditional concerns of law and literature as the influence of law on literature through the figure of the lawyer, the theme of justice and the metaphor of the trial. Other emergent areas of inquiry to be explored include such concerns as the function of interpretation in law and literature, the literary analysis of legal texts, and first amendment issues in author-subject relations.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 421 - DIRECTED READINGS: LAW AND SOCIETY
This course is one of three courses comprising the capstone of the Law and Society Program that generally seek to foster propensities toward experiential and life-long learning. It is only open to Law and Society majors--specifically juniors and seniors who intend to graduate in three semesters or less. Directed Readings is designed to prepare the way for the composition of a Law and Society Thesis--the culmination of a student's Law and Society training. This course focuses on the construction of a thesis topic, the composition of a thesis statement and the completion of the necessary research to ground the writing of a thesis. Upon completion of this course students should be ready to engage in the composition of their Law and Society thesis. Students should contact the instructor for a permit to enroll in the course.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

LAWS 431 - THESIS SPRVSN:LAW & SOC
This course is one of the three courses comprising the capstone of the Law and Society Program that generally seek to foster propensities toward experiential and life-long learning. It is the culmination of one's study in Law and Society. It is only open to Law and Society majors--specifically juniors and seniors who intend to graduate in three semesters or less. In this course students will write their Law and Society theses that will incorporate the perspectives and methodologies that they have studied throughout the program. This thesis is a major undertaking (approximately 40 pages in length) that critically examines an issue that has been chosen by the student with the help of her mentor.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Hybrid, Lecture, Online Course

Law and Society Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

LAWS 498 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation describes a transfer course from another institution where an equivalency to a Ramapo College course has not been determined. Upon convener evaluation, this course ID may be changed to an equivalent of a Ramapo College course or may fulfill a requirement.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Law and Society Department

LAWS 499 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation is used to describe a transfer course from another institution which has been evaluated by the convener. A course with this course number has no equivalent Ramapo course. It may fulfill a requirement or may count as a free elective.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Law and Society Department


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