Law and Society (BA)

There’s more to the law than rules and regulations. Learn about the complex dynamics that shape peoples’ personal and social lives and how they intersect with law and the legal system. Discover how social factors, including power, colonialism, money, culture and race, influence how laws are made and practiced in Laurier Brantford's Law and Society program.

Analyze how the law may help relieve or reinforce power, inequality and discrimination and the ways in which social movements have both used and challenged legal system in their fight for justice.

Program Details

Degree Highlights

Your future professors work hard to make sure your academic experience is current, complete and designed to open doors in your career. Here are a few things you can count on:

  • Practice-Based Curriculum
    Courses combine theoretical approaches with critical framework, allowing you to develop essential skills to succeed beyond the classroom
  • Mixed-Method Research
    Students will learn research and communications skills necessary for future employment and postgraduate studies. You will have the opportunity to do oral presentations and write longer research-intensive essays.
  • Politics and Public Policy Specialization
    Critically engage with the important political processes, systems and institutions that shape the world. With the Politics and Public Policy option and specialization you will see how law is influenced by political forces and the dynamics of public policy development and implementation.
  • Pathway to Law School
    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.

Top Experiences

Here are just a few of our students’ favourite ways to apply their learning in the real world throughout their degree (check out the Experience Guide for even more!):

  • Research Assistantship
    Earn a research or instructional assistantship position applying your learning while assisting a professor from the Law and Society program.
  • Pursue Your Passions
    Complete a directed studies course in your fourth year, studying a topic that interests you.
  • Become a Member
    Become a student member of the Canadian Criminal Justice Association and/or Ontario Bar Association.
  • Get Involved
    Join student clubs such as the Law & Society Students' Association, Laurier Moot Court, or Student Rights Advisory Committee and build leadership skills through joining an executive team.
  • Competitions
    Showcase your work for the public and Laurier community at the Academic, Creative and Engaged Research Showcase (ACERS).

Courses, Options and Pathways

Courses

Get a glimpse of what you will study throughout your degree. See what your first-year classes will look like through sample courses and start exploring what your upper academic years can offer.

Program Options

Explore a variety of courses, specializations and pathway options that let you shape your degree around your unique interests and goals. Find out how you can customize your experience and prepare for what’s next.

Admissions

  • Format: full time or part time
  • Duration: four years
  • Start: September (fall term), January (winter term) or May (spring term)

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 
  • community worker 
  • fundraiser 
  • government administrator 
  • court reporter 
  • human rights advocate 
  • immigration officer 
  • law clerk 
  • lawyer 
  • legal aid worker 
  • labour relations specialist 
  • paralegal 
  • policy researcher 
  • police and probation officer 
  • public policy advisor 
  • social policy researcher 
  • survivor/victims’ advocate 

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.

student-business-lecture-banner.jpg

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.

 

Laurier is among the top 6 percent in the Center for World University Rankings

 

Laurier students engaged in hands-on learning in 2024

 

Laurier graduates employed or in post-graduate studies in 2024

Brantford Campus

The Brantford campus blends small-city charm with big opportunities. It’s home to more than 2,400 students learning in modern classrooms inside beautifully restored buildings, with access to recreation at the Laurier Brantford YMCA and one-stop student services within One Market. With affordable living options, 20+ programs to choose from, great walking and biking trails and a welcoming community, Laurier Brantford is the ideal place to live and learn.

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.

students in a classroom

Delivered In Person

Join us on campus and experience university life firsthand.

You can complete your program primarily through in-person courses where you will attend classes in a physical classroom on scheduled days and times, which you will see and choose from when you register for courses. 

Connect face-to-face with your professors, learn alongside your classmates and be part of the campus community from day one.  

Hear From Current Students

Want to know what it’s really like to be a Laurier Golden Hawk? Student Life at Laurier is your social media source to get unfiltered content, first-hand stories and tips on living and learning at Laurier.

Connect with Us

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


You Belong Here

Think this program might be the perfect fit for you and your future?