Studying Law, Rights and Justice at Linfield

Thinking and arguing about law, rights and social justice

Laws, rights and justice (LRJ) majors are part philosopher, part lawyer and part policy expert.

• You care deeply about justice and want to utilize the multiple ways of thinking provided by the liberal arts in order to figure out how to achieve justice in the world.
• You love to argue, but care about how to make good arguments rooted in reason, logic and evidence.

If this sounds like you, please check out the law, rights and justice major, which is intended to encourage students interested in law to:

• Connect legal theory with legal practice, to explore law through the lenses provided by multiple disciplines
• Think critically about the relationship between law, rights, and competing conceptions of justice
• Combine liberal learning with possible career aspirations

Challenge yourself and the world around you

Through our program covering multiple areas of study that each combine humanistic with social scientific forms of inquiry, you will have opportunities to think critically about a variety of issues such as:

• Sources of law
• Functions of law
• Impact of law on society and society on law
• The behavior of legal elites
• The impact that behavior has on ordinary people
• Relationship between law and morality, the nature and value of rights

And how competing conceptions of justice can provide us with lenses through which to view the relationship between law and freedom, virtue, democracy, equality and human flourishing.

Life after Linfield

The law, rights and justice major will provide you with skills that will serve you well, should you decide to attend law school or pursue another path. Gain the ability to:

• Read complex texts
• Assess the logic of arguments
• Do independent research
• Communicate effectively through speech and writing