History, Law & Society

The HLS program approaches law both as a profession and as a field of inquiry enmeshed with the humanities and social sciences. HLS students study law as a body of ideas and practices that are shaped by forces beyond the courtroom. In small seminars, students become lawyers, legal historians and legal philosophers, decoding and reconstructing the meaning of legal norms, their aims, their flaws, and their impact. 

Whether you are considering law school or another professional path, the HLS major is the best gateway to understanding the relationship between law and morals, society, politics, and economics.  

The program includes: 

•  An introductory course to History, Law, and Society, a History Workshop with an emphasis on research methods, and an HLS Capstone 
• Law courses covering topics in human rights, constitutional and international law, advanced seminars in comparative law, criminal law, environmental law, humanitarian law, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and law in relation to gender and education  
• Participation in practical Democracy Labs 
• A prison education workshop 
• A legal writing workshop. 

Skills and knowledge acquired in the program: 

• Legal research and writing 
• Critical thinking 
• Understanding case-law and legal literature 
• Ability to deconstruct and evaluate the quality of a legal argument 
• Trace the implementation of constitutional, legal, and executive norms in politics and society 
• Navigate among legal systems and political institutions 

Our law classes encourage students to explore the most pressing issues in the arenas of social and economic justice. Enter any law class at AUP and you will engage with issues such as the evolution of abortion jurisprudence in the United States, Argentina or Germany; the role of British and French Empires in today’s violation of LGTBQ+ rights in the Global South; the racial bias in state regulations of AI and Big Data analysis; or the application of human rights frameworks to the protection of animals and the environment.   

Furthermore, HLS courses are designed to nurture your understanding of how lawyers and judges think, why courts choose to protect or infringe upon the rights of women, children, and minority groups. You will tackle questions surrounding the moral foundations of law, the impact of legal doctrines on democratic resilience, and the ways in which legal institutions are designed to drive progressive or reactionary causes. 

HLS graduates are eligible to apply for JD degrees in the United States as well as for legal graduate studies in France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries in Europe and beyond. This means HLS students could obtain a master’s degree in law in one or two years (depending on the school) upon graduation from AUP. 

The AUP Law Society is a club focused on helping pre-law students prepare for law school admission, connect with current lawyers or law students, discuss their legal interests, gain writing experience, and meet students with similar interests.

The club’s activities include:

• Holding mixers and panels between students and legal professionals
• Sharing information, resources, and tips for law school admissions
• Offering LSAT/LNAT test preparation support
• Organizing events from amateur moot court competitions to more casual discussions of current legal issues
• Collaborations with other student organizations

The club aims to support students curious about Law School, but welcomes students from all departments, interested in any career field.

• Contact Email: lawsocietyaup.edu
• AUP Engage Page

Are you interested in human rights and/or global news? Do you want to be a part of a community of individuals who are driven to bring awareness to global humanitarian issues? If so, this club is for you! The goal of GHAC is to educate and engage the university community on global humanitarian rights issues, fostering a deeper understanding of the philosophical and political contexts that shape these events. While this club is new (fall 2024), we already have fun events and weekly meeting ideas to educate students in an engaging way. Some of these events include Human Rights Awareness Week, fundraising events, Cultural Exchange nights, advocacy campaigns, collaborations with other clubs, volunteer opportunities, and more to come… The vision of this club is to create a well-informed and empathetic community that actively participates in global humanitarian efforts and advocates for human rights, promoting a world where every individual is treated with dignity and respect. We welcome anyone from any background, as every individual perspective will be treated with respect and understanding. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please reach out to me or sign up through engage. Join us in making a difference!

• Contact Email: ghacaup.edu
• AUP Engage Page

The Center for Critical Democracy Studies was founded in 2016 to foster an interdisciplinary approach to questions of democracy. Purposely aligned with AUP's liberal arts curriculum, the Center encourages all fields from the natural and environmental sciences to the social sciences and humanities to explore democracy as a social state, a political regime, and a form of agency. Center-sponsored research is global, inter- and trans-disciplinary. The Center has received generous support from the Mellon Foundation and the Annenberg Foundation and received three multinational Horizon Europe projects supported by the EU research & innovation program. It sponsors the publication of The Tocqueville Review/La Revue Tocqueville, its online platform Tocqueville21, and the Analyse & Kritik journal. Offering a platform for the organization of conferences and events around key themes of democracy's past, present, and future, CCDS is committed to generating innovative pedagogies designed to foster critical thinking on the history, theory, and practice of democracy. The Center also sponsors scholars-in-residence who deliver talks and lead pedagogy seminars.

www.aup.edu/CCDS