Who we are

The department of Legal Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of law and society. As part of the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Legal Studies offers courses to all University students and maintains a major for approximately five hundred students. The purposes of this multifaceted program are the development of the study of law within a liberal arts framework and the exploration of the myriad ways in which legal studies is connected with other disciplines pertinent to an understanding of society.

Faculty are engaged in diverse scholarship and teaching. Research interests include: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Borders and Citizenship, Civil Liberties, Education, Immigration, Indigenous Peoples, Information Technology and Online Dispute Resolution, Legal Profession, Multinational Corporations, Palliative care, Popular Culture, Religion. The Department organizes a clinical project in conjunction with the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center (MFHC) -- there is a clinical project description, and an application form. Legal Studies is also home of the National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution.

Legal Studies supports a robust internship program for its majors as well as sustaining a strong tradition in undergraduate Capstone honors research and writing. The Legal Studies Graduate Fellows program brings young scholars from multiple disciplines across campus to do collaborative research and teaching with Legal Studies faculty.

We have a Departmental People page, a directory in pdf format, and a Departmental blog.