The law and justice concentration is focused on the legal, socio-political, and philosophical study of crime and criminal justice. Three primary areas shape the concentration. First, there is a focus on the law as a body of rules and institutions, including the history of criminal law, the basic principles of legal code and processes of lawmaking. Second, the concentration focuses on the sociology of punishment, considering how rationales, strategies and systems of formal control emerge in the context of broader social organizational relations. Finally, the concentration is concerned with the meaning of justice, and the philosophical and political underpinnings of varied and often competing conceptions. The law and justice concentration essentially provides a critical theoretical basis for understanding criminal law, criminal justice systems, and the pursuit of justice in their social and historical context.

Experiential education is the cornerstone of a Northeastern education. Anchored by our signature cooperative education program, students can choose from a variety of experiences such as working in their chosen field(s), participating in research with faculty, volunteering in the community or broadening their viewpoint with an international component such as study abroad or an international co-op. The experiences our students gain enhance the classroom discussions with living examples and augment their résumés with responsible positions.