Law, Policy and Society is an interdisciplinary program that offers the Ph.D., M.S., and JD/MS degrees. It prepares students for careers in research, teaching, government, non-profit, or legal institutions. LPS examines law, legal institutions, and public policy from an interdisciplinary social science perspective. The curriculum incorporates a wide range of theoretical perspectives and research methodologies. Students engage in policy analysis and applied research in several fields including crime, law and justice; culture, race and gender policy; environmental policy; health policy; international development; labor market, education and workforce development; and urban policy.

Student and Faculty Spotlight

Neenah Estrella-Luna, Spring 2009 Grad. Understanding Agency Empathy in Environmental Policy

News

Law and LPS Professor Richard Daynard received a $2.7 million, 5-year grant from the National Cancer Institute to support his research on how the tobacco, fast-food and sweetened-beverage industries use the concept of personal responsibility and choice to influence courts, legislatures, regulatory agencies and public opinion and the resulting effect on public health.

LPS Ph.D. candidate Liana Pennington gave a presentation titled "Moot Courts in the Classroom" at the Consortium for Undergraduate Law and Justice Programs Conference in Denver on May 27th. Liana also presented a poster at the Law & Society Association's Annual Meeting titled "Parent's Perceptions of Legitimacy in the Juvenile Court."

LPS Ph.D. candidate Aviva Rich-Shea was widely quoted in an article in the Providence Journal (30 May) on zero-tolerance policies in schools, the topic of her ongoing dissertation research.

LPS Professor Paul Harrington, director of the center of labor market studies, was a guest on "Business Talk" on NBC 10 in Providence, R.I., on March 23, to talk about the current labor market and today's economic impact on education.

LPS Professor Paul Harrington,was quoted in a Feb. 17 Newsweek article on career recovery after layoffs. "People are making career shifts because they think their prospects in a field where they've been employed are not good," said Harrington.