COURSE CURRICULUM

This Public Affairs concentration within the Legal Studies major is designed to connect legal education with public policy, governance, and regulatory systems, preparing students for careers in government, nonprofit organizations, compliance, or further study in law and public administration. Within a broader academic framework such as the one offered by the University of New Haven, the program builds on a shared legal foundation that includes legal concepts, research and writing, civil procedure, administrative law, constitutional law, and legal ethics, ensuring students understand how legal systems function and interact with political institutions. A central focus of the concentration is the relationship between law and public policy, training students to analyze how laws are created, implemented, and evaluated within federal, state, and local government systems, as well as how they affect society. Students develop critical thinking and analytical skills through coursework that examines issues such as inequality, environmental regulation, criminal justice reform, civil rights, and governance challenges. The curriculum integrates political science, criminal justice, communication, and sociology perspectives to provide a broad understanding of legal systems in social context. The required “Law and Policy” course serves as the core of the concentration, emphasizing policy analysis and legal reasoning in real-world contexts. Electives allow specialization in areas like environmental law, cyberlaw, restorative justice, counterterrorism, legislative processes, and social justice issues, supporting diverse career paths in public administration, regulatory agencies, advocacy organizations, and policy research roles. Writing-intensive coursework and ethical training reinforce professional responsibility and communication skills, while internships and experiential learning ensure students gain practical exposure to legal and policy environments. Overall, the program produces graduates capable of analyzing complex legal and policy issues, contributing to governance and regulatory decision-making, and working effectively in public service and law-related fields.