Legal Studies News & Events Archive
Legal Studies Major
May 24, 2024
Watch this short video giving an overview of the legal studies major!
2024 Distinguished Lecture
April 17, 2024
From Drug Wars to Harm Reduction: Reflections on the Future of Addiction, Research, Drug Policy, and Mass Incarceration
Year End Celebration
April 10, 2024
Spring Quarter Declaration Workshop
April 1, 2024
Graduate School Panel 2024
February 2, 2024
Interested in attending graduate school? Ask our virtual graduate school panel to hear from UCSC alumnae, about their experiences in graduate school!
Graduate School Paper Workshop with Mark Howard
January 31, 2024
Join us for our Graduate School Paper Workshop with Mark Howard held on March 1, 2024, from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm. This event will be hybrid held both in-person in the Charles Merrill Lounge and over Zoom.
Exciting Summer Course Internship Opportunities in Legal Studies Department
January 25, 2024
The Legal Studies department is offering three upper-division courses this summer, providing students with internship components for hands-on exposure to the legal profession. LGST 188A introduces key aspects of the legal profession and Legal Aid, while LGST 188B offers experiential internships, focusing on professional skills and ethics. To fulfill one LGST requirement, students must take both courses. Additionally, LGST 185 provides a practicum seminar for field research in law and policy-making settings, complementing internships. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your legal studies through practical experience and achieve your career goals!
Winter Quarter Declaration Workshop
January 24, 2024
Join us for one of our Winter quarter declaration workshops if you would like to hear more about the declaration process and requirements, or if you have any questions regarding the declaration process!
Law School Panel - 2024
October 23, 2023
The Legal Studies Department is hosting one of our annual virtual Law School Panels! This year, we will welcome a panel of alumnae to speak on their personal experiences applying to and attending law school.
Congratulations, Class of 2023
June 16, 2023
Register for the Virtual Graduate School Panel (April 19)
April 7, 2023
On Wednesday, April 19th from 5:15PM-6:15PM (PST), we are hosting one of our annual virtual panels over Zoom, titled Legal Studies Pathways: Graduate School! Register here to learn more about graduate school from two UCSC alumni pursuing their Master's in Public Policy.
Legal Studies Annual Distinguished Lecture
March 28, 2023
We welcome Professor Tanya Katerí Hernández to present the Legal Studies Annual Distinguished Lecture, titled Coming to Understand Latino Anti-Black Bias. The UCSC Legal Studies Program
Save the Date - April 19th - Legal Studies Pathways: Graduate School Panel
March 9, 2023
Save the date article for the Legal Studies department's annual virtual graduate school panel, which will be held over Zoom on Wednesday, April 19th from 5:15PM-6:15PM (PST).
April 14: Eleonora Pasotti "Death and the State: Lessons from Comparative Legal Analysis"
March 2, 2023
Strengthening the Sixth in Santa Cruz: Building Cases and Community Through Holistic Defense
February 10, 2023
Fall 2022 Legal Studies Workshop: October 14, 2022
October 3, 2022
Asli Bâli – From Revolution to Devolution? Dilemmas of Federalism & Decentralization in the Middle East October 14 @ 12:00 pm | Virtual Event
Three Legal Studies faculty earn teaching awards in 2022
June 5, 2022
The Legal Studies Program is proud to announce that three of their faculty members have been recognized for their teaching and pedagogical contributions at UC Santa Cruz: Professors Jackie Gehring, Kyle Robertson, and Daniel Wirls.
Legal Studies Panel: The Politics of Water & Housing in California @Wednessday Feb 16, 3.30-4.30
January 28, 2022
Legal Studies Spring Workshop with Catherine Jones: Friday April 1, 2022
January 25, 2022
Politics Professor Mark Fathi Massoud Speaks with BBC World News
January 15, 2022
Politics Professor Mark Fathi Massoud spoke with BBC World News about the conflict between Somalia's president and prime minister over ongoing election delays.
UCSC Student Draws Inspiration from her Personal Hero
December 2, 2021
Aissata Ba, a second-year legal studies major at UC Santa Cruz, didn’t think she had a chance to be selected to participate in an event with former first lady Michelle Obama
Graduate & Professional School Forum: November 9, 2021
November 1, 2021
Join us to hear about the different Graduate and Professional School opportunities. Students can learn about different programs such as Ph.D.'s, Master's, Law, and Combined School Programs.
Legal Studies Fall Workshop with Ellie Frazier: Friday November 19, 2021
October 21, 2021
Join us to discuss Ellie Frazier’s work in progress “Adapting and Resisting: How Community Paralegals Translate Law into Action in Sierra Leone.” Gloria Paidamoyo Chikaonda, a JSD student at Stanford will serve as discussant.
Civic Education in Polarized Times: October 29-30, 2021
October 21, 2021
The Legal Studies Program co-sponsors significant national Conference: Civic Education in Polarized Times (virtual), October 29-30, 2021, hosted by the American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy.
Graduate Fellows of the 2021-2022 Academic Year
September 22, 2021
The Legal Studies Program is happy to welcome the Legal Studies Graduate Fellows for the year 2021-22.
Congratulations, Class of 2021!
June 11, 2021
Muslim women are using Sharia to push for gender equality by Professor Mark Fathi Massoud
May 21, 2021
Strauss Foundation award recognizes student’s work with families affected by incarceration
May 4, 2021
Legal studies undergraduate Matt Sioson recently won $15,000 in funding from the Donald A. Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation.
Wednesday May 12: Distinguished Lecture: Noura Erakat
April 19, 2021
Join us Wednesday May 12, 3.30 - 5pm for the Legal Studies Program Distinguished Lecture: Professor Noura Erakat: Palestine as an Anti-Racist Struggle?
Mark Fathi Massoud Book Talk, Wednesday, May 5
April 16, 2021
Join us to discuss Shari‘a, Inshallah by Mark Fathi Massoud on Wednesday May 5, 3.30-4.45pm
Anjuli Verma Legal Studies Workshop, Friday April 16
April 16, 2021
Join us on Friday April 16th at 12-1pm, to discuss Anjuli Verma’s work in progress 'DOWNSHIFT: California’s “Great Experiment” & the Future of Decarceration in America’. Professor Craig Haney will serve as discussant. The paper will be circuated one week before the workshop, on Friday April 9.
Bordering Britain with Nadine El-Enany, Thursday, April 15
April 15, 2021
Join us to discuss the recent release of (B)ordering Britain: Law Race and Empire by Nadine El-Enany. Thursday, April 15, 10:30am (UCSC) /6.30pm (UK)
Winter Legal Studies Workshop
February 5, 2021
Join us to discuss Yasmeen Daifallah’s work in progress, ‘Preparing Revolutionaries and Reforming Reformers’. Professor Megan Thomas will serve as discussant. The paper will be circulated one week before the workshop, on Friday January 28.
Thomas Serres Legal Studies Workshop
December 11, 2020
Join us to discuss Thomas Serres’s work in progress ‘Macron’s Authoritarian Drift or the Dangers of Radical Centrism’. Professor Mark Fathi Massoud will serve as discussant. The paper will be circulated by email one week before the workshop, on Friday December 4.
BBC Interviews Politics Professor Mark Fathi Massoud
October 26, 2020
UC Santa Cruz politics and legal studies professor Mark Fathi Massoud talked with BBC World News about the implications of a recent Trump administration deal to normalize relations between Sudan and Israel.
From Punishment to Restitution
October 23, 2020
The Politics Department and Legal Studies Program presents: Politics Fall Colloquium with Professor Ahmad Atif
A Message from our Graduating Students to our Incoming Students
October 4, 2020
We know this year looks a little more different than other years. This is why we have asked our Legal Studies Class of 2020 to share their experiences and some advice for our incoming undergraduate student.
Legal Studies Professor Jackie Gehring Recognized with Distinguished Teaching Award
June 16, 2020
Associate teaching professor of Legal Studies Jacqueline Gehring is recognized with UCSC's 2020-2021 Distinguished Teaching Award
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Proclamation
June 10, 2020
Legal Studies Graduate Workshop Supports PhD Students at UCSC
May 8, 2020
On May 8, 2020, the UCSC Legal Studies Program hosted its Graduate Workshop. Here's what Graduate students took away from the workshop and their advice for undergraduate students.
Oct 30: André Borges: Right-wing populism and party system change in Brazil: A subnational perspective
October 30, 2019
"Imagining Otherwise: Resisting and Queering Racial and Gender Violence"
October 17, 2019
Year End Reception 2019
June 7, 2019
The Politics Department and Legal Studies Program gathered at the end of the Spring quarter to celebrate the graduating class of 2019
Family inspires student's academic journey
June 07, 2019
First-generation college student Hector Arroyo De La Paz will graduate from UC Santa Cruz next week with a bachelor’s degree in legal studies and Latin American and Latino studies. He credits his parents for making it happen.
Strauss Foundation Awards Alyssa Tamboura $15,000 Public Service Scholarship to Carry Out Project in Her Junior Year at UC Santa Cruz
May 14, 2019
The Donald A. Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation, established as a memorial to the late Don Strauss of Newport Beach and now designed to award $15,000 scholarships to as many as 15 California college sophomores and juniors annually, has announced that among the foundation’s new group of recipients is a UC Santa Cruz student, Alyssa Marie Tamboura.
Law's Wars, Law's Trials
March 6, 2019
Richard Abel discussed the fate of the rule of law when there is a perceived threat to the security of the state by describing the ways in which the rule of law was contested during the "war on terror" after 9/11 and the legal processes that justified that contestation.
Alternatives to Law School Panel
February 13, 2019
On February 13th, 2019 two UCSC Legal Studies Alumni volunteered their time to come speak to over 40 undergraduate students in the Alternatives to Law School Panel.
Stephanie Perez Embarks on A New Journey of Independent Research
January 21, 2019
Stephanie Perez, a fourth-year Legal Studies major with a minor in History, is embarking on a new research project, Law and the Early History of Bioprospecting in the Ecuadorian Amazon, which will explore the legal aspects of bioprospecting in Ecuador in the mid-twentieth century and its relationship to pharmaceutical development in the United States.
Reel Work Labor Film Festival Together to End Solitary, Cruel and Unusual – the Story of the Angola 3
March 20, 2018
Three black men, with together over 113 years in solitary confinement torture in the USA, were framed for organizing against injustice inside Angola Prison in Louisiana. The film follows their decades-long struggle for justice and the building of a national and international movement to end solitary confinement.
Rights, Reinscription, & Legal Consciousness: Racist and Sexist Speech at Work and on the Street
January 10, 2018
This presentation combines a presentation of work from Nielsen’s first book, License to Harass: Law, Hierarchy & Offensive Public Speech, with her new book, Rights on Trial: How Workplace Discrimination Law Perpetuates Inequality, to explore a foundational question: When and how can law successfully intervene to remedy existing structures of inequalities of unearned privilege? In other words, what is the appropriate role of law in addressing the pressing social problems of racism, sexism, ableism, and other loci of discrimination in different contexts.
ACLU Forum on First Amendment after Charlottesville
December 5, 2017
The violence that occurred in Charlottesville caused civil libertarians around the country to examine their historic, staunch, and absolutist defense of the First Amendment when it comes into conflict with co-equal Constitutional rights, such as Equal Protection, and other vital civil liberties, including racial justice. What should lovers of civil liberties do when the goal of those seeking to exercise their rights to free speech and assembly is to deny others those same rights and/or to harm others? This Conversation explored this complex, thorny issue in depth.
Recent Alum Shows that After Graduation, Anything is Possible
December 5, 2017
When Anna Jean Kaiser (Cowell, Politics ’12) graduated from UC Santa Cruz, she decided to move to a country where she knew no one. Now, she is a successful reporter writing for the Washington Post, the New York Times, and other publications.
Understanding the First Amendment: A Campus Workshop on Expression
November 7, 2017
This workshop on November 14, 2017 presented a keynote by Elizabeth Beaumont, Associate Professor of Politics and Director of Legal Studies at UCSC, introducing participating UCSC students, staff, and faculty to a historical overview of the First Amendment and its basic principles. The keynote was followed by a facilitated round table discussions and activities.
Valeria Chavez-Ayala ('17)
October 14, 2017
Valeria Chavez-Ayala, a 2017 Legal Studies graduate, has found a new home at UCSC's Office of Undocumented Student Services.
Ruth Langridge Awarded NSF Grant
June 28, 2017
Ruth Langridge, associate researcher and lecturer with the Politics department, has been awarded the Science of Science and Innovation (SciSIP) Grant from the Nationa Sciene Foundation (NSF).
Legal Studies Distinguished Speaker Series: Erwin Chemerinsky
May 22, 2017
On Thursday March 2, 2017 the honorable Judge Vince Chhabria, United States District Court for the Northern District of California and graduate of UCSC, class of '91 visited campus as part of the Legal Studies Program's Distinguished Speakers Series.
Building an American Empire: The Era of Territorial and Political Expansion
May 7, 2017
Professor Frymer is the director of the Program in Law and Public Affairs and a professor of Politics at Princeton University. He is the author of numerous articles and three books: Uneasy Alliances: Race and Party Competition in America (Reissued 2010), Black and Blue: African Americans, the Labor Movement, and the Decline of the Democratic Party (2008), and Building an American Empire: The Era of Territorial and Political Expansion (2017), all published by Princeton University Press. Professor Frymer was previously the Director of Legal Studies at UCSC.
Prop. 8 plaintiff Kris Perry receives Distinguished Social Sciences Alumni Award
March 24, 2017
"You only win your civil rights by fighting for them," says alumna Kris Perry, who will be honored at a reception on Friday, April 28.
The Rule of Law: Why It Matters, What Threatens It, and What It Is, Martin Krygier
March 16, 2017
Krygier is Gordon Samuels Professor of Law and Social Theory, UNSW. Honorary Professor at RegNet, ANU, visiting professor at the Graduate School of Social Research, Warsaw, and the International Institute of Sociology of Law, Onati. In 2016 he was awarded the Dennis Leslie Mahoney Prize in Legal Theory.
Federal Judge Vince Chhabria Speaks at UCSC
March 2, 2017
On Thursday March 2, 2017 the honorable Judge Vince Chhabria, United States District Court for the Northern District of California and graduate of UCSC, class of '91 visited campus as part of the Legal Studies Program's Distinguished Speakers Series.
Mark Fathi Massoud
November 18, 2016
Professor Massoud teaches courses and advises students in the Politics Department and Legal Studies Program. He works in the areas of international law, human rights, comparative law, and the politics of law and religion.
Mark Fathi Massoud: “Three important points to help in understanding South Sudan’s worsening crisis”
July 12, 2016
In an op-ed in the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage blog on politics, politics professor and award-winning researcher Mark Fathi Massoud analyzes the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in South Sudan.
