Law, Culture & the Humanities
INTERDISCIPLINARY EXPLORATION
The cultural life of the law.
Whitman College’s Law, Culture and the Humanities minor equips you with the tools to understand the complex role law plays in our lives. Through this program, you’ll explore the intersection between legal systems, cultural practices and humanistic thought. You’ll dig deep into topics like constitutional law, gender and law, philosophies of crime and punishment, the role of psychology in law, Indigenous politics and more. You will learn from guest lectures by renowned experts and be encouraged to expand your exploration abroad, examining the law from a variety of vantage points.
3 Reasons to Explore Law, Culture & the Humanities at Whitman
Exploring Law Across Disciplines
You’ll creatively pull together courses that track with your intellectual desires and interests and provide many entry points into the field of Law, Culture and the Humanities. Topics you might study range from constitutional law to gender and law to water law in the U.S. West to law and social movements.
Engaging Law Outside the Classroom
At Whitman, you’ll have opportunities to work alongside accomplished faculty—editing law review articles, collaborating on original research and debating current issues at scholarly roundtables. The college also offers several courses taught at the Washington State Penitentiary, bringing together campus-based Whitman students and incarcerated students.
Learn from Distinguished Visitors
As a Law, Culture and the Humanities minor, you will attend campus events such as the William O. Douglas Lecture Series, learning from renowned legal experts—brilliant scholars, lawyers and judges—about current issues such as theories of punishment, the sociology of sex work, and the politics of law and violence.
Interested in Law, Culture & the Humanities?
We’d love to send you information, including more about our academic programs and a glimpse into student life on our beautiful campus in Walla Walla, Washington.
“The courses I’ve taken that fall under this minor were some of the most engaging and inspiring of my college experience. They deepened my passion for the theory of law and its cultural implications.”
Ellie E., Politics major
Courses in Law, Culture & the Humanities
See just a few of the fascinating courses you might take.
Punishment & Responsibility
What is the connection between wrongdoing and punishment? What kind of suffering can be justified—and under what circumstances? How do factors such as age, mental illness, addiction and social status affect the philosophy of punishment? This course tackles big questions about justice, suffering and responsibility, teasing out the paradoxes of our incarceration system.
Psychology & Law
Dive into the fascinating intersection of psychology and the law, where science meets the courtroom. From lie detection and criminal profiling to jury selection and the insanity defense, this course explores how psychological research influences legal decisions. Topics include mental health, discrimination, victims’ rights and how psychology helps us understand justice, fairness and human behavior.
Sex, Law & American Society
In this course, you’ll explore how sex and sexuality have been controlled, debated and policed throughout American history. Why does pleasure make people panic? Why is sex so often linked to power? We’ll tackle big questions about sexual norms, stigma, violence and identity while diving into theories that challenge how we think about desire, bodies and control.
Your Questions Answered
Yes, in that any major or minor at Whitman will prepare you to successfully pursue a legal education after graduation. A broad liberal arts education, like Whitman's, is the best preparation for law school. If you're interested in law school, Whitman’s pre-law advisors will encourage you to enroll in courses and select a major/minor that fits with your academic interests.
While not intended as a pre-law program or track, the Law, Culture and the Humanities minor at Whitman offers a broad and diverse set of courses that engage with the law from many historical, cultural, and theoretical perspectives. And across campus, you'll encounter the law in many fields of study—like Anthropology, Hispanic Studies, History, Philosophy, Politics, and Rhetoric, Writing and Public Discourse. And You'll sharpen key skills through writing-intensive assignments, research projects and discussion-based classes.
If you are interested in law school, contact Whitman's pre-law advisors Professor Patrick Frierson, Ph.D. (Philosophy) and Professor Jack Jackson, JD, Ph.D. (Politics). Professor Frierson and Professor Jackson also serve as co-directors of the Law, Culture and the Humanities minor.
Yes. The Law, Cultures and Humanities faculty encourages students to consider studying abroad through Whitman's Off-Campus Studies Program as a way of encountering the law from a variety of national and international vantage points.
No. Law, Culture and Humanities minors are not required to complete a senior seminar, senior exams or a senior thesis.
William O. Douglas, a 1920 Whitman College honors graduate, was the longest-serving justice in U.S. Supreme Court history. He is known for his strong defense of civil rights and deep appreciation of nature and the environment—something that rings true for Whitman students today.
Law, Culture and Humanities students may attend the William O. Douglas Lecture Series, which brings leading scholars to campus to talk about law and culture. Past William O. Douglas lecturers include philosopher Judith Butler, ACLU President Nadine Strossen, climate activist Bill McKibben and anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean.