Graduate Program

Handbook (Download PDF)

  1. Personnel
  2. Applications
    1. Ph.D. in Law and Society
    2. J.D./Ph.D and J.D./M.A.
  3. Degree Requirements
    1. Ph.D.
    2. J.D./Ph.D.
    3. J.D./M.A.
  4. Comprehensive Exams
    1. Law and Society Field Exam
    2. Law and Society Sub-Field Exam
  5. Dissertation Proposal/Defense
  6. Advising
  7. Annual Student/Advisor Meeting And Advisor Memos
  8. Course Selection and Registration
  9. Maintenance of Matriculation
  10. Transfer Credits
  11. Time Limit to Degree
  12. Leave of Absence/Fieldwork Leave
  13. Incompletes
  14. Pass/Fail
  15. Academic Probation
  16. MacCracken Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships
  17. NYU Dean's Awards
  18. Law and Society Colloquium, Workshops and Conferences
  19. Placement
  20. Student Space

LAW AND SOCIETY PERSONNEL

Director

Professor Sally Merry
NYU School of Law
40 Washington Square South-Room 409B
New York , New York 10012
Phone: (212) 998-6646
Fax: (212) 995-4034
e-mail:   sally.merry@nyu.edu

Associate Director/ Director of Graduate Studies (DGS)

Professor Jo Dixon
NYU School of Law
40 Washington Square South-Room 409C
Phone: (212) 998-6694
Fax: (212) 995-4034
e-mail: jo.dixon@nyu.edu

Undergraduate & Graduate Assistant

Carly Vignogna
NYU School of Law

40 Washington Square South-Room 409
New York , New York 10012
Phone: (212) 998-6324
Fax: (212) 995-4034
e-mail: carly.vignogna@nyu.edu

This handbook is a practical guide for the graduate students and faculty of the law and society program at New York University (NYU). It is designed to provide some general information about the requirements, procedures and policies of the program and to answer the most frequently asked questions. Because this document is not designed to be comprehensive, students and faculty are encouraged to consult with the NYU law and society website ( www.law.nyu.edu/ils ), the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science website ( www.nyu.edu/gsas/oasl ), the NYU School of Law (www.law.nyu.edu ), the director, the associate director/director of graduate studies, the graduate assistant and the undergraduate assistant for additional information or further clarification.

The law and society program offers 3 degrees; (1) a Ph.D. in law and society , (2) a dual J.D./Ph.D. in law and society and (3) a dual J.D.-M.A. in law and society. The program does not offer a stand-alone M.A. degree. As an interschool program supported by the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) and the NYU School of Law (SOL), the law and society program serves as an intellectual center for faculty, graduate students and law students interested in studying law and legal institutions from an interdisciplinary social science perspective. Law and society encourages a wide range of social science perspectives, theoretical frameworks and empirical methods. In addition to formal coursework, the program supports the New York City law and society colloquium and the NYU law and society workshop, sponsors conferences and hosts visiting scholars.

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APPLICATIONS

APPLICATION FOR Ph.D. IN LAW AND SOCIETY

The GSAS application deadline for prospective Ph.D. students is December 13 for the following fall semester. Application materials for Ph.D. applications can be sent from the NYU Graduate Enrollment Services through the mail, or can be downloaded from their admission website. Information about the GSAS paper and on-line application options for the Ph.D. can be accessed at www.nyu.edu/gsas/admissions . Ph.D. applicants are informed of decisions in late March. Students with offers of admission for the Ph.D. are invited to an open house in early April. At the open house students will meet with the law and society faculty and graduate students. Given the large number of applicants to the law and society program each year, we limit visits to students who have been admitted to the program. Students must submit their decision to accept or reject an offer of admission to the Ph.D. program in writing to GSAS by April 15 . The program does not accept deferrals for admission .

All Ph.D. applicants to the GSAS must submit (1) application forms (2) graduate record exam (GRE) scores (3) official transcripts from previous educational institutions , (4) three recommendation on letters and (5) personal statements indicating intellectual interests and careers goals. Foreign students whose native language is not English or who have not received a B.A. or M.A. from an American university must also submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOFEL) scores administered by the Education Testing Service in foreign countries.

APPLICATIONS FOR DUAL J.D./Ph.D. AND J.D./M.A. IN LAW AND SOCIETY

Applicants for the dual J.D./Ph.D. and the J.D./M.A. must apply separately to the NYU School of Law (SOL) and the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS). Students may apply to both schools simultaneously or to one school while in the first year of study at the other. There are no specific admission standards or applications for dual degree applicants at either school. Once students are accepted and send written acceptances to the GSAS and the SOL by the respective deadline dates, they qualify for the dual J.D./Ph.D. or J.D./M.A. status.

The SOL application deadline for the J.D. is October 15 for early decision applications and February 1 for regular applications. Application materials for the J.D. can be sent from the NYU School of Law Admissions Office through the mail, or can be downloaded from their admissions website. Information about the paper and on-line admissions options for the J.D. can be accessed at www.law.nyu.edu/prospective. Early decision applicants are informed of decisions by January 1 and regular applicants by late April. Applicants must submit decisions to accept or reject J.D. offers of admission to the SOL in writing by May 1 for the following fall semester .

All J.D. applicants to the SOL must submit (1) SOL application forms (2) law school admissions test (LSAT scores (3) official transcripts from previous educational institutions , (4) one recommendation letter and (5) personal statements.

The GSAS application deadline for prospective Ph.D. and M.A. students is January 5 for the following fall semester. Application materials for Ph.D. or M.A. applications can be sent from the NYU Graduate Enrollment Services through the mail, or can be downloaded from their admission website. Information about the GSAS paper and on-line application options for the Ph.D. and M.A. can be accessed at www.nyu.edu/gsas/admissions Ph.D. and M.A. applicants are informed of decisions in late March. Students with offers of admission for the Ph.D. and M.A. are invited to an open house in early April. At the open house prospective students will meet with the NYU law and society faculty and graduate students. Given the large number of applicants to the law and society program each year, we only arrange visits for students after they have been admitted to the program. Students must submit decisions to accept or reject Ph.D. and M.A. offers of admission in writing to the GSAS by April 15. The program does not accept deferral for admissions.

All applicants to the GSAS must submit (1) GSAS application forms (2) Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores (3) official transcripts from previous educational institutions , (4) three recommendation letters and (5) personal statements indicating intellectual interests and careers goals. Foreign students whose native language is not English or who have not received a B.A. or M.A. from an American university must also submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOFEL) scores administered by the Education Testing Service in foreign countries.

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DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D.)

The Doctor of Philosophy in law and society affirms that recipients have a comprehensive knowledge of social science theories and research in the interdisciplinary field of law and society, an in-depth knowledge of the theories and research in one chosen subfield of law and society, a basic knowledge of one of the social science disciplines engaged in disciplinary research in law and society, and systematic training in the quantitative and qualitative social science methods used in law and society research. Students are advised by the director of graduate studies during their first year. After the first year of study, students select one of the law and society core or affiliated faculty as an adviser. Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in law and society may take up to 12 credits in the School of Law after consultation with their adviser and with the permission of the instructor. Ph.D. students may also take a maximum of 24 credits in reading and research.

General Degree Requirements : To qualify for the doctorate, a student must satisfactorily complete graduate studies totaling at least 72 graduate credits, with a minimum of 32 credits at the doctoral level in residence at New York University and a cumulative GPA of B (3.0) or better, pass comprehensive qualifying examinations, and defend an acceptable dissertation. Most graduate courses carry 4 credits. Students may petition that a limited number of law and society graduate courses taken elsewhere be transferred and credited toward the degree requirements, but only after completing three courses at New York University . Only relevant law and society courses approved by the DGS and the GSAS may be transferred.

Foreign Language Requirement : Proficiency in at least one language other than English is required of all doctoral candidates. Currently, a student may choose to demonstrate proficiency in ancient Greek, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish. Students who use a foreign language other than the above as an integral part of their dissertation research may petition for a substitution. Language proficiency may be demonstrated by any of the following: (1) passing the foreign language proficiency examination given by the GSAS; (2) passing the departmental examination, if one is regularly scheduled by the department in which the student is registered; or (3) completing, or having completed, not more than two years before matriculation, with a grade of B or better, a full or final intermediate-level college course in the language. Students who have met the foreign language requirement in another graduate school not more than two years before matriculation in GSAS may request that such credentials be accepted, with the approval of the dean. The foreign language requirement may be waived with approval by the law and society DGS and the GSAS.

Basic Law and Society Course Requirement : This requirement ensures that students receive a comprehensive knowledge of the social science theories and research in the interdisciplinary field of law and society. To meet this requirement, students must take the two basic law and society courses with a minimum grade of B in their first year of study: Sociolegal Seminar (G62.1001), offered each fall, and Law and Social Policy (G62.1002), offered each spring. Students should complete this requirement by the end of the first year of Ph.D. studies.

Methods Course Requirement : To ensure that students receive adequate methodological training for conducting research, they are required to take one quantitative methods course in statistics and one qualitative methods course in historical, interviewing, or ethnographic methods. While not required, it is highly recommended that students take one advanced course in either quantitative or qualitative methods. The advanced methods course typically focuses on the methods used for the dissertation research. Students should complete this requirement by the end of the second year of Ph.D. studies.

Disciplinary Minor Course Requirement : All students are required to acquire a basic knowledge of one of the social science disciplines engaged in disciplinary research in law and society. After selecting a discipline, each student is required to take three non-methods courses offered by the selected disciplinary department. A grade of B is the minimum grade required for each of the three courses.

Law and Society Colloquium and Workshop Requirement : Law and society Ph.D. students are required to attend the law and society colloquium and workshops during their first year of Ph.D. studies.

Law and Society Written Field Exam : The law and society field exam requires that students demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the interdisciplinary field of law and society. The examination covers material from the two basic law and society courses and supplemental readings from the law and society reading list. The law and society written field exam committee is composed of the 2 faculty teaching the two required basic law and society courses. The law and society written field exam is a 24 hour take-home exam that is graded as a pass or fail; it is given twice a year. If students fail, they may take it again but are not permitted to retake it more than once. Students should complete this exam by the end of the second year of Ph.D. work. A more detailed discussion of the exam is included in a later section.

Law and Society Oral Subfield Exam : Students are required to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of one of the subfields of law and society. Each student selects three NYU law and society faculty to serve as the law and society oral subfield exam committee. Two of the three oral exam committee members must be NYU GSAS faculty or NYU School of Law faculty with a Ph.D. These faculty assist the student in developing an appropriate reading list for the exam. The law and society subfield exam is given twice a year. If students fail, they make take it again but are not permitted to retake it more than once. The exam is a two-hour oral exam graded as a pass or fail by the three selected faculty. A pass requires that two of the three selected faculty pass the student for the exam. Students should complete this exam by the end of the third year of Ph.D. work. A more detailed discussion of the exam is included in a later section.

Dissertation : After the dissertation chair and two dissertation committee members approve a dissertation proposal and students submit a dissertation proposal acceptance form signed by the chair, the two dissertation committee members and the director of graduate studies, the dissertation may be undertaken. Two of the three must be full-time GSAS faculty. Once the completed dissertation is approved by the dissertation chair and two dissertation committee members, an oral defense form is filed, and the oral dissertation defense is scheduled. The completed dissertation is defended in a two-hour oral defense before a five-member committee consisting of the dissertation chair, two dissertation committee members , and two additional dissertation committee readers. Of the five members, three must be full-time GSAS faculty. Any dissertation members that are not full-time GSAS faculty must be approved by the DGS and the vice dean at least four months prior to the defense. A successful defense requires that four of the five members of the dissertation committee vote to approve the dissertation. A more detailed discussion is included in a later section.

DUAL JURIS DOCTOR AND DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (J.D.-Ph.D.)

Students with a special interest in law may wish to pursue the dual degree program leading to the J.D. and Ph.D. degrees. Students who wish to enroll in the dual degree program must apply separately to the School of Law (SOL) and to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS). Students may apply to both schools simultaneously or to one school while in the first year of study at the other. There are no specific admission standards or applications for dual degree applicants at either school. Once admitted to both schools, the student qualifies for the dual degree program.

General Degree Requirements : The School of Law requires the completion of 82 credits in six semesters of full-time study for the J.D. degree. Full-time study is defined as 12 or more credit hours per semester, primarily in courses commencing prior to 6 p.m. One semester of full-time graduate study, or up to 12 credits, from the GSAS is counted toward the J.D. degree. Thus, at least one of the student's semesters in GSAS must be full-time and consist of a majority of credits in daytime courses. For a complete description of courses required for the J.D. degree, consult the School of Law Bulletin . The Ph.D. degree requires 72 credits of graduate study with a cumulative GPA of B (3.0) or better, of which 12 credits are accepted from the SOL. The two degrees therefore require a total of 130 credits (70 at the School of Law and 60 at the Graduate School of Arts and Science). Because some of the credits earned in each program are counted toward the other degree, it is possible to complete the course requirements for both degrees in five years of full-time study. Students pursuing the dual degree program typically spend their first year in the GSAS, the second year in the SOL, alternating years until the requirements for both schools are satisfied. Students may also take up to a maximum of 24 credits in reading and research. Students may petition for a limited number of law and society graduate courses taken elsewhere to be transferred and credited toward the Ph.D. degree requirements, but only after completing three courses at New York University . Only relevant law and society courses approved by the director of graduate studies and the GSAS may be transferred.

Foreign Language Requirement : Proficiency in at least one language other than English is required of all doctoral candidates. Currently, a student may choose to demonstrate proficiency in ancient Greek, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish. Students who use a foreign language other than the above as an integral part of their dissertation research may petition for a substitution. Language proficiency may be demonstrated by any of the following: (1) passing the foreign language proficiency examination given by the GSAS; (2) passing the departmental examination, if one is regularly scheduled by the department in which the student is registered; or (3) completing, or having completed, not more than two years before matriculation, with a grade of B or better, a full or final intermediate-level college course in the language. Students who have met the foreign language requirement in another graduate school not more than two years before matriculation in GSAS may request that such credentials be accepted, with the approval of the dean. The foreign language requirement may be waived with approval by the DGS and the GSAS.

Basic Law and Society Course Requirement : This requirement ensures that students receive a comprehensive knowledge of the social science theories and research in the interdisciplinary field of law and society. To meet this requirement, students must take the two basic law and society courses with a minimum grade of B in their first year of study: Sociolegal Seminar (G62.1001), offered each fall, and Law and Social Policy (G62.1002), offered each spring. Students should complete this requirement by the end of the first year of Ph.D. studies.

Methods Course Requirement : To ensure that they receive adequate methodological training for conducting research, students are required to take one quantitative methods course in statistics and one qualitative methods course in historical, interviewing, or ethnographic methods. While not required, it is highly recommended that students take one advanced course in either quantitative or qualitative methods. The advanced methods course typically focuses on the methods used for the dissertation research. Students should complete this requirement by the end of the second year of Ph.D. studies.

Disciplinary Minor Course Requirement : All students are required to acquire a basic knowledge of one of the social science disciplines engaged in disciplinary research in law and society. After selecting a discipline, each student is required to take three non-methods courses offered by the selected disciplinary department. A grade of B is the minimum grade required for each of the three courses.

Law and Society Colloquium and Workshop Requirement : Law and society Ph.D. students are required to attend the law and society colloquium and workshops during their first year of Ph.D. studies.

Law and Society Written Field Exam : The law and society field exam requires that students demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the interdisciplinary field of law and society. The examination covers material from the two basic law and society courses and supplemental readings from the law and society reading list. The law and society written field exam committee is composed of the two faculty teaching the two required basic law and society courses. The exam is a written 24-hour take-home exam that is graded as pass or fail; it is given twice a year. If students fail, they may take it again but are not permitted to retake it more than once. Students should complete this exam by the end of the second year of Ph.D. work. A more detailed discussion is included in a later section.

Law and Society Oral Subfield Exam : Students are required to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of one of the subfields of law and society. Each student selects three NYU law and society faculty to serve as the law and society oral subfield exam committee. Two of the three oral exam committee members must be NYU GSAS faculty or NYU School of Law faculty with a Ph.D. These faculty assist the student in developing an appropriate reading list for the exam. The law and society subfield exam is given twice a year. If students fail, they make take it again but are not permitted to retake it more than once. The exam is a two-hour oral exam graded as a pass or fail by the three selected faculty. A pass requires that two of the three selected faculty pass the exam. Students should complete this exam by the end of the third year of Ph.D. work. A more detailed discussion is included in a later section.

Dissertation : After the dissertation chair and two dissertation committee members approve a dissertation proposal and students submit a dissertation proposal acceptance form signed by the chair, the two dissertation committee members and the director of graduate studies, the dissertation may be undertaken. Two of the three must be full-time NYU GSAS faculty. Once the completed dissertation is approved by the dissertation chair and two dissertation committee members, an oral defense form is filed, and the oral dissertation defense is scheduled. The oral defense dissertation committee consists of 5 members; the chair, two dissertation members and two additional dissertation committee readers. The completed dissertation is defended in a two-hour oral defense before a five-member committee consisting of the dissertation chair, the two dissertation committee members , and two additional dissertation committee readers. Of the five members, three must be full-time GSAS faculty. Any dissertation members that are not full-time GSAS faculty must be approved by the DGS and the vice dean at least four months prior to the defense. A successful defense requires that four of the five members of the dissertation committee vote to approve the dissertation. A more detailed discussion is included in a later section.

DUAL JURIS DOCTOR AND MASTER OF ARTS (J.D.-M.A.)

Students who wish to enroll in the J.D.-M.A. dual degree program must apply separately to the School of Law (SOL) and to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS). Students may apply to both schools simultaneously or to the Graduate School of Arts and Science when in the first or second year of study at the School of Law . Once admitted to both schools, the students qualify for the dual degree program. There are no specific admission standards or applications for dual degree applicants at either school. Students are advised by the director of graduate studies during their first year. After the first year of study, students select one of the law and society core or affiliated faculty as an adviser.

General Degree Requirements : The SOL requires 82 credits of study for the J.D. degree; however, in the dual degree program, 8 credits for courses taken in the GSAS are applied to the J.D. degree. For a complete description of courses required for the J.D. degree, consult the School of Law Bulletin . The GSAS requires 32 credits of study for the M.A. degree with a cumulative GPA of B (3.0) or better; however, in the dual degree program, 8 credits for courses taken in the SOL are applied to the M.A. degree. Students in this program are required to take a total of 98 credits for the two degrees (74 and 24 credits, respectively, for the J.D. and the M.A.).

Law and Society Course Requirements : This requirement ensures that students receive a comprehensive knowledge of the social science theories and research in the interdisciplinary field of law and society. To meet this requirement, students must take the two basic law and society courses with a minimum grade of B: Sociolegal Seminar (G62.1001), offered each fall, and Law and Social Policy (G62.1002), offered each spring. The remaining courses are elective and selected from the law and society course offerings. Students may also take up to a maximum of 8 credits in reading and research. There is no foreign language requirement for the J.D.-M.A. dual degree.

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COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS

Law and Society Field Exam

The law and society written field exam requires that students demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the interdisciplinary field of law and society. The examination covers material from the two basic law and society courses and supplemental readings from the law and society reading list. The law and society reading list may be obtained from the graduate assistant.

The law and society field exam will be given twice a year, the first Friday after GSAS classes resume in the fall and the first Friday after GSAS classes resume in the spring . Exams will be scheduled by the graduate assistant after the DGS approves and signs the law and society field exam request forms submitted by students. A completed law and society field exam request form must be submitted to the graduate assistant by students before May 1 for the upcoming fall exam and before December 1 for the upcoming spring exam.

The exam is a take home exam that is graded by the two faculty members teaching the two courses that satisfy the basic law and society course requirement. Students pick up the exam questions for the exam from the graduate assistant at 10 a.m. on Friday and return the exam to the graduate assistant at 10 a.m. the following Monday morning. Students must answer 3 questions. Each faculty member assigns 0 points for each failing answer and 1 point for each passing answer such that students receive from 0 to 3 points from each faculty member. After grading exams faculty members e-mail their points for the exam to the graduate assistant who adds the points from the two faculty members. Thus, students receive a total of 0 to 6 points for the exam. Students with 4 or more total points receive a pass for the exam. The graduate assistant sends the law and society field exam grade form with a single grade of pass or fail to faculty members for their signatures. After both faculty members sign the grade form, the graduate assistant places a copy of the signed form in the files and informs students of their passing or failing exam grade. Students failing the law and society exam may take it again, but are not permitted to retake it more than once.

Law and Society Oral Sub-Field Exam

The law and society oral sub-field exam requires that students demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of one of the subfields of law and society. The law and society sub-fields are 1. disputing and legal pluralism 2. legal cultures, ideology and consciousness 3. legal and human rights 4. leagl profession 5. courts 6. crime punishment and justice 7. law, social movements, development, transitions and social change and 8. state, law and politics.

The law and society oral sub-field exam takes place in the fall and spring semesters. For the fall exam, students must submit completed law and society oral sub-field request forms to the graduate assistant before October 1. Fall exams take place between October 15 th and December 15 th . For the spring exam, students must submit completed law and society oral sub-field request forms to the graduate assistant before February 1. Spring exams take place between February 15 th and April 15 th .

Before submitting the law and society oral-field exam request form, students select three faculty members and schedule an exam date with them. After selecting a date, students have the committee members and the DGS sign the form and return it to the graduate assistant. When the law and society oral sub-field exam request form is completed, the graduate assistant places copies in the files and schedules a room for the exam. Two of the three committee members must be NYU GSAS faculty or NYU School of Law faculty with a Ph.D. While students may choose their academic advisor as one of the three committee members, it is not required that the advisor be on the committee. There is no committee chair. Prior to the exam, students should consult with the three committee members and prepare a law and society sub-field reading list. The sub-field reading list should include the readings for the particular subfield listed in the law and society field exam reading list plus additional readings supplied by the student and the sub-field committee. This reading list should be approved by all three committee members prior to the exam. Law and society sub-field exams are two hour oral exams graded as a pass or fail.

One week prior to exams, the graduate assistant provides students with law and society oral subfield grade forms to be taken to the exam. After the completion of the oral exam, students leave the room while faculty members discuss the student's performance. If two or more of the three committee members grant a pass after the faculty discussion, the student receives a pass for the exam. The three faculty members sign the oral sub-field exam grade forms, indicating a single committee grade of pass or fail, and call students back into the room to inform them of a passing or failing grade for the exam. The faculty committee members give students the completed grade forms and students return them to the graduate assistant who places them in the files.

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DISSERTATION PROPOSAL/DEFENSE

Dissertation Proposal : After completing the course and exam requirements for the Ph.D. students develop a research proposal for their dissertation. The dissertation proposal is approximately 15 pages and identifies the research question, the background literature, and the data and methods for the dissertation. Students choose a dissertation chair and two dissertation committee members. Two of the three must be full-time NYU GSAS faculty. Students schedule a dissertation proposal meeting with the chair and two committee members to discuss the dissertation proposal and clarify the expectations of the faculty for the dissertation research. After the dissertation chair and the two dissertation committee members approve a dissertation proposal, students submit a copy of the dissertation proposal along with a law and society dissertation proposal acceptance form signed by the chair, the two dissertation committee members and the DGS to the graduate assistant. Since the foci of dissertations sometimes change over time, students may change the chair and/or members of the dissertation committee during the course of their research. If these changes occur, students should advise all relevant faculty of the changes and submit a law and society revised dissertation proposal acceptance form with the signatures of the new committee members and the DGS to the graduate assistant.

Dissertation Defense : Once the completed dissertation is approved by the dissertation chair and two dissertation committee members, a GSAS oral defense form is filed and the oral dissertation defense is scheduled by the graduate assistant. The student chooses two additional dissertation committee members for the oral defense. Students should provide all members with a copy of the completed dissertaion and make revisions suggested by all committee members. Students should provide all committee members with a copy of the dissertaion that incorporates the revisions of all five dissertation committee members at least one month prior to the dissertation defense. The oral defense dissertation committee consists of 5 faculty selected by the student; the dissertation chair, the two dissertation committee members and two addition dissertation committee readers. Of the chair and two dissertation committee members, two must be GSAS full-time faculty. Of the five oral defense committee members, three must be full-time GSAS faculty. Students must petition the DGS and the Vice Dean for approval to include any faculty on the committee who are not full-time GSAS faculty at least four months prior to the defense. A successful defense requires that four of the five members of the dissertation committee vote to approve the dissertation. Upon completions of the defense, the 5 faculty members sign the GSAS doctoral thesis oral defense form and return it to the graduate assistant who places a copy in the files.

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ADVISING

At the beginning of each semester, all students are required to schedule a meeting with their academic advisor to discuss their progress during the previous semester and their plans for the upcoming semester. When students or their advisors are away from New York City , students are required to schedule a phone conversation with their advisor or meet with a substitute advisor. The DGS serves as the academic advisor for graduate students during their first year of study. Prior to the beginning of the second year of study, graduate students choose one law and society member as their advisor and submit a law and society advisor form signed by the student, the advisor and the DGS. Completed forms are given to the graduate assistant who places them in the files.

Students may change advisors at any time. Advisors are changed after students submit a change of advisor form signed by the student, the old faculty advisor, the new faculty advisor and the DGS to the graduate assistant who places them in the files. While it is expected that students meet with numerous faculty, the advisor on the faculty advisor form is the official advisor. Advising relationships are flexible and it is anticipated that students will change advisors as their research interests become more refined. Once a Ph.D. thesis proposal is filed, the chair of the Ph.D. thesis becomes the advisor.

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ANNUAL SPRING REVIEW

Students are required to attend an annual spring review with the law and society director and director of graduate studies. The annual review meeting will be in April and the date will be announced at the beginning of the spring semester. These meetings focus on academic objectives, progress toward the completion of law and society requirements (required courses, comprehensive exams, dissertation proposals, completed dissertations), publishing, and the job market. By March 1, students are required to send the graduate assistant the most recent copy of their vita. By April 1, the graduate assistant will send the law and society director and the director of graduate studies packets containing the most recent official transcripts, vitas, comprehensive exam results and dissertation proposal statuses of each student.

Advisor meetings and memos are not intended to rank or otherwise grade the performance of students. Rather, they are designed to facilitate student/advisor discussions about intellectual endeavors, to follow student progress in the program and to identify and aid students making inadequate progress toward their degree.

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COURSE SELECTION AND REGISTRATION FOR THE Ph.D.

The law and society program requires the following procedures when registering for classes. These procedures minimize registration problems and fee, visa and payroll problems that often arise because students do not register correctly.

(1). Students meet with advisors to discuss classes (2). Student identify course preferences for the semester and e-mail the list of the courses to the law and society graduate assistant and the DGS. (3). After the DGS approves the list of courses for registration, the graduate assistant e-mail students of the approval of their courses. If the courses are not approved, the student must schedule a meeting with the DGS to discuss problems with the course preferences. (4). Students register for courses on Albert

The normal course load is 12 hours per semester. In rare instances advanced students may petition the DGS for permission to obtain full-time equivalency and register for less than 12 hours in a given semester. Students must take 12 hours each semester of their first year. Once permission is granted, students inform the graduate assistant of their full-time equivalency status for the semester. Students maintaining matriculation who wish to obtain full-time equivalency should also confirm their full-time status with the graduate assistant. Students with outstanding student loans and international students should be particularly vigilant about maintaining full-time status.

Prior to the beginning of each semester students consult the listing of the GSAS courses listed on Albert. Albert is the GSAS computerized list of courses which includes (1) the socio-legal theory seminar (fall semester) and law and social policy seminar (spring semester) and a relatively small number of courses sponsored by the law and society program and (2) social science courses sponsored by various social science departments. Most of the courses taken by Ph.D. students and J.D./Ph.D. dual degree students in the course of pursuing their Ph.D. will be courses listed in Albert. Because many of the graduate courses in Albert are seminars that limit class size, they require that students obtain an access code and permission from the professor prior to enrollment. Consequently, the earlier students register, the less likely courses will be closed. While the law and society program has control over the distribution of access codes for courses sponsored by the law and society program, the program has no control over the distribution of access codes for courses sponsored by other departments. Most courses sponsored by law and society and other social science departments in the GSAS are worth 4 credits. Access codes for law and societycourses are obtained from the law and society graduate assistant. Access codes for courses offered by other departments are obtained from the graduate assistants of those departments.

Because Ph.D. students are limited to 12 hours of credit for courses sponsored by the SOL, only a small number of courses will come from SOL. In March of each year the law and society students will be asked to submit request forms for SOL courses for the upcoming fall and spring semesters. All law and society requests for SOL courses will be submitted to the SOL by April 1. Students failing to submit a request form on time will be denied permission to register for SOL classes for the upcoming year. If slots are available after registration of the SOL students, law and society students will be given permission to register. Students will receive responses to their requests for fall courses at the beginning of the fall semester and requests for spring courses at the beginning of the spring semester.

In addition to the courses offered by the NYU School of Law and the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science, students may take a maximum of 8 credits in university consortium. The consortium consists of NYU, City University of New York, Columbia , Princeton, Rutgers , State University of New York, The New School and Yale. Students must obtain the permission of professors teaching courses and submit a completed consortium form to the graduate assistant for courses offered at consortium schools. Most courses at consortium schools are worth 3 credits.

Students may take a maximum of 24 credits in reading and research. The credits that students transfer from other universities will count against the 24 credits allowed for reading and research. Each reading and research course is worth 1 to 4 credits. Students usually take reading and research courses when preparing for their written law and society field exam, their oral law and society sub-field exam and their dissertation proposal. Since the courses sponsored by the SOL are usually worth 2 credits, students often sign up for 2 additional reading and research credits to fill out the credit discrepancy between the credits of the SOL and the GSAS. No additional credits will be given for SOL colloquium courses. Similarly, since the courses sponsored by the consortium are usually worth 3 credits, students often sign up for 1 additional reading and research credit to fill out the credit discrepancy between the NYU GSAS and the other consortium members.

Because registration for the GSAS occurs at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters, students register for their courses on Albert by the beginning of the fall and spring semester.

In order to register for courses students need (1) course numbers (2) call numbers and, in some cases, (3) access codes. The course and call numbers are listed in the schedule of courses. If courses require the permission of the professor or an access code from the sponsoring department, students may obtain codes from the graduate assistants of sponsoring departments. If students are taking courses from schools in the consortium, they must also complete consortium forms.

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MAINTENANCE OF MATRICULATION

The general procedure concerning maintenance of matriculation is that after course and credit requirements (72 hours) are completed for the Ph.D., students must maintain continuous enrollment until receiving degrees. Maintenance and matriculation entitles students to use libraries and other research facilities at NYU.

All MacCracken students who have received MacCracken aid for three or more years and have completed their coiursework will receive maintenance of matriculation as long as they are receiving MacCracken funding. Two additional semesters of maintenance matriculation will be provided for the two semesters following the last semester of MacCracken funding. Finally, students may receive two additional semesters of maintenance matriculation if they are granted two semesters of field work leave by the law and society program and the GSAS. Students will not receive more than four additional semesters of maintenance matriculation after completion of their MaCracken funding. After the four semesters, students must register themselves for maintenance of matriculation and pay maintenance of matriculation and registration fees until they receive their Ph.D. To register for maintenance of matriculation, students use Albert and must obtain the law and society code from the graduate assistant. This code changes from semester to semester.  

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TRANSFER CREDITS

Students may petition that a limited number of law and society graduate courses taken at other institutions be transferred and credited toward the Ph.D. during the second semester of the first year of graduate study at NYU. Only relevant law and society courses approved by the DGS and the GSAS may be transferred. The law and society program typically limits transfer credits to a maximum of 12 hours and all transfer credits count against the 24 hours allowed for reading and research.

Requests for transfer credit must be accompanied by (1) official transcripts and (2) syllabi for courses. After requests and supporting materials are submitted to the graduate assistant and reviewed by the DGS, a recommendation is made to the GSAS. After the GSAS makes a decision regarding transfer credit, the DGS and student will be notified in writing of the amount of transfer credit granted. A copy of the GSAS decision indicating the amount of transfer credit granted will be placed in files by the graduate assistant.

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TIME LIMITS TO DEGREE

Candidates for the Ph.D. degree entering the department with a B.A. should ideally complete all requirements for the Ph.D. within seven years of their initial registration. GSAS requires that all candidates for the Ph.D. complete the requirement for the Ph.D. within 10 years. Once students reach time limits for degrees, the GSAS automatically drops the students from the law and society program.

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LEAVE OF ABSENCE/FIELDWORK LEAVE

The GSAS requires continuous enrollment of students every semester until degrees are granted. Students in good standing may request one year leaves. If approved by the DGS and the GSAS, students are assured readmission at the end of the leave. Except for cases of compulsory national service, leaves count toward time to degree. To be in good standing, the GSAS requires that students maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and have successfully completed 66% of credit attempted at NYU, not including the current semester. Courses with grades of I, N, W and F are not considered successfully completed. There are two types of leaves.

The first type of leave is a leave of absence and involves national service, serious illness or compelling personal reasons. National service includes military service, public health service and the Peace Corps. Serious illnesses are conditions that physicians or psychiatrists testify as prohibitive to carrying on full-time or part-time study. Compelling personal reasons are generally ones outside students' control and are not matters of choice. During a leave of absence students do not have access to NYU facilities such as the library, recreational facilities and the law and society student space. Students on a leave of absence will however continue to have computer access. Maternal and paternal leaves of absence may be granted for childbirth or adoption.

The second type of leave is a fieldwork leave and involves work that is related to the student's disseration. Fieldwork leaves may be taken by Ph.D. students collecting data outside the New York City area and J.D./Ph.D. students participating in clerkships. Students will not be granted fieldwork leaves until they have completed their coursework, field exam and sub-field exam. During their fieldwork leave students continue to have acces to NYU facilities such as the library, recreational facilities and the law and society student space. Students on a fieldwork leave continue to also have computer access.

Students submit leave of absence or fieldwork leave requests with supporting documentation to the DGS. Supporting documentation includes doctor's recommendations in the case of serious illness, evidence of national service, written statements from students explaining compelling personal reasons and copies of clerkship offers by judges. Upon approval by the DGS, requests will be forwarded to the vice dean of the GSAS. The graduate assistant will notify students once the law and society program is notified of the vice dean's decision. Except for emergency medical leaves of absence, students must submit leaves of absence or fieldwork leaves in the semester prior to the one in which the leave takes place.

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INCOMPLETES

Occasionally students receive grades of incomplete when they fail to fulfill all the requirements of courses by the end of the semester. Students have 1 year to complete course requirements. Any incomplete not removed within the one year period, will turn to an N (unofficial withdrawal). Students with 3 or more incompletes at any time are placed on academic probation by the GSAS and are ineligible to register or receive financial aid until the incompletes are removed.


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PASS/FAIL

Students may take a maximum of 8 credits on a pass/fail basis. Within the first two weeks of classes, students may elect to receive a pass/fail grade with the instructor's approval. Once students receive the instructor's approval, they must submit a law and society pass/fail grade form signed by the instructor to the graduate assistant who will place a copy in the files. Students may not take the basic law and society and disciplinary minor course requirements on a pass/fail basis.

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ACADEMIC PROBATION

Students who (1) fail to maintain an average of B or better, (2) have not fulfilled the basic course and comprehensive exams within reasonable time frames, (3) accumulate 3 or more incompletes or (4) fail to schedule student/advisor annual meetings (or phone conversations for students outside the New York City area) will be required to meet with the DGS to discuss strategies for moving toward progress and may be placed on academic probation until adequate progress is made. Students are not placed on academic probation if their advisor fails to send the advisor memo following the student/advisor annual meeting.

Students can be placed on academic probation by the GSAS when they fail to meet the GSAS requirements. For example, students with 3 or more incompletes are automatically placed on academic probation by the GSAS. Also, students who fail to complete 66% of their attempted credits will be placed on probation. Moreover, students placed on academic probation by the GSAS are ineligible to register or receive further financial aid until the incompletes are removed.

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MACCRACKEN FELLOWSHIPS AND TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS

The MacCracken financial aid package is a 5-year plan that provides students with fellowship and teaching assistantship assignmentss. Students must utilize their MacCracken fianancial aid within the first five years of study unless they receive external funding. The GSAS allows the law and society program to assign students to fellowship or teaching assistantships each year based on the needs of the program. However, the law and society program prefers to take student preferences into account when making fellowship and teaching assignments each year. Each spring the graduate assistant sends graduate students eligible for financial aid a form asking them to specify whether they prefer a fellowship or a teaching assistantship for the coming year. Students are usually granted their preference for the type of assignment (fellowship or teaching) in the coming year. However, students are not always given their preferences for the faculty members they wish to assist in teaching. Once students have sent in their request forms for the types of assignments for the coming year, they are not allowed to change preferences unless they receive alternative sources of funding such as grants.

The law and society DGS typically assigns students with teaching assistantship assignments to faculty teaching courses for the law and society undergraduate minor in the College of Arts and Science (CAS). Students must be assigned to faculty teaching courses sponsored by the CAS and may not be assigned to faculty teaching courses for the school of law. Because teaching assignments involve sensitive negotiations between the DGS in law and society, the directors of graduate studies and chairs of various departments and programs as well as administrators in the Morse Academic Program and Freshman Seminar Program, students should not solicit faculty or departments about their teaching assignments. Furthermore, faculty should not request particular students for teaching assignments. The DGS will collect information on all appropriate classes for teaching assignments. Once the relevant information is gathered assignments will be made, and those assignments will be emailed to students and faculty by the graduate assistant.

While not required, students are given the opportunity to use one MacCracken teaching assistantship semester to teach a stand-alone course. Students must serve as a teaching assistantship before teaching a stand-along course and typically do so in the later stages of their graduate career. Students typically teach the introductory Law and Society course or the Topics in Law and Society course for the undergraduate minor in law and society. Many students coordinate taking the written law and society field with teaching the Law and Society course. When teaching the Topics in Law and Society course, students can choose the topic. Thus, some students teach the topic of their dissertation or the subfield of their oral law and society subfield exam. Students pursuing an academic career often find this option useful since it provides valuable teaching experience, increases their prospects on the academic job market and provides them with a prepared course when beginning their first academic position.

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NYU DEAN'S AWARDS

Dean's Student Travel Awards

A significant component of the professional development of graduate students involves participating in annual professional conferences such as the annual Law and Society Association meetings. To be eligible for these awards, students must be nominated by the DGS. Students are eligible for one award per academic year.

Dean's Predoctoral Summer Fellowships

The dean's predoctoral summer fellowships may be used for visits to research sites such as archival facilities, laboratories and fieldwork locations that will become an integral part of later sustained dissertation research. To qualify, a doctorial degree candidate must be nominated by the DGS and have no more than one year of course work and other requirements remaining. Awards do not exceed $2000.

Dean's Outstanding Dissertation Awards

Students who have completed their coursework, the written law and society field exam, the oral law and society sub-field exam and have an accepted dissertation proposal may apply for the GSAS Dean's dissertation fellowship. Each department may submit 2 applications per year. Students are notified whether they have been awarded a fellowship by the GSAS. Students beyond the sixth year of study may not apply for the GSAS Dissertation Award.

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LAW AND SOCIETY COLLOQUIUM, WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES

The law and society program at NYU sponsors the Law and Society colloquium. Eminent scholars from the U.S. and abroad give lectures several times each semester. Finally, the law and society faculty and graduate students meet informally at the Fall party, the holiday party in December and the Spring party.

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PLACEMENT

A number of recent law and society graduates hold tenure-track positions in law schools and social science departments at the University of California at Berkeley , University of California at Davis , University of Massachusetts at Amherst, University of Denver and Loyola at Chicago. Others hold top research positions at prestigious research institutions such as the Vera Institute.

After students complete the requirements for either the Ph.D. or dual J.D./Ph.D. degrees, they work closely with their dissertation chairs in preparing appropriate application materials for the job search. Students provide dissertation chairs and other faculty writing letters of recommendation with copies of the letters of interest, vitas, teaching dossiers and published articles that are part of the job market packet they mail to prospective employers. At the beginning of each month, students provide faculty with a list containing the names and addresses of the academic departments and/or research institutions where they are applying that month. Faculty writing recommendation letters often find it helpful when students also include copies of job adds and addressed mailing labels each month. Chairs and faculty members send recommendation letters directly to the departments and/or research institutions on the lists provided by students each month. It is important that students keep in continued contact with their chair and recommenders during their job search. The law and society program allows students to use the departmental copying machine during off-peak hours to make copies of their job market packet. However the program does not coordinate the job searches nor the mailing of reccomendation letters. The law and society program also provides a forum for student to present a practice job talk prior to their first job interview. New York University also has an active placement office to help with professional placement.

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STUDENT SPACE

The law and society program provides space for students to work during the course of their graduate studies at NYU.

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