- The Focus Field topic must be related to the general themes of the LLSO major. A representative sample of past Focus Field topics is available online: https://llso.uchicago.edu/llso-curriculum
- The Focus Field topic must be sufficiently focused and coherent. In particular, it cannot be a vague catch-all to include a grab-bag of unrelated courses.
- Focus Fields topics should also not be too narrow to avoid uncertainty about whether enough suitable courses will be offered.
- It is not necessary that every course included in the Focus Field have an explicit LLSO-related focus, but all courses included in the plan must clearly fit within the overarching Focus Field topic and in some way complement each other. Adequate justifications for the fit of each course must be included in the proposal.
Law, Letters, and Society is an interdisciplinary major that allows each student to pursue their own specific curricular interests. The Focus Field requirement enables each student to design their own plan of study while also ensuring the coherence of their coursework.
The Focus Field consists of four courses that each student chooses for themselves that must fit together into a coherent topic. The Focus Field proposal includes a list of the four planned courses, a title that describes the topic, and an explanation of the topic and how each of the proposed courses fit.
There are four main criteria for evaluating and approving a Focus Field:
No. Focus Field courses do not have to be listed by LLSO. You can count classes offered by other departments for your Focus Field. It is often helpful to look through the whole catalog to track down possible courses.
No. This is a big issue to be aware of. The course catalog often contains courses that departments have offered in previous years that will not be offered again. It is important to keep this in mind when designing a Focus Field. Accordingly, it can be a good idea to keep your Focus Field on a broad/popular enough topic to ensure that you are able to find enough courses that will actually be offered. To be on the safe side, it often makes sense to take courses for your Focus Field as soon as you can.
Initial proposals are due during the Autumn Quarter of junior year.
Yes. You are free to revise your courses/topic even after an initial proposal has been approved. It’s a good idea to keep LLSO apprised of any changes and get them approved as you make them. To finish your LLSO major, you must have an approved Focus Field that corresponds to your completed coursework.
Yes. UChicago coursework completed before admission to LLSO may be counted as part of the Focus Field.
No. Your thesis topic and Focus Field topic do not have to be related. Nevertheless, it can be helpful for your thesis research if they are.
Students who do not wish to develop an independent research program may instead opt to make “LLSO” their Focus Field. They can satisfy the Focus Field requirement by completing any four LLSO-listed courses that are not being counted to fulfill other LLSO requirements (such as the two Electives). Only courses with an LLSO designation may be counted in these “LLSO” Focus Fields.
No. Foreign language classes cannot count for a Focus Field.