About the Minor
Based in the Program in Law, Letters, and Society, the Law and Political Economy minor explores the interconnected ways in which power and wealth are produced, distributed, and maintained. The curriculum is interdisciplinary and grounded in the humanistic social sciences. It equips students to analyze and understand the dynamics of life in capitalist societies through courses that attend to the relationships among economic, social, political, and legal orders, and to the mutual development of the ideas, institutions, and practices that define these orders.
The Law and Political Economy minor is open to all interested students in the College, including Law, Letters, and Society majors whose Focus Fields are not connected to political economy. Students who are majoring in the Social Sciences will find that coursework in Law and Political Economy can both broaden and deepen their understanding of the ways in which human communities organize themselves. Economics majors may be especially interested in the opportunity to study political economy in ways that differ from how they typically study it in Economics courses. The minor also allows students in Arts, Humanities, and STEM majors who are curious about economic life to pursue this interest through interdisciplinary coursework in the Social Sciences.
Additional Information
Students who wish to complete the minor in Law and Political Economy must complete six courses:
• LLSO 28040 Introduction to Law, Letters, and Society
This course introduces major frameworks, themes, and methods in the study of law as a social, philosophical, and doctrinal object. One of the central themes of the course is the historical and contemporary role of law in establishing civil society, defining property rights, and structuring market activities. Students are strongly encouraged to take this course in their first or second year.
Students majoring in Law, Letters, and Society must take an additional elective in place of this course.
• LLSO 29065 Theories of Capitalism I and LLSO 29066 Theories of Capitalism II (formerly Early Theories of Capitalism and Twentieth-Century Theories of Capitalism)
This sequence examines diverse accounts of the forces that govern capitalist societies and the distinctive problems that emerge within them. It also considers the ways in which law has both shaped and been shaped by the development of economic life. Students are strongly encouraged to take these courses in chronological order in their second or third year.
• Students must also take three approved electives from the list provided in the College Catalog. Students are strongly encouraged to take these courses in their third and/or fourth year. For the sake of intellectual breadth, the three electives must be based in at least two different academic departments/programs, and if a student takes two electives in the Economics department then their third elective cannot have an ECON cross-listing. The list of approved electives is organized by department in order to facilitate the selection of an appropriate combination of courses. Courses that have an ECON cross-listing are marked with an asterisk.
The elective component of the curriculum gives students the opportunity to pursue an area of interest in depth should they wish to do so. Themes that could be explored through the approved electives include, but are not limited to: the global economy; work; the political economy of race; philosophical perspectives on political economy; wealth; and law and political economy in the United States.
Students may petition to count up to two courses not featured in the list of approved electives toward the minor. A substantial part of these courses must be devoted to exploring the relationship between economic and legal/political questions, problems, or phenomena.
The extra elective that Law, Letters, and Society majors must take can be based in any department.
Please note: Courses in the minor may not be double-counted with the student’s major(s), other minors, or general education requirements. Courses in the minor must be taken for quality grades, and more than half of the requirements for the minor must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers. Students may be given credit for required courses and approved electives that they completed before declaring their intention to pursue the minor.
Summary of Requirements
| LLSO 28040 Introduction to Law, Letters, and Society* | 100 |
| LLSO 29065 Theories of Capitalism I | 100 |
| LLSO 29066 Theories of Capitalism II | 100 |
| Elective 1** | 100 |
| Elective 2** | 100 |
| Elective 3** | 100 |
| Total Units | 600 |
* Students majoring in Law, Letters, and Society must take an additional elective in place of this course.
** The three electives must be based in at least two different academic departments/programs, and if a student takes two electives in the Economics department then their third elective cannot have an ECON cross-listing. The list of approved electives is organized by department in order to facilitate the selection of an appropriate combination of courses.
Please see the College Catalog for a complete list of approved electives.
Autumn 2026
CHDV 20305. The Construction of Education Inequality: Policy and Practice.
CHDV 24599. Historical and Contemporary Issues in U.S. Racial Health Inequality.
ECON 10000. Principles of Microeconomics.
ECON 17100. Introduction to International Trade.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 10000/19800/20000/20010 and ECON 10200/19900/20200/20210
HIST 10601. How Sugar Conquered The World.
HIST 27018. Slavery and Capitalism.
LLSO 29752. Lawyers, Guns, and Money: The Second Amendment in American Constitutional Law.
PBPL 25550. Economic Development and Policy.
PBPL 28335. Health Care Markets and Regulation.
Interested students should submit the Law and Political Economy Course Plan to the Director of the minor before the end of the spring quarter of their third year. The Director of the minor will submit the student’s approved Course Plan to their College Adviser. The current Director is Sarah Johnson (sej@uchicago.edu).
For a few years after the minor launches in Autumn 2026, it is possible that student demand for the required courses will exceed their enrollment limits. In this case it will be necessary to restrict temporarily the number of students who can pursue the minor as students cannot petition to substitute other courses for the required courses. However, the program will endeavor to meet student demand as quickly as possible.
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Sarah Johnson Associate Senior Instructional Professor Director of Undergraduate Studies, Program in Law, Letters, and Society Director, Law and Political Economy Minor
Morgan Lott Assistant Director Academic and Program Administration Arts and Humanities Collegiate Division Social Sciences Collegiate Division |