Center for Law, Society, and Culture
Experience and scholarship tell us that the role of law in society and culture is best understood
through interdisciplinary analysis. Culture, power, politics, globalization, information technology,
biotechnology, literary criticism, environmental science, economics—these and many other
disciplines and phenomena create a rich context for the study of law, a context that is critical to
gaining an understanding of our society. There is simply no one discipline or field of professional
study, domestic or global, that can impart a comprehensive understanding of law's impact and meaning.
The fundamental mission of the Center for Law, Society, and Culture is to promote and disseminate a multidisciplinary understanding of law through scholarship, teaching, and discussion. The Center produces, presents, and coordinates research conducted by exceptional scholars in schools and departments across Indiana University on the subject of law and legal problems. The Center supports research related to the law in a broad sense, including cultural aspects of law expressed through political theory and the humanities, and scientific aspects of law expressed through technological advance in biotechnology, environmental science, and information technology.
Recognizing that a vital democratic culture requires an informed citizenry that is comfortable
talking about and thinking about the law, the Center for Law, Society, and Culture inspires
collaboration among scholars and serves as a catalyst for curricular innovation and enhancement. The
Center advocates and invigorates the study of law and its relationship to society and culture among
all students at Indiana University.