Legal Studies and Business Ethics Concentration
Concentration Overview
The Legal Studies & Business Ethics Concentration focuses on the social values, moral concerns, and legal considerations that are essential aspects of business decision making in our global market system. The courses students take in this program help them explore how responsible business leaders can engage ethically and effectively with diverse cultures, corporate stakeholders, government regulators, and legal systems.
Of special value to students seeking to broaden their business education, this concentration also helps them acquire essential, non-quantitative reasoning skills that are required when leaders face difficult choices under conditions of empirical uncertainty and/or moral ambiguity – a frequent occurrence in fast-moving market economies. Students pursuing this concentration will gain a number of analytic skills, including: identifying moral and legal issues hidden within complex, culturally rich fact patterns; reasoning from moral principles (including both utilitarian, efficiency-based norms and imperatives such as freedom and equality) to specific ethical and legal conclusions; reasoning by analogy between like cases and situations; and arguing from authoritative rules and precedents to specific, logically consistent recommendations for action.
Thus, the Legal Studies & Business Ethics Concentration not only fully satisfies the need for a primary undergraduate concentration, but also complements (for students with the capacity to double concentrate) other, more quantitatively oriented concentrations to be found at the Wharton School in such areas as finance, accounting, statistics, marketing, business analytics, insurance and risk management, operations, and information systems.
Specific Requirements for the Concentration
Four-course units are required for the concentration, in addition to one of the department’s two core classes in the “Social Environment” bracket, LGST 1000 and LGST 1010. Any four, duly approved departmental electives may be taken to satisfy the concentration requirement. See the course list of permanent electives below. Note that LGST 1000 and LGST 1010 do not count as electives within the concentration, though students are encouraged to take both courses to broaden their understanding of socially and ethically responsible decision-making.
Concentration Courses – link here to see the list of courses.
LGST Concentration Advisor: Professor Amanda Shanor, 215-898-1729, JMHH 660, shanor@wharton.upenn.edu
The Department’s Undergraduate Advisor should be consulted to craft the best elective choices for any given student, given the wide array of classes available and the diversity of students’ interests in law, ethics, or both. In short, the Department seeks to specifically tailor its concentration to each student’s special needs and interests.
PLEASE NOTE: Students interested in developing an individualized primary concentration that includes a focus on legal studies or business ethics courses should also consult the department’s Undergraduate Advisor as well as the Wharton Undergraduate Division and will need to complete the appropriate form. To arrange a consultation, stop by the Department office (600 JMHH) or email the LGST Undergrad Advisor.
Concentration in Business, Energy, Environment and Sustainability (“BEES”)
Starting in the academic year 2023-2024, the BEES concentration has been replaced by a BEES specialization within the Environmental, Social and Governance Factors for Business (ESGB) concentration. The new ESGB concentration is jointly administered by the Business Economics and Public Policy Department, the Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department, and the Management Department. The faculty advisors to this concentration are Professors Arthur van Benthem (BEPP), Witold (Vit) Henisz (MGMT), and Sarah E. Light (LGST).
Please Note – Students who declared BEES prior to the creation of the ESGB-BEES concentration and specialization can follow the old rules for the BEES concentration set forth on this page and on the BEES Concentration page or may choose to follow the new rules for the ESGB concentration: https://esg.wharton.upenn.edu/students/esg-concentration/.
Any current students with questions should contact Sara Jane McCaffrey at mcsa@wharton.upenn.edu.
Concentration Overview
The Undergraduate Concentration in Business, Energy, Environment and Sustainability is designed to provide in-depth foundations for those interested in the complex relationships between business and the natural environment, management of environmental risks, and the business and economics of energy. As global energy markets grow and change rapidly and environmental challenges rise, there is a strong need for a new generation of expert business leaders who understand the rapidly evolving trends in business models, technology, regulation, and financing. Students choosing this Concentration are therefore ideally suited for the ever-expanding set of careers in energy companies, clean-tech investing, energy banking, consulting, the non-profit world, and the government. Students will gain insight into these challenges through an inter-disciplinary approach.
This concentration, which is housed in the Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department, includes relevant course offerings by departments including Business Economics and Public Policy, Finance, Legal Studies and Business Ethics, Management, Marketing, and Operations Information and Decisions. Additional courses on business, energy, and the environment can be credited toward the Wharton Environmental Policy and Management Undergraduate Concentration from the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of Design, among other programs, as specified below.
Specific Requirements for the Concentration:
Four course units are required for the concentration. A list of courses and additional information about courses that count toward this concentration can be found https://esg.wharton.upenn.edu/students/undergrad-enviro-concentration/.
Please note: Because this concentration is housed in the Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department, courses offered by Legal Studies and Business Ethics cannot be used toward the Business Breadth requirement.
Minor in Legal Studies and History
Minor Advisor: Professor Amanda Shanor, 215-898-1729, JMHH 660, shanor@wharton.upenn.edu
As an academic subject, law stands at a disciplinary crossroads that intersects many of the liberal arts and social sciences. This University Minor seeks to expose students to multiple points of view about law and public policy as general preparation for careers or graduate studies in law, government, journalism, health care, business, international affairs, or the nonprofit sector.
The History Department of the School of Arts and Sciences and the Wharton School’s Legal Studies & Business Ethics Department jointly sponsor and maintain this University Minor. Both the History and Legal Studies & Business Ethics Departments are consistently rated at or near the top of their respective disciplines in national rankings. Courses in these two departments are among the best taught and most popular at the University.