English-language minor in Law and the Future Society to launch in the 2026–2027 winter semester
2026-04-13 The new program is designed for undergraduate students from all faculties who want to understand how law shapes social developments and how it can be used to help shape the future responsibly.
How can democratic values be protected in times of extremism and disinformation? What legal boundaries are needed for the use of artificial intelligence? And how can law contribute to sustainability, social justice, and peace? The new “Law and the Future Society” minor addresses these and other socially relevant questions. “We take an interdisciplinary approach to legal issues and examine how societal developments change the law and how the law, in turn, shapes societal developments,” explains program director Prof. Dr. Johanna Croon-Gestefeld, Professor of Civil Law and Transnational Private Law.
The program combines foundational legal knowledge with future-oriented social, political, and technological topics. The focus is on an interdisciplinary, international, and critically reflective perspective. “Here, law is not viewed in isolation, but as a shaping force in social transformations,” explains Johanna Croon-Gestefeld. The goal is to enable students to understand legal decisions in the context of global challenges. That is why the new minor is deliberately aimed at major students from all faculties.