sociology of law
Academic field studying the relationship between law and society, including how social factors influence legal systems and vice versa.
彼は大学で法社会学を専攻している。
He is majoring in sociology of law at university.
法哲学 (philosophy of law) focuses on normative and conceptual questions about law, while 法社会学 empirically studies law's social dimensions.
法と経済学 (law and economics) applies economic analysis to legal rules, whereas 法社会学 uses sociological methods.
Compound of 法 (law) + 社会学 (sociology). A calque from Western academic terminology, likely from English 'sociology of law' or German 'Rechtssoziologie'.