Aaron R. S. Lorenz

Aaron R. S. Lorenz serves as Dean of the School of Social Science and Human Services (SSHS) at Ramapo College of New Jersey, where he has been a faculty member since 2007. He is affiliated with the Law and Society Program, teaching courses including Introduction to Law & Society, Contemporary Issues in Law & Society, Death Penalty in America, Lyrics and the Law, Constitutional Liberties, and American Legal History.

Dr. Lorenz earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, following an M.A. in Political Science from San Diego State University and a B.S. in Political Science from California State University, Chico.

His research focuses at the intersection of law and culture, with particular expertise in how music, comedy, and popular media influence and reflect legal principles and practices. Dr. Lorenz's work bridges critical race theory, constitutive theory, and free speech jurisprudence, examining how legal concepts are embedded in and shaped by cultural expressions. His scholarship demonstrates how seemingly non-legal domains like television, comedy, and music lyrics serve as important sites for legal meaning-making and social commentary.

Dr. Lorenz's publications reveal a consistent thread exploring the performative aspects of law through cultural lenses. His work spans analyses of television legal dramas, NFL protests, Seinfeld episodes, reggae music, and rock lyrics, demonstrating how popular culture both reflects and shapes legal consciousness. This interdisciplinary approach has positioned him as a distinctive voice in socio-legal scholarship that examines law not just as formal rules but as lived cultural experience.

• Teaching Interests: Legal culture, music and law, constitutive theory, critical race theory, constitutional law, capital punishment
• Research Interests: Comedy and law, music and law, constitutive theory, critical race theory, free speech, capital punishment

As Dean of SSHS, Dr. Lorenz supervises thesis projects and provides guidance to students interested in law-related careers. His leadership extends to the Law and Society Program, which offers students the opportunity to explore how law intersects with social, historical, political, and economic contexts.