Dec 14, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Legal Studies Minor


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College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences  > Department of Political Science  > Legal Studies Minor

Legal Studies is a minor in the Political Science department that provides academic preparation for students interested in law school.

Many undergraduate students are interested in attending Law School, but are intimidated by stories they hear about the LSATs and the first year of Law School.  The Legal Studies Minor will provide students with a strong background in the law to better prepare them for Law School.  The minor emphasizes courses in logical reasoning, reading comprehension, communication, and analytical writing, taught by a variety of instructors in Political Science, Philosophy, Sociology, and other departments.

At the same time, the Legal Studies Minor is not a pre-professional degree.  Instead, the minor approaches the study of law through a broad historical and theoretical perspective on legal structures.  The minor therefore emphasizes courses in Political Theory, Economics, and History in order to cultivate legal insight, creativity, and thoughtfulness.

Minor in Legal Studies (18 hours)


Requirements:

  • Students complete a Legal Studies Minor by completing a minimum of eighteen hours in approved courses with a minimum of 12 of the 18 hours taken in residence, and at least nine hours in advanced courses, 6 of which must be in residence.
  • Students must take at least one course from the “Analytical Reasoning” category.
  • Students must take at least one course from the “Communications” category.
  • Students must take at least one course from the “Historical and Theoretical Perspectives on the Law” category.
  • Students must take at least three courses from the “Legal Issues and Policies” category.
  • Students must maintain a GPA of 2.5 or better in their minor courses.
  • A student may not use more than six hours of work in the Legal Studies Minor to satisfy requirements for a major field and/or any other minor, although those six hours may be shared. Four of the six courses must come from outside the student’s major field of study.
  • Although a course may be listed in more than one category for the minor, it can only be used to fulfill the requirements in one of those areas. Therefore, a course can not be used to meet the requirements in multiple categories.

Communications (Select 1)


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