LW - Law

Law and the legal system in the United States. The impact of legal institutions on society. The law as a reflection of political, economic and social values.

Prerequisite: LW 230 and Junior Standing; or Permission of Instructor

Improving research and writing skills for students preparing to go to law school. Identifying strategies for legal research and preparing legal documents such as case briefs, legal memoranda, pleadings and motions. Students taking this course have a significant advantage in law school.

Prerequisite: LWPS 230 or Permission of Instructor

This course addresses the substantive study of criminal law, how society declares what conduct is criminal and what punishment should be imposed for such conduct. Such questions as what effect does heredity, environment, poverty, urban life, lack of education and unemployment have on the proclivity for criminal behavior will be examined.

Prerequisites: 12 credits in the major, and permission of the instructor. Reading and/or research in a selected area of law and society.

An upper-level special topics course offered at the discretion of the department. The content and methods vary with the interest of students and faculty members

Prerequisites: 15 credits in the major, an overall GPA of 2.5 and permission of the supervising instructor and the director of the Law and Criminal Justice program.

Participation and experience in law and society related settings through supervised full- or part-time work. Placements may be in a variety of settings such as: court systems, states attorneys’ offices, prisons, law enforcement agencies, advocacy organizations or government offices. Grading is on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

Prerequisites: LW 230, CJ 230, PSCI 308 or LWCJ 308 and LW 300 and with permission of the instructor. The Pre-Law Clinic provides students with hands-on experience by conducting investigations, legal research, and preparing real cases for trial. The Clinic has a classroom seminar and collaborative investigative component. Note: There is an application process to participate in Pre-Law Clinic. Please contact Professor Bean for more information. 

Corequisite: LWCJ 401A. Grading is satisfactory/unsatisfactory. The Pre-Law Clinic provides students with hands-on experience by conducting investigations, legal research, and preparing real cases for trial. The Clinic has a classroom seminar and collaborative investigative component.

Prerequisites: Completion of LWCJ 401A and LWCJ 401B and by permission of the instructor. The Pre-Law Clinic II permits students to continue their PTC client and project work through the spring semester.

Corequisite: LWCJ 401A and LWCJ 401B and by permission of the instructor. The Pre-Law Clinic II permits students to continue their PTC client and project work through the spring semester.

Prerequisites: PSCI 215 or LW 230 or PSCI 307, or permission by instructor. This course will investigate the basic question underlying the debate over the utility of international law. The influence of global civil society, multinational corporations, and other non-state actors in the development and application of international law will be examined.

Prerequisite: This course is open only to senior Law and Criminal Justice majors. This course focuses on the relationship between law and its social context, how law is used for the attainment of the goals of particular interest and pressure groups within society, and looks at the current critical legal theory debates occurring in the academic and legal arenas. The relationship between law, social change and political interests will also be explored.

Prerequisite: By invitation of the department. The departmental honors paper is a two-semester senior-year program designed for students who wish to pursue intensive research or special projects in close coordination with faculty advisers. Departmental honors students are known as the Christine P. Tischer Scholars and receive 6 credits for this work.

Prerequisite: By invitation of the department. The departmental honors paper is a two-semester senior-year program designed for students who wish to pursue intensive research or special projects in close coordination with faculty advisers. Departmental honors students are known as the Christine P. Tischer Scholars and receive 6 credits for this work.