Legal Studies (LS)

Covers the American legal system, its participants, and legal careers. Introduces basic legal concepts, areas of law, ethical obligations, and the drafting of basic legal documents. Must have a minimum of 9 Semester Hours prior to registering for this course.

Introduces legal analysis and research methods for federal and state statutes and case law, using digests, encyclopedias, and other resources. Students read and brief court decisions and draft memoranda. May be taken for letter grade only.

Introduces law-office specific computer programs, such as time keeping, calendaring, and case management, as well as word processing, spreadsheet, and database systems. Includes computer-assisted research. May be taken for letter grade only. Must have knowledge of Microsoft Office. Instructor's Approval required.

Covers marriage and marriage dissolution, including property rights, support, custody, and litigation. Examines guardianship and non-marital relationships. May be taken for letter grade only.

Examines property and title, transfer of title, acquisition and financing of real property, purchase agreements, escrows, and landlord/tenant rights and duties. May be taken for letter grade only.

Examines the nature, creation, and effect of the agency relationship; formation of partnerships and sole proprietorships. Focuses on characteristics and formation of corporations. May be taken for letter grade only.

Examines debtors and creditor's rights, petitions, creditor claims, motions, stays, exemptions, and lien avoidance. Includes petition preparation. May be taken for letter grade only.

Intellectual property refers to trademarks, copyrights, and patents. These are property rights in the product of someone's intellect, or imagination, thoughts and ideas. This course will teach basics of these areas and will give the student practical experience in each area.

Special topics in Legal Studies. May be repeated twice with different topics. May be taken for letter grade only. Not challengeable.

Immigration and naturalization law and procedure in the United States. This course will cover issues involving nonimmigrant, immigrants (permanent residents), and U.S. citizenship. The course will focus upon the practical application of obtaining temporary visas, applying for permanent residence, and acquire U.S. citizenship. May be taken for letter grade only.

Covers wills, trusts, and how they affect the transmission of family wealth; planning for property distribution and care of persons and assets after death; probate proceedings; and transfer of wealth without probate. May be taken for letter grade only.

This course focuses on electronic legal research using Westlaw or Lexis and the internet, to hone and advance the skills learned earlier. Will include the preparation of legal memoranda.

This course covers the extent and value of electronic discovery, discovery methods and search goals for e discovery.

Covers civil litigation from investigation to discovery, including jurisdiction, standing, evidence, and court rules, and the drafting of complaints, answers, and other documents. May be taken for letter grade only.

Covers civil litigation from discovery through trial and post-trial actions, including motions, points and authorities, summary judgment, and collection of judgments. May be taken for letter grade only.

Examines crimes, defenses, procedural aspects in the criminal justice system, evidence rules, and rules to suppress evidence. May be taken for letter grade only.

Studies tort law; bases of civil liability for harm caused another, including intentional torts, negligence, product liability, invasion of privacy, defamation, and misrepresentation. Covers personal injury litigation and insurance issues.

Covers general principles of contract, including formation, breach, defenses, and remedies. Includes Uniform Commercial Code's effect on contract rights; drafting and reviewing contracts; litigation issues. May be taken for letter grade only.

This course introduces students to the central tenets of Critical Race Theory, their application, and historic and modern-day examples. This course will cover storytelling and counter-storytelling in the context of narrative construction and presentation. We will discuss and examine the permanence of racism, the concept of "whiteness" as a property right, interest convergence, and the CRT critique of liberalism. Letter grade only. Not challengeable.

The course is designed to introduce students to racism and its intersection with law, policy, and economics. Students will not only gain a foundational understanding of white supremacy and racism, but will also examine the implications of these institutions through legal, policy, and economics lenses, to arrive at a firm understanding of the economic realities of racist laws and policies. Letter grade only. Not challengeable,

Covers duties and responsibilities of attorneys and paralegals toward clients, public, courts, other attorneys, and paralegals; discipline of legal profession. Focuses on employment preparation and the opportunity to work as a paralegal.

Culminating activity required by majors in all departments. Papers/theses/projects researched, prepared, and written under the guidance of a faculty member. Comprehensive exams or recitals required in some departments. Academically, Students must be in Good Standing to enroll in 499. Can be taken for letter grade only.