Law and Jurisprudence
Goals
The goal of the program is to provide students who are interested in a career in law and plan on attending law school an academically rigorous and well-rounded understanding of legal concepts and the practice of law. Law-related courses in political science is the bedrock of this minor, however, by taking law-related courses in philosophy, criminal justice, sociology, and history, students will leave Niagara with a strong interdisciplinary foundation that will serve them well as they move forward in their career.
Careers
Students admitted to law school come from a variety of undergraduate academic disciplines. A common skill-set exists among all successful attorneys and social advocates:
- critical thinking
- written and oral communication
- the ability to interact with diverse populations
The law and jurisprudence minor provides students these foundational skills.
Program Description
Graduates with a law and jurisprudence minor will have competencies in the following three areas.
- Knowledge of the judicial process is paramount to successfully navigating the legal world. Students will gain knowledge of law and the judicial process by taking courses in political science that directly cover the Constitution, the juridical branch of government and the application of law, all of which is covered in POL 203 Introduction to Law. Students will then have a choice of taking a more specialized law-related political science course covering an aspect of the law, such as constitutional law, civil liberties, women and the law or international. Lastly student will have several options to take other law-content courses. Students will also take three courses outside of law-related political science curriculum that relate to the study and practice of law.
- Communication is critical in the legal profession; thus, excellent written and oral communication skills are paramount. Consequently, the second goal of the law and jurisprudence minor is to help students hone their written and oral communication skills by exposing them to courses which are writing intensive, endorse legal briefing and those that encourage oral communication including Moot Court experiences.