Legal Studies, Minor

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The Legal Studies minor is multidisciplinary, spanning many courses throughout the university. The minor is composed of five classes and an internship, independent research project or other experiential learning component. Students seeking a Legal Studies minor should speak with their advisor and one of the coordinators, Professor Jim Melcher or Professor Michael Schoeppner.

Total Credits for the Minor: 15-18

A minimum of one-third of the required credits must be earned at UMF for a minor to be awarded.

Required Courses :

ENG 200 - Writing for the Professions Credits: 3

One of the Following:

POS 200 - Public Policy Credits: 4
POS 214 - Law and the Legal System Credits: 3
POS 302 - Civil Liberties Credits: 3
POS 319 - Constitutional Law Credits: 3

Two of the Following:

Each course must be from a different discipline (i.e., only one HTY course will count for the minor); One course must be at the 200-level or above. Courses from the list above may be used to satisfy this requirement (that is, if two courses from the list above are selected, both can be counted for the minor). Other courses can satisfy this requirement with the approval of the program coordinator.

ANT 360 - Social Science Research Methods Credits: 3
ART 320 - Contemporary Theory and Practice Credits: 3
BUS 303 - Business Law Credits: 3
ENG 181 - Literary Analysis and Interpretation Credits: 3
EPP 320 - Environment, Economy, Society Credits: 3
or
GEO 320 - Environment, Economy, Society Credits: 3
EPP 340 - Sustainable Land Use Credits: 3
or
GEO 340 - Sustainable Land Use Credits: 3
EPP 343 - Community Planning Credits: 3
or
GEO 343 - Community Planning Credits: 3
HTY 351 - American Legal History Credits: 3
POS 252 - Modern Political Theory Credits: 3
POS 255 - American Political Thought Credits: 3
POS 290 - The Global Politics of Climate Change Credits: 3
THE 275 - Social and Political Theatre and Film Credits: 3

Experiential Learning/Research (3-6 Credits):

POS 397 or the equivalent course within another discipline: Participation in a service project, an internship, or a significant research project related to the minor, during the academic year or summer. Experience can be satisfied and documented in a variety of ways, and should be arranged with your advisor and the minor Coordinators.

Learning Goals

The Legal Studies minor, originally developed in consultation with the University of Maine Law School, is designed to give students knowledge in American law and the background skills needed for preparation for law school. The minor reflects the increased importance placed by law schools on strong writing skills. Additionally, its requirement of out of class legal research or a law-related internship seeks to give an element of practical education to the minor. The program seeks not only to prepare students for law school, but to explore law and legal reasoning in a way that helps students decide whether law school is the best post-undergraduate course of action for them.