Law Studies Minor
Introduction
Please click here to see Law Studies department information.
The Minor in Law Studies at the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) is an interdisciplinary course of studies intended to help students become intelligent and critical scholars of legal and political discourse. While the minor may be useful for students contemplating law school, it is also intended to appeal to a wider group of students interested in issues relating to law and society and careers in public policy related fields. The minor is designed to achieve the following three interrelated goals.
First, to introduce students the major areas of law that affect life in the United States and important legal issues that influence current events. Second, to enable students to become familiar and fluent with a legal vocabulary and legal reasoning. Third, to better prepare students with the analytical and conceptual tools to be critical citizens in our constitutional democracy. In addition to these goals, students who complete the minor and who intend to attend law school may find themselves more prepared than they otherwise would be for the often mystifying and rigorous first year of law school. To help these students, the program contains a strong advising component which assists students who are contemplating law school to provide them with a realistic appraisal of law school and of the legal profession. The counselors will aid students with the law school application process.
These program requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their major, minor and CLAS advisors to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.
Program Delivery
- This is an on-campus program.
Declaring This Minor
- To apply for this minor, students must complete and submit a major/minor change declaration form to the CLAS Advising Office in North Classroom, 1030.
- Click here to go to information about declaring a minor.
General Requirements
Students must satisfy all requirements as outlined below and by the department offering the minor.
- Click here for information about Academic Policies
Program Requirements
- Students must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours in the minor from the approved courses.
- Students must complete a minimum of 18 upper division (3000-level and above) credit hours.
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Students must earn a minimum grade of C (2.0) in all courses that apply to the minor and must achieve a minimum cumulative minor GPA of 3.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to minor requirements.
- Students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours for the minor with CU Denver faculty.
Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations
- At least 12 credits must be taken in residence at CU Denver from CU Denver faculty. Students may transfer up to 6 credits at the discretion of the director.
- Courses taken for a student's major cannot be used to fulfill any requirements for the minor unless prior permission is granted by the minor coordinator.
- Every course used to complete minor requirements must be upper-division (3000-level and above).
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following program requirements: | ||
| Complete the following Foundations courses: | 6 | |
| Introduction to Legal Studies | ||
| Legal Advocacy/Engagement | ||
| Complete two of the following Constitutional Thought courses: | 6 | |
| Constitutional Law I | ||
| Constitutional Law II | ||
| Topics in Law Studies: Constitutional Thought | ||
| First Amendment: Theory and Context | ||
| Complete two of the following Social Context of Law courses: 1 | 6 | |
| Business Law and Ethics | ||
| Famous U.S. Trials | ||
| Law and Society | ||
| Why Obey the Law? Introduction to Philosophy of Law | ||
| Women and the Law | ||
| Psychology and the Law | ||
| Sociology of Law | ||
| Topics in Law Studies: Social Context of Law | ||
| Total Hours | 18 | |
- 1
Students may substitute one Constitutional Thought course for one of the Social Context of the Law courses.
To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.