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 degree 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 advisor and CLAS advisor 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.
- CU Denver General Graduation Requirements
- Click here for information about Academic Policies
Program Requirements
- Students must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours from the approved courses.
- Students must complete a minimum of 18 upper-division (3000-level and above) credit hours in the minor from the approved courses.
- Students must earn a minimum grade of C (2.0) in all minor courses taken at CU Denver and must achieve a minimum cumulative minor GPA of 3.0. All graded attempts in required and elective courses are calculated in the minor GPA. Students cannot complete minor or ancillary course requirements as pass/fail.
- Students must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours with CU Denver faculty from the approved courses.
Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations
- All courses must be taken in residence at CU Denver from CU Denver faculty. No transfer courses apply.
- Courses taken for the minor cannot serve to fulfill requirements of the university general education or the CLAS undergraduate core graduation requirements. 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).
Foundations
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Take the following: * | 6 | |
| HUMN 4251 | Introduction to Legal Studies | 3 |
| SSCI 4025 | Legal Advocacy/Engagement | 3 |
| * | No substitutions allowed for Foundations courses. |
Constitutional Thought
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Take two of the following: * | 6 | |
| PSCI 4477 | Constitutional Law I | 3 |
| PSCI 4487 | Constitutional Law II | 3 |
| SSCI 4060 | Topics in Law Studies: Constitutional Thought | 3-6 |
| SSCI 4325 | First Amendment: Theory and Context | 3 |
| * | No substitutions allowed for Constitutional Thought courses. |
Social Context of law
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Take two of the following: | 6 | |
| COMM 3231 | Famous U.S. Trials | 3 |
| CRJU 4430 | Law and Society | 3 |
| HIST 4308 | Crime, Policing, and Justice in American History | 3 |
| PHIL 4260 | Philosophy of Law | 3 |
| PSCI 4827 | Women and the Law | 3 |
| PSYC 3505 | Psychology and the Law | 3 |
| SOCY 4700 | Sociology of Law | 3 |
| SSCI 4070 | Topics in Law Studies: Social Context of Law | 3-6 |
To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.