Coordinator: Alexandria Zylstra, J.D., LL.M.
Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies
The Legal Studies program at Stephens is a unique preparatory program designed to accomplish three goals: prepare students to work in the legal field upon graduation, ensure our graduates have a competitive advantage when applying to law school, and prepare our students to excel once in law school. The uniqueness of the program involves a skills-based approach. We teach the skills necessary for Stephens students to do well on the law school admission exam, such as critical and analytical thinking, as well as introduce students to the legal topics they will study during their first year of law school. For those students not pursuing law school upon graduation, the Legal Studies major equips students with the theoretical and substantive knowledge necessary to succeed in any law-related profession. A grade of C must be earned in each course listed below.
Required Courses
LGS/WST 110: Women, Law & Justice
LGS 220: Legal Analysis and Problem Solving
PHL 201: Logic and Critical Thinking
LGS 260: Supreme Court and Constitutional Law
LGS 250: Conflict Resolution
LGS 302: Professional Communication
LGS 330 Philosophy and Law Seminar
BUS/LGS 352: Business Law
MCO 362: Media Law
ENG 340: Language: Use and Abuse
LGS 492: Senior Essay and Oral Defense
Choose one of the following:
LBA 142: Peacemaking in the Modern World
LGS 301: Internship
LGS 340 Terrorism: Perspectives on Acts of Violence
3:3 Law
Program
A joint program with the neighboring University of Missouri-Columbia, (MU) allows students to complete undergraduate coursework in three years and, with a successful GPA and required LSAT score, earn early admission to MU's Law School. Students earn a bachelor's degree from Stephens after the successful completion of the first year of law school. Thus, a student could earn a law degree in six year, instead of the normal seven years.
The program is a "succeed-sooner" opportunity for high-caliber, highly notivated students. Stephens' pre-law adviser ensures that you take the courses and obtain the skills you need for law school, in addition to offering up-to-date advice on the law school admission process.
Students who successfully complete the following courses will receive a Minor in Legal Studies.
Required Courses:
LGS 110: Women, Law and Justice (3 hrs.)
LGS 220: Legal Analysis and Problem Solving(3 hrs.)
PHL 201: Logic and Critical Thinking (3 hrs.)LGS 302: Professional Communication (3 hrs.)
One of the following courses:
LGS 260: Supreme Court and Constitutional Law (3 hrs.) or
BUS 352: Business Law (3 hrs.)
Legal Studies and Philosophy Courses
LGS
110: Women, Law and Justice
(3 hrs.)
(Open to all students; cross-listed as WST 110)
An introduction to the system and practice of law by focusing on
areas of law impacting women's lives: family law, employment law
and criminal law. Legal reasoning and research, text analysis and
lawyers' lives are explored. Class panels and field trips.
PHL
201: Logic and Critical Thinking
(3 hrs.)
(Open to all students)
The course teaches the basic strategies for critical thinking, focusing
on the structures of arguments as analyzed by traditional logic
and analysis for fallacies. Topics include deductive and inductive
reasoning, immediate inference, and argument proofs.
LGS 220: Legal Analysis and Problem Solving
(3 hrs.)
(Prerequisite: LGS 110 or permission of the instructor)
This course explores legal research and writing. The course emphasizes
effective writing methods and teaches students to analyze successfully
various legal problems. Students will learn the skills and technology
to be effective in today's legal environment, especially strategies
for research and modes of legal writing.
LGS 250: Conflict Resolution: Personal and Community Negotiation
(3 hrs.)
(Prerequisite: sophomore standing)
This course explores a variety of conflict resolution methods including:
negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and judicial processes. By
examining personal, community, and world conflicts, students will
learn how to analyze, select and apply an appropriate conflict resolution.
LGS
260: The Supreme Court and Constitutional Law
(3 hrs.)
(Prerequisites: LGS 110 or PSC 101, sophomore standing;
or permission of instructor.)
Course explores the basic principles of American constitutional
law through an examination of the United States Supreme Court. Focuses
on the history of the Court, civil liberties and individual rights
and the development of social policy as understood through landmark
Supreme Court decisions.
LGS
280: Topics in LGS
(1-3 hrs.)
(Prerequisite: dependent on topic)
Check semester course schedule for current information. Taught at
irregular intervals in response to current issues, student requests,
themes, availability of key personnel or other special needs. Investigates
content related to one of the interdisciplinary areas comprising
the major.
LGS 301: Internship
(1-3 hrs.)
(May be taken twice for credit but counts only once in electives
category)
(Prerequisite: permission of program chair)
Students will intern in a local law office, public interest group,
or other agency under professional supervision.
LGS 302: Professional Communication
(3 hrs.)
(Prerequisites: BUS 225 or permission of instructor.) This
course teaches the theory and skills necessary for understanding
and practicing effective professional communication. It emphasizes
effective oral communication in professional settings and provides
students opportunities to practice skills that allow them to communicate
successfully in their professional careers.
LGS 352: Business Law
(3 hrs.)
(Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor; crosslisted
as BUS 352.)
A study of the basic concepts of law as they relate to legal rights
and remedies, with an emphasis on contracts and other facets of
law relevant to business practice.
LGS 362: Media Law
(3 hrs)
(Prerequisites: junior standing or permission of instructor; cross-listed as MME 362.)
Mass communication-especially in the last 75+ years-has spawned volumes of regulations, statutes, and court decisions that affect broadcasters, the print media, the Internet, and consumers. Students will study the legal issues concerning media and individuals, organizations and the mass media, including the development of First Amendment freedoms: free speech, free press, fair trial; privacy and access; libel, defamation, obscenity and indecency; advertising, and copyright and trademark.
LGS 380: Topics in LGS
(3 hrs.)
(Prerequisite: dependent on topic)
Check semester course schedule for current information. Taught at
irregular intervals in response to current issues, student requests,
themes, availability of key personnel or other special interdisciplinary
areas comprising the major.
LGS 492: Senior Essay and Defense
(3 hrs.)
(Prerequisite: third-year standing; must be taken in the fall semester)
The student will write an essay that integrates and demonstrates
competence in the fields of study that comprise the major. In addition,
an oral defense of the essay is required, which will occur before
an invited audience. A student may not write or defend the senior
essay before the third year.
Independent Study
Independent study is (special studies, tutorials,
readings, projects) may be proposed by students who wish to investigate
a subject not otherwise available. Information about independent
study may be obtained in department offices or in the Office of
the Registrar.
