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Legal Studies (BS)

 

The major in Legal Studies is designed to provide students with knowledge of legal processes and the administration of law. It offers preparation for careers in a wide variety of fields: criminal justice, governmental service, journalism and politics. It is also an appropriate field of study for application to graduate or professional schools.

Credits required 33

Prerequisite: GOV 101. This course partially fulfills the College’s general education requirements in the social sciences.

Advisor. Professor James Cauthen, Department of Government (212.237.8550, jcauthen@jjay.cuny.edu)

Additional information. Students who enrolled for the first time at the College in September 1996, or thereafter, must complete the major in the form presented here. Students who enrolled prior to that date may choose either the form shown here or the earlier version of the major. A copy of the earlier version may be obtained at the Office of Undergraduate Studies or at the Lloyd George Sealy Library.


PART ONE. FOUNDATION COURSES Subtotal: 6 credits

Required
Government 230 Principles of Constitutional Government
Philosophy 310/Law 310 Ethics and Law



PART TWO. SKILLS COURSES Subtotal: 6 credits

Required
Law 350 Introduction to Legal Research

Select one
English 250 Writing for Legal Studies
Speech 285 Courtroom Communication


PART THREE. CRIMINAL LAW Subtotal: 9 credits

Required
Law 203 Constitutional Law

Select two
Government 308 State Courts and State Constitutional Law
Law 202 Law and Evidence
Law 209 Criminal Law
Law 320 Seminar in the Law of Search and Seizure


PART FOUR. PERSPECTIVES COURSES Subtotal: 9 credits

Category A. Humanistic Perspectives on the Law
Select one
Government 375 Law, Order, Justice and Society
History 277 American Legal History
Law 301 Jurisprudence

Category B. Social Science Perspectives on the Law
Select one
Anthropology 315 Systems of Law
Economics 215 Economics of Regulation and the Law
Psychology 370/Law 370 Psychology and the Law
Sociology 305 Sociology of Law

Category C. Cultural Pluralism and the Law
Select one
African-American Studies Justice 220 Law and Justice in Africa (formerly AAJ 293)
Government 313/Law 313 The Law and Politics of Race Relations
Government 318 The Law and Politics of Sexual Orientation
Government 319 Gender and Law
Latin American and Latina/o Studies 322 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Urban Latina/o Communities


PART FIVE. ADVANCED LEGAL STUDIES Subtotal: 3 credits

Select one
Government 430 Seminar in Problems in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Law 401 Problems of Constitutional Development
Legal Studies 420 Senior Seminar in Legal Studies

Total: 33