Law Studies Minor

The Law Studies Minor 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 prepare students for careers in public policy related fields.

The minor is designed to achieve the following three interrelated goals:

1. To introduce students the major areas of law that affect life in the United States and important legal issues that influence current events.
2. To enable students to become familiar and fluent with a legal vocabulary and legal reasoning.
3. To better prepare students with the analytical and conceptual tools to be critical citizens in our constitutional democracy.

Consistent with these goals, students planning to attend law school, who complete the minor, may find themselves more prepared than they otherwise would be for the often mystifying, rigorous first year. To aid law-school-oriented students, the program contains a strong advising component to provide them with a realistic appraisal of law school and the legal profession. Furthermore, the counselors will assist students with the law school application process.

1. Students must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours in the minor from the approved courses.
2. Students must complete a minimum of 18 upper division (3000-level and above) credit hours.

3. 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.

4. Students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours for the minor with CU Denver faculty.

1.  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.
2. 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.
3. Every course used to complete minor requirements must be upper-division (3000-level and above).

I. Complete the following Foundations courses:  

• HUMN 4251 Introduction to Legal Studies    
• SSCI 4025 Legal Advocacy/Engagement

II. Complete two of the following Constitutional Thought courses:  

• PSCI 4477 Constitutional Law I    
• PSCI 4487 Constitutional Law II    
• SSCI 4060 Topics in Law Studies: Constitutional Thought    
• SSCI 4325 First Amendment: Theory and Context

III.Complete two of the following Social Context of Law courses: 

• BLAW 3050 Business Law and Ethics    
• COMM 3231 Famous U.S. Trials    
• CRJU 4430 Law and Society    
• PHIL 4260 Why Obey the Law? Introduction to Philosophy of Law    
• PSCI 4827 Women and the Law    
• PSYC 3505 Psychology and the Law    
• SOCY 4700 Sociology of Law    
• SSCI 4070 Topics in Law Studies: Social Context of Law