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.