Curriculum

HIST 1050 - America: From Settlement to Superpower (3 credits)

This course provides an overview of American history from European exploration to the present, with a particular emphasis on the creation and evolution of the United States. The instructor will identify a number of themes highlighting key developments, episodes or periods in American history that have proved critical in shaping the state, culture and society of the contemporary United States. These themes will serve as the focal point for all classroom activities and assignments. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, COMP 2010, or COMP 2020.

HIST 1120 - The West: Patricians, Peasants, and Citizens (3 credits) OR HIST 1170 - The World: From Gatherers to Globalization (3 credits)

HIST 1120 - The West: Patricians, Peasants, and Citizens (3 credits)

This course provides an overview of western history from Greek and Roman civilization to the present, with a particular emphasis on the evolution of western political institutions, legal systems, social structures and culture. The course will develop themes highlighting key developments, episodes or periods in western history that have proved critical in shaping the political, legal, and social systems of modern Europe. These themes will serve as the focal point for all classroom activities and assignments. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, COMP 2010, or COMP 2020.

HIST 1170 - The World: From Gatherers to Globalization (3 credits)

This course examines the theme of how the modern, interconnected world is rooted in a complex interplay of factors that have shaped the global human story. The course will develop this theme by highlighting key developments, episodes or periods in history that have proved critical in shaping the make-up of the modern world, including states, cultures and societies. These changes and developments will serve as the focal point for all classroom activities and assignments. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, COMP 2010, or COMP 2020.

HIST 3010 - Constitutional History I (3 credits)

A study of the origin and development of the American constitutional system from the colonial period to 1870. The course will examine seminal decisions of the United States Supreme Court during this period in their political, social, and economic context. Prerequisites: one HIST course; and COMP 2000, COMP 2010, or COMP 2020 or COMP 2000H.

HIST 3020 - Constitutional History II (3 credits)

Continuation of the study of the constitutional system of the United States. The course covers the period 1870 to the present with special emphasis on Supreme Court decisions in the areas of federal-state relations, individual liberties, and civil rights. Prerequisite: HIST 3010. 

LGST 2500 - Introduction to Legal Studies (3 credits)

This course provides an introduction to the structure and basic decisional processes of the American legal system, as well as a study of the historical and social development of the legal profession in America from the colonial period to the present. Particular focus is on examination of the central issues and processes of the legal system from the perspective of their everyday working relationships and how courts work. Prerequisite: COMP 1500 or COMP 1500H.

LGST 3400 - Comparative Law (3 credits)

A study of the interrelationship between cultures and legal systems; how legal systems develop as a response to, and expression of, the cultures from which they derive. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, 2010, or 2020 or COMP 2000H.

LGST 4000 - Legal Research and Trial Advocacy (3 credits)

Students will learn legal research and writing skills, as well as the basics of case preparations, courtroom strategy and presentation, and legal argumentation. Library and Internet primary and secondary legal resources will be utilized, and legal memoranda and research skill exercises will be required. The students will create a trial notebook of their research and writing work, which they will then present in a mock trial/appellate setting. Prerequisites: LGST 2500 and COMP 2000, COMP 2010, or COMP 2020 or COMP 2000H.

LGST 4410 - International Law (3 credits)

An introduction to basic legal principles governing relations between nations. Topics include recognition of states, jurisdiction, human rights, treaties and agreements, law of the sea and claims against nations. Prerequisites: one LGST course; and COMP 2000, COMP 2010, or COMP 2020.

POLS 1010 - American Government and Politics (3 credits)

An introduction to the processes of the American national and local forms of government. Included are the nature and structure of government, its characteristics and functions, and the intimate relation of government to other interests. 

POLS 2010 - Comparative Government (3 credits)

This course will examine the elements of foreign political systems such as constitutions, political parties, institutions, historical development, and ideology using the United States as a frame of reference. Attention will be given to how legislation is enacted, how elections are conducted, and the relationship between the judicial, executive, and legislative branches of government. 

SPCH 2020 - Argument and Debate (3 credits)

Training and practice in fundamentals of oral argumentation, including methods of obtaining and organizing materials, delivery, and audience analysis, with an emphasis on researching evidence and constructing and refuting an argument in a debate format. Prerequisite: COMP 1500 or COMP 1500H.

Philosophy: Logic
Select 3 credits from the following courses:

PHIL 1400 - Introduction to Logic (3 credits)

A study of the principles and evaluation of critical thinking including identification and analysis of fallacious, as well as valid reasoning. Traditional and symbolic logic will be considered and foundations will be laid for further study in each area. Prerequisite: COMP 1500 or COMP 1500H. 

PHIL 2400 - Symbolic Logic (3 credits)

Rigorous analyses of the concepts of proof, consistency, equivalence, validity, implication, and truth as exemplified in propositional logic and predicate logic. Prerequisite: COMP 1500 or COMP 1500H. 

Philosophy: Value Inquiry
Select 3 credits from the following courses:

PHIL 3010 - Ethical Issues in Communication (3 credits)

This course provides an introduction to moral reasoning through a philosophical examination of major ethical problems in communications, such as those encountered by media professionals; conflicts of interest, morally offensive content, media influences on anti-social behavior, confidential sources, privacy, truth and honesty in reporting, among others. Student will be introduced to the idea that ethical problems are largely a matter of normative ethical (philosophical) theory. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, COMP 2010, or COMP 2020 or COMP 2000H. 

PHIL 3180 - Biomedical Ethics (3 credits) OR PHIL 3180H - Biomedical Ethics Honors (3 credits)

PHIL 3180 - Biomedical Ethics (3 credits)

This course provides an introduction to moral reasoning through a philosophical examination of major problems in biomedical ethics, such as abortion, euthanasia, allocation of resources, medical experimentation, genetic engineering, confidentiality, among others. Students will be introduced to the idea that ethical problems are largely a matter of reason; that progress toward solutions can be gained through an application of normative ethical (philosophical) theory. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, COMP 2010 or COMP 2020 or COMP 2000H. 

PHIL 3180H - Biomedical Ethics Honors (3 credits)

This course provides an introduction to moral reasoning through a philosophical examination of major problems in biomedical ethics, such as abortion, euthanasia, allocation of resources, medical experimentation, genetic engineering, confidentiality, among others. Students will be introduced to the idea that ethical problems are largely a matter of reason, that progress toward solutions can be gained through an application of normative ethical (philosophical) theory. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, COMP 2010, or COMP 2020 or COMP 2000H. Honors students only. 

PHIL 3200 - Ethics and Sport (3 credits)

This course provides an introduction to moral reasoning through a philosophical examination of major problems in sports, such as the nature of sportsmanship, drugs, violence, commercialization, and gender equality, among others. Students will be introduced to the idea that ethical problems are largely a matter of reason; that progress toward solutions can be gained through an application of normative ethical (philosophical) theory. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, COMP 2010 or COMP 2020 or COMP 2000H. 

PHIL 3360 - Environmental Ethics (3 credits)

This course provides an introduction to moral reasoning through the philosophical examination of major problems in environmental ethics, such as the relationship between human beings and living and non-living environments, controlling nature, and land use, assessing risk, responsibility to future generations, and the role of science, among others. Students will be introduced to the idea that ethical problems are largely a matter of reason; that progress toward solutions can be gained through an application of normative ethical (philosophical) theory. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, COMP 2010, or COMP 2020 or COMP 2000H. 

PHIL 3660 - Philosophy of Law (3 credits)

A critical examination of basic analytic and normative questions pertaining to law. The course may include such topics as the nature of law, law and morality, legal responsibility, civil disobedience, and the justification of punishment. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, COMP 2010, or COMP 2020 or COMP 2000H. 

PHIL 3670 - Social and Political Philosophy (3 credits)

This course will examine significant philosophical contributions to an understanding of politics and society. Among the questions it will address are: What is the nature and basis of the state? Which form of government is best? How do we determine whether political institutions are just? What conceptions of human nature underlie various political philosophies? How are social goods and burdens justly divided? This course will draw from classical, modern, and contemporary sources in political philosophy. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, 2010, or 2020 or COMP 2000H. 

Philosophy: Systematic Area of Philosophy
Select 3 credits from the following courses:

PHIL 3220 - Philosophy of Science (3 credits)

A study of the conceptual foundations of modern science. The course focuses on the philosophical analysis of scientific method and its basic concepts and assumptions. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, 2010, or 2020 or COMP 2000H.

PHIL 3530 - Gods and Chariots (3 credits)

A study of the classic works of philosophy focusing on Plato and Aristotle, and might include discussion of various Pre-Socratic and Hellenistic philosophers. The emphasis throughout will be on understanding, analyzing, and evaluating arguments of the philosophers and placing their work into the historical context of the respective eras in which they produced their work. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, 2010, or 2020 or COMP 2000H.

PHIL 3540 - Revolution and Ideology (3 credits)

A study of the classic works of philosophy focusing on the rationalists, the empiricists, and Kant. The emphasis throughout will be on understanding, analyzing, and evaluating arguments of the philosophers and placing their work into the historical context of the respective eras in which they produced their work. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, 2010, or 2020 or COMP 2000H.

PHIL 4300 - Knowledge and Reality (3 credits)

This course will examine philosophical approaches to the study of human knowledge and the nature of reality in general, and the specific arguments advanced by philosophers to clarify or resolve fundamental issues in these areas of inquiry. The course may include topics such as skepticism, the analysis of knowledge, theories of justification, the nature of existence, the debate between metaphysical realists and antirealists, the nature of truth, and the free will problem. The final objective is to have the student draw on everything they have learned in this course and prior courses to produce a major research paper that is subject to rigorous academic standards. Topics will vary. Prerequisite: one PHIL course and COMP 2000, 2010 or 2020 or COMP 2000H.

Select 6 credits from the following courses that are not completed in the selected track:

LGST 3350 - Environmental Law and Policy (3 credits)

This course analyzes environmental quality in terms of law and policy. Specific public policy issues are surveyed to develop alternative approaches for dealing with ecological problems and for illustrating the power of public opinion. This course also provides an understanding of the norms and institutions that comprise national and international environmental law. Specific topics considered include air pollution and protection of the atmosphere, hazardous waste, endangered species, the global commons, and laws of the sea. Statutes, regulations, and judicial decisions are emphasized to provide an overall analysis of environmental law. Prerequisite: COMP 2000, COMP 2010, or COMP 2020 or COMP 2000H. 

LGST 4100 - The First Amendment (3 credits)

This course focuses on study of the First Amendment, emphasizing freedom of speech and religion and how those rights have been exercised and interpreted both historically and in the modern era. Prerequisites: LGST 2500 and COMP 2000 or 2020 or COMP 2000H. 

LGST 4200 - Crime and the Constitution (3 credits)

This course focuses on the study of the 4th, 5th, and 6th amendments and their relationship to criminal procedure. Additional emphasis will be on the 8th amendment and the death penalty. Prerequisites: LGST 2500 and COMP 2000 or 2020 or COMP 2000H. 

LGST 4270 - Judicial Politics and Process (3 credits)

This class will examine both the formal and informal practices and rules that shape the American judicial system. Using a political science/legal anthropology approach, it will ask who uses the courts, why they use the courts, and what they hope to achieve. In doing so, it will seek to assess the effectiveness of American justice by analyzing such topics as the formal structures of the American judicial system and the judicial appointment, socialization, and the decision-making process. Prerequisite: LGST 2500 and COMP 2000, COMP 2010 or COMP 2020 or COMP 2000H. 

LGST 4310 - Individual Rights and the Law (3 credits)

A study of the crucial role the Supreme Court has played in the expansion and diminution of the rights of individuals. This course focuses on civil rights issues (discrimination on the basis race, sex, etc.) and the rights of the individual to privacy. Prerequisites: LGST 2500 and COMP 2000 or 2020 or COMP 2000H.

LGST 4420 - War Crimes (3 credits)

This course focuses on the issue of war crimes as well as trials of war criminals during the last hundred years. Students will consider the development and evolution of the law particularly as it relates to the definition of war crimes, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. Students will examine key historical trials as well as consider how war crimes doctrines are being applied currently in national and international venues. Prerequisite: one LGST course and COMP 2000 or 2020 or COMP 2000H.

LGST 4400 - Special Topics in Legal Studies (3 credits)

This course examines selected topics in legal studies. Topics vary each semester. This course may be repeated once for credit, if content changes and with departmental approval.

LGST 4950 - Internship in Legal Studies (3 credits)

A 10-20 hour per week field or work experience for 16 weeks (or more) in the student's major area of study. Consult academic division for specific details and requirements. Prerequisites: cumulative GPA of 2.5 higher, completion of 60 or more credit hours, and permission of division director.