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Law & Politics Minor

School of Arts and Sciences

Curriculum

The Minor in Law and Politics is an interdisciplinary program designed to help equip students for graduate study in law, as well as for careers in law, politics, political consulting, political reporting and commentary, and allied disciplines. The program covers a variety of necessary practical and theoretical fields in order to maximize student preparedness.

  • Law and Politics Minor
  • 18 Units
  • HST/POL 412: The U.S. Constitution
  • 3

This course will look at the origins of the American political system from the end of the Seven Years' War through the Louisiana Purchase and Marbury vs. Madison, with a focusing on government under the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention, ratification controversies, the first political party system, and Jeffersonian vs. Hamiltonian approaches to government. Offered alternate years.

  • ECO 201: Macroeconomics
  • 3

This course will survey the scope and methods of the study of economics; the principles underlying the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of wealth along with various economic problems. The systematic investigation of the market structure of American capitalism, encompassing the production and distribution of income, welfare economics and current domestic problems.

  • Choose 1 of the following courses:
  • POL 321: Political Thought I: Ancient to Early Modern
  • 3

This course will analyze the nuances and trace the development of Western political thought from classical Greece to 17th century northern Europe with attention given to the questions facing every generation concerning the nature of political association and the good society. Students will become familiar with each major political thinker, the context in which they wrote, and influence upon the history of ideas.

  • POL 322: Political Thought II: The Enlightenment
  • 3

This course will analyze the nuances and trace the development of Western political thought from the early Enlightenment (17th century) to the present with attention given to the questions facing every generation concerning the nature of political association and the good society. Students will become familiar with each major political thinker, the context in which they wrote, and their influence upon the history of ideas.

  • Choose 1 of the following courses:
  • HST 371: Islamic Civilization
  • 3

This introductory course into the lands, peoples, and cultures of the Middle East from antiquity to modern times, will include the role of religion in shaping social and political institutions, and the influence of Islamic thought on the Arab world and conflicts in the contemporary Middle East. Offered alternate years.

  • POL 304: Grand Strategy
  • 3

This course will explore the aspect of statecraft in international relations known as “grand strategy” from a theoretical and historical perspective. This course traces how statesmen have or have not marshalled and coordinated the political, diplomatic, military, material, cultural, and moral resources available to a state, to achieve, or fail to achieve long-term objectives in the international environment during war and peace.

  • POL 413: Religion and Politics in America
  • 3

The role of religion in American public life will be examined in this course with an emphasis on the interpretation and impact of the First Amendment and the concept of "separation of church and state" on religious and political life in the United States. Offered alternate years.

  • HST/POL 414: The Courts and the Constitution
  • 3

The development of judicial interpretation of the U.S. Constitution from 1789 to the present will be examined in this course with an emphasis on the political, social, cultural, and economic context for key Supreme Court decisions. The case study method will be used to introduce students to legal reasoning, including controversial court decisions involving race, religion, gender, and limits of government authority.

  • Choose 1 of the following courses:
  • THL 465: Christians and Ethics
  • 3

Through an exploration of morality and ethics in light of what Scripture teaches, this course will orient students to the main approaches, both traditional and contemporary, of non-biblical philosophical ethics as they learn how the Christian faith interacts with these approaches. The significance of the Lutheran confessional distinction between God's left and right hand rule will also be explored. Student research and presentations on contemporary ethical issues are usually included. Prerequisite: (CTHL 101 or CTHL 200) and junior standing, or consent of instructor.

  • PHI 211: Philosophical Ethics
  • 3

This introductory course to philosophy through the examination of major traditions of ethical reflection in the history of philosophy such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill.

  • Choose 1 of the following courses:
  • COM 211: Introduction to Argumentation and Debate
  • 3

As a performance-based course, students will learn argument design, use of reason and evidence, and practice in a competitive academic debate setting with a focus on critical thinking, research skills, and the oral expression of arguments with rhetorical and presentational power.

  • COM 340: Rhetorical and Persuasive Theories
  • 3

Primarily from a social scientific approach, this course will examine the basic theories and techniques of influence, providing students with an awareness of the nature, function, and scope of attitude change as well as the concepts of attitudes, credibility, resistance to persuasion, ethics, and modern advertising practices.

  • COM 344: Theory and Practice of Interviewing
  • 3

This course will examine the theory and techniques of oral communication in the process of interviewing with the practical application to employment, information gathering (as in journalism and investigations), and persuasive interviews (as in selling and legal argument).

Current students, please note: The requirements listed here may not reflect the most current courses for this minor and may not be the requirements for the catalog year you are following to complete your minor. Please refer to the Academic Catalog for official requirements you must meet to qualify.

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