Minor in Law
The interdisciplinary minor in law program provides undergraduate students with the kind of analytical training and legal knowledge for which law school graduates are prized. The program seeks to develop skills traditionally associated with "thinking like a lawyer" skills in logical and critical thinking, oral and written communication, and reading comprehension and analysis. In so doing, it positions students for the increasing number of fields that have some legal component or nexusfrom non-profit administration to advocacy, from human resources to state government.
To complete the minor in law, undergraduate students take three core courses in law, taught by WSU Law School faculty, along with additional course requirements in one of four declared program areas that include the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, College of Liberal Arts and Science, Mike Ilitch School of Business, or School of Social Work. Students who wish to take any of the three core courses in law without doing the minor, however, are welcome to do so.
Required Law Courses
LEX 5000: Law in Social Context - Presents law as an evolving social institution, introducing basic concepts of law along with the fundamentals of legal analysis. Covers several substantive areas, with a particular focus on property in both its traditional common-law form and in its newer statutory contexts (e.g., intellectual property). What does it mean to own something? What makes someone a legal owner of something? What kinds of things can be owned, what things can't, and why?
LEX 5010: Law and Harm - Presents the basic concepts of law and the fundamentals of legal analysis, giving in-depth attention to the fields of tort and criminal law and using them to examine how law conceives of, regulates, and adjudicates questions of harm. When can you sue a person or a group for harming you? On the street or in a business, what makes something a crime, and why do we prosecute and punish crimes the way we do?
LEX 5020: Legal Procedure - Examines the life cycle of a case in court. It discusses how a lawsuit begins with the filing of a complaint and how it ends in a judicial order, and it covers everything else that happens along the waywith special attention paid to things like negotiation and settlement. Introduces legal concepts like "due process of law," and explores the procedural similarities and differences between civil cases, criminal cases, and administrative proceedings.
Program Specific Information
College of Fine, Performing and Communicatin Arts
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Mike Ilitch School of Business
School of Social Work
Questions? Want More Information? Ready to Declare?
If you have questions or would like more information about the Minor in Law Program, please attend an information session or contact:
Nikki Taylor-Vargo, Program Director
Wayne State University Law School
nikkitv@wayne.edu | 313.577.2733
To add a law minor to your degree program, complete the following steps:
- Meet with your academic advisor to discuss your desire to pursue a law minor and to review the requirements.
- Declare your minor in law (make sure that you are declaring through the appropriate unit).
- Enroll in courses!