Legal Studies

The Legal Studies major introduces you to the study of law and will prepare you for a career in the legal field. In the Legal Studies degree program, you will study legal principles, institutions, and processes.

Learn how to conduct legal research and other professional work in government, the courts, agencies, and businesses, and be prepared to enter law school or to work in the legal field.

Lasell also offers majors in Law & Public Affairs and Criminal Justice.

Program Features

In the Foundations of American Legal System (LS101) course, students participate in mock trials on-campus, and compete against major college and universities in the Boston area. Mock Trial competition include programs such as the American Mock Trial Association Program and the John Marshall School of Law Undergraduate Mock Trial Competition.
During senior year, students have a a yearlong Capstone Experience which includes both a full year Justice Studies internship and a full year Senior Capstone class.
Lasell’s Pre-Law advising program offers guidance to students considering applying to law school, including which courses and extracurricular activities will best prepare them for law school. The program also offers test preparation for the LSAT examination.

What You'll Learn

From your first day, you’ll take courses in your major and advance towards graduation with a yearly plan. Not sure what classes to take? We’ll help you create the perfect plan.

Courses and Sample 4-Year Plan

Year 1

This example four-year plan is provided as a broad framework that you can follow in order to complete your degree within four years. Be sure to always consult your academic advisor before registering for classes.

WRT101

Writing I

In this course, students gain understanding of and confidence in strategies for effective writing by composing and reading in a variety of genres. The course emphasizes writing as a process and focuses on the rhetorical choices writers make. Students engage critically with sources by examining how genre, context, purpose, credibility, and bias work together to create meaning and impact audiences. Students who choose to take Writing I Workshop are provided with time during class to work on their writing while the instructor and a writing tutor are present to provide assistance. Students must earn a “C” or higher in order to pass this course

FYS103

First Year Seminar

The First Year Seminar (FYS) is part of the Core Curriculum and a requirement for all incoming first year students and transfer students with fewer than 15 credits. The First Year Seminar is a theme-based inquiry course that engages students in a specific area of interest while providing support for a smooth transition into the Lasell University community and the Connected Learning philosophy. Through studying an academic topic, students develop and apply core intellectual skills and receive an introduction to the core knowledge perspectives. At the same time, students connect to the experiences and people that make up the Lasell University Community. Course outcomes are accomplished through engaging activities including reading, writing, class discussions, presentations, team projects, field trips, and exploration of campus resources. Civic engagement and service-learning activities are often part of this course as is participation in the Connected Learning Symposium. Through the seminar, students develop close ties with faculty and peer mentors who serve as advocates for first year students' academic success. Past course titles have included: The Immigrant Experience, Fashion & Film of the 20th Century, The Social History of Rock & Roll, Exploring Cultures & Languages, The Spark of Creativity, Women and Sports, and Latin America: Food And Traditions. This requirement may be fulfilled by taking either FYS103 or HON101 (for students enrolled in the Honors Program).

MATH106

Mathematical Reasoning

This course is the foundational course for mathematical and quantitative reasoning at Lasell College. Mathematical reasoning is the critical skill that enables a student to solve real-world problems involving quantitative analysis by making use of particular mathematical skills. Through the development of their mathematical reasoning skills, students will recognize the power of mathematics in its own right as well as its relevance in the real world. Students will develop and enhance their mathematical reasoning skills through a project/application-based curriculum supported by readily available current technological tools and topics that will include, but not be limited to, the following: solving systems of equations, linear programming, statistical, and graphical data analysis.

LS101

Foundations of American Legal System(KP)

This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the law. Students are introduced to the basics of the legal system in the United States including its organization and operation. The course covers major areas of legal practice and the legal principles that apply. Legal concepts are explained and legal terminology defined.

POLS101

American Government

This is an examination of the basic principles that form the foundation for the structure and practice of American government. The impact of the political system on the citizen is explored along with the central assumptions and concepts that serve as the basis for the field of political science.

WRT102

Writing II

This course is a continuation of Writing I and focuses on research and public writing. Theme-based courses provide students with lenses to explore issues of interest and develop their reading, research, and writing skills. Students work with a topic of their choice, broadly based on the course theme. Assignments build upon each other, lead up to a researched position paper, and culminate in a public piece. Students who choose to take Writing II Workshop are provided with time during class to work on their writing while the instructor and a writing tutor are present to provide assistance. Students must earn a grade of “C” or higher in order to pass this course. Prerequisite: WRT 101

POLS201

State & Local Government

This course begins with the constitutional and legal basis for state and local government. The functions of the executive and legislative branches are examined. Governmental bureaucracy and budgetary processes are studied as well as political parties, interest groups, public opinion, and political reporting in the press.

HIST104

World Civ II:

This Knowledge Perspective course will provide students with the opportunity to interpret and analyze the complex interrelationships and inequities in human societies in a global historical context. Emphasizing the interrelatedness and mutuality of influence between East and West, we examine questions of exclusiveness, intolerance, and cooperation. Prerequisite: ENG101 with a C or better

SOC104

Equity & Intersectionality(KP)

Equity & Intersectionality(KP)

001

KP (Knowledge Perspective) Course

KP (Knowledge Perspective) Course

Year 2

001

KP (Knowledge Perspective) Course

KP (Knowledge Perspective) Course

LS202

Legal Research & Analysis

This course serves as an introduction to American constitutional interpretation. Topics to be covered include legal precedent, legal issues surrounding the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, the role of the Supreme Court as a political institution, and the Court’s interpretations of issues dealing with the Bill of Rights. Prerequisite: LS 101.

SOC101

Sociological Imagination (KP)

In this course we explore our awareness of the relationship between our experience and broader society. How are our lives shaped by our social positions in society – our social class, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and more? How do the members of different groups view each other and interact with each other? Why do inequalities exist and how do these affect us? How does culture shape our behavior, and why do religions, schools, families, and other institutions remain stable but also change over time?

000

Elective or Minor Course

Choose an Elective or Minor course

000

Elective or Minor Course

Choose an Elective or Minor course

LS301

Legal Writing & Reasoning

This course focuses on the development of fundamental skills necessary for successful legal writing that could assist in employment in a law office, such as drafting correspondence, developing various documents, and preparing legal memoranda. It looks at legal research, writing, and reasoning as a continuum, since the results of nearly all legal research must be submitted in written form. Legal writing is examined as a three step process. The steps consist of identifying the document’s purpose, audience, and constraints; developing a structure and draft; and editing and rewriting. This is a writing intensive course. Prerequisites: LS 101 & LS202.

MDSC203

Multidisciplinary Experience

In this project-based course, students explore a social or intellectual problem using at least two knowledge perspectives. Faculty and students follow a collaborative process of exploration, discussion, and problem solving that integrates knowledge perspectives and core intellectual skills.

LS203

Justice, Law & the Constitution

000

Elective or Minor Course

Choose an Elective or Minor course

000

Elective or Minor Course

Choose an Elective or Minor course

Year 3

POLS210

Political Theory

In this course, central questions in political theory are addressed. What is justice? What is freedom? What is the state? What makes a government legitimate? Is there any general obligation to obey the state? The course also focuses on theories of modernity and communities, the evolution of liberalism and individualism, and the relationship between politics and economics. Readings range from the Greeks to modern thinkers. Prerequisite: ENG 102.

CJ323

Justice, Class, Race & Gender

This course explores issues unique to individuals of different classes, gender, and/or races or ethnic groups. The course focuses on these issues specifically in the context of the American criminal justice and legal systems. Issues of diversity relevant to all aspects of the criminal justice system are examined. Prerequisites: CJ 101, LS 101, PSYC 101 or SOC 101, Sophomore standing.

000

Elective or Minor Course

Choose an Elective or Minor course

000

Elective or Minor Course

Choose an Elective or Minor course

000

Elective or Minor Course

Choose an Elective or Minor course

PHIL302

Ethical Reasoning

This course will address the interaction between the lives we lead and the application of traditional (and some nontraditional) ethical theories and principles to important decision points in our lives. Students will take on real-life ethical problems and dilemmas for each class; each student will be responsible for presenting a number of issues, as well as for guiding the discussion of those issues in class. The problems we address will largely span a lifetime of experiences and concerns. Students will also write several papers that evaluate formal arguments, using standard tools of critical thinking and philosophy. The course is discussion based, so a willingness to read carefully, to think critically, and to engage in classroom presentations and discussions is essential. Prerequisite: Junior standing, MDSC203 & ENG102.

LS325

Evidence

This course provides a detailed examination of the law of evidence. Topics include types of evidence, principles of exclusion, evaluation and examination of evidence, competency of witnesses, and the rule against hearsay evidence and the exceptions to this rule. Prerequisite: LS 101 or CJ 101.

MATH208

Statistics

This is an introductory course in descriptive and inferential statistics. Topics include: data analysis, and graphical methods of describing data, measures of central tendency and variability, probability, the normal distribution, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, correlation, and regression analysis. Prerequisites: MATH 106 with a grade of C or better or demonstrated competency through placement testing and ENG 102.

000

Elective or Minor Course

Choose an Elective or Minor course

000

Elective or Minor Course

Choose an Elective or Minor course

Year 4

LS441

Selected Topics in Justice & Law I

This fall portion of the Capstone course is designed to identify and discuss various legal and political issues in society today, including but not limited to issues of gender, race, and other relevant historical and contemporary political topics and movements. This first semester develops the student’s ability to research, write and debate current issues. This is a writing intensive and speaking across the curriculum course. Limited to Legal Studies and Law and Public Affairs majors. Prerequisite: Senior standing.

LS443

Justice Studies Internship & Seminar I

This course provides an opportunity for students to be in an individually arranged, college-supervised internship for 120 hours in the fall semester in a professional work setting related to their interest. Each student is monitored during the internship by the faculty advisor and attends a corresponding classroom seminar each week. Prerequisite: Senior standing.

000

Elective or Minor Course

Choose an Elective or Minor course

000

Elective or Minor Course

Choose an Elective or Minor course

000

Elective or Minor Course

Choose an Elective or Minor course

LS442

Selected Topics in Justice & Law II

The spring semester of the Capstone course focuses on the process of producing a final legal research paper on one of the topics of the first semester. Students hone their research and writing skills culminating in the presentation of a final capstone project presentation. This is a writing intensive and speaking across the curriculum intensive course. Prerequisites: LS 441 and Senior standing.

Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate an understanding of disciplinary concepts; demonstrate an understanding of issues of diversity in the field; demonstrate civic/social responsibility.
Compare occupations and career paths in the discipline; evaluate ethical and moral issues in a professional/disciplinary context; perform effectively in a professional environment.
Think critically about issues in the discipline; demonstrate effective quantitative reasoning skills; evaluate appropriate source materials.
Communicate effectively in writing; communicate effectively orally; demonstrate competence in use of technology and computing skills

For a complete list of courses and Learrning outcomes, view the Academic Catalog

Career Success

Lasell’s Legal Studies major prepares students for careers in law, human services and advocacy programs, and government as well as to attend law or graduate school.

Our students have interned with: