Legal Studies (LGLS)

LGLS 211. The Legal Environment of Business. 3 Credit Hours.

This course emphasizes the nature of legal systems and processes. Topics include agency, contracts, the Uniform Commercial Code, debtor-creditor relationships, government regulation of business, and business structure (selection of a business entity).
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing
Session Cycle: Fall, Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

LGLS 230. Introduction to the U.S. Legal System. 3 Credit Hours.

This introductory law course provides an overview of the U.S. legal system. The course introduces students to various areas of law including the sources of law and the court system, constitutional law, civil law and procedure, criminal law and procedure, and the regulatory state. The course also explores the connection of the U.S. legal system with the international legal system and the legal systems of other countries. Students will acquire foundational understanding of the ways in which the U.S. legal system operates and enhance their ability to analyze and resolve problems.
Session Cycle: Fall, Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

LGLS 320. Global Legal Traditions. 3 Credit Hours.

This course introduces students to the comparative study of law. Students learn how laws differ from the across countries. The course places national laws in the broader context of major legal traditions, including common law, which has been the most influential in shaping American law. Each tradition is examined in terms of its institutions and substantive law, its founding concepts and methods, its attitude towards the concept of change and its teaching on relations with other traditions and peoples.
Prerequisites: LGLS 211 or LGLS 230, Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: Fall
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

LGLS 330. Criminal Law and Procedure. 3 Credit Hours.

This course focuses on criminal law and procedure. Students learn about the foundations of criminal responsibility, the definition of common crimes, and criminal procedural requirements. The objectives of this course are to learn the substantive and procedural criminal procedure, gain knowledge of constitutional rights in the context of criminal law and procedure, and gain an understanding of the moral, philosophical, and public policy considerations in the use of criminal sanctions. Substantive law topics include how guilt is established, justification of punishment, defining criminal conduct, inchoate crimes. Procedural law topics include right to counsel, search warrant and permissible warrantless searches, jury selection, negotiated pleas, and the rules of evidence.
Prerequisites: LGLS 211 or LGLS 230
Session Cycle: Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

LGLS 351. Civil Rights and Liberties. 3 Credit Hours.

In this course students examine the legal principles and rules that define the nature and limits of American government and the rights of citizens under the Constitution. The course stresses analysis of Supreme Court decisions and their influence on American political and economic development.
Prerequisites: LGLS 211 or LGLS 230
Session Cycle: Fall
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

LGLS 354. Communications Law. 3 Credit Hours.

A study of the legal rights and privileges of communications media, this course emphasizes the following topics: written communications; the problems of right to know versus right of privacy; libel, defamation, copyright, and infringement; examination of regulatory agencies; and theories of the First Amendment.
Prerequisites: LGLS 211 or LGLS 230
Session Cycle: Spring
Yearly Cycle: Varies.

LGLS 356. Law and the Digital World. 3 Credit Hours.

The course provides an overview of legal and policy issues related to the impact of modern technology on society. Students are exposed to the key laws, regulations and cases relating to the digital world. The course is divided in four sections: a study of the infrastructure of the Internet and its regulation; the protection of individual rights in the cyberspace; the protection of society from cyber threats; and the regulation of private companies operating in the digital world. The course explores the legislative and technology landscape in this dynamic area and provides students with opportunities to discuss cutting-edge issues at the intersection of law, technology, and policy.
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Varies.

LGLS 360. Law and Society. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is an introduction to the field of law and society. Students examine the nature of law and what we can and cannot expect it to do for us; the manner in which law and legal categories shape society; the role of lawyers, judges and other legal actors in the legal system; the basic structure of the judiciary and how cases flow through the court system, and controversial legal issues in such areas as business, medicine, and gender. Emphasis is placed on issues that illustrate the interaction between law and social control and law and social change. The course draws from a variety of perspectives including sociology, political science, history and philosophy. A major goal of the course is to give students a practical foundation in the critical assessment of law and legal thinking as well as improving their ability to make arguments in writing and orally.
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

LGLS 380. Sport and the Law. 3 Credit Hours.

Sport acts as a prism on society. Sport can reflect and forecast changes in our society on local, regional, national and international levels. These changes and their interrelationship with Sport are studied in this class.
Prerequisites: LGLS 211
Session Cycle: Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

LGLS 381. International Law. 3 Credit Hours.

International law encompasses the binding rules, norms and principles that govern the interaction among states. This course will introduce students to the basic concepts and problems of international law and of the international legal system, and will cover topics in this field such as the sources of international law, sovereignty, jurisdiction and responsibility of states, treaty law, non-intervention principles, the relationship between international law and national law, dispute resolution and international litigation. It will also address newer themes in international law such as the impact of international organizations and other “actors” in international law, international criminal law, the use of force and terrorism, and international environmental law.
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing
Session Cycle: Fall
Yearly Cycle: Varies.

LGLS 382. Nonprofit Law and Governance. 3 Credit Hours.

This course explores law, governance, and public policy issues surrounding the nonprofit segment of the US economy. Students will learn about the process of forming, maintaining, and governing a tax-exempt nonprofit organization. The course will examine the duties and liabilities of directors and officers, as well as other options to “do good” such as fiscal sponsorship.
Prerequisites: LGLS 211 or LGLS 230
Session Cycle: Spring
Yearly Cycle: Varies.

LGLS 383. Health Law. 3 Credit Hours.

This course investigates how law regulates health and affects the health care industry, health care practitioners, patients, scientists, and other stakeholders. Each semester the topics included in the syllabus vary depending on what is currently debated. A list of topics for a past semester includes infectious disease, privacy, quarantine, FDA regulation, clinical trials, direct-to-consumer advertisement, medical tourism, reproductive health, rationing, abortion, end of life, and others.
Prerequisites: Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Varies.

LGLS 386. History, Law, and the Holocaust. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will explore in depth the Holocaust and its impact on the development of international law after 1945. Topics will include anti-Semitism, the rise of Hitler, the Final Solution, minority rights, domestic legal actions against perpetrators, the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal, Allied military courts, and subsequent national and international trials of accused Nazi war criminals. The course concludes with an examination of some of the leading post-Nuremberg topics in international human rights law today, including peremptory norms, transitional justice, hate speech prohibitions, and Holocaust denial. This is a cross-listed course with HIS 386.
Prerequisites: 200 level History course and sophomore standing
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

LGLS 391. Legal Studies Internship. 3 Credit Hours.

Legal Studies internships give students the opportunity for supervised employment in an area where they can apply legal studies theories and principles. Interns work at least ten hours a week, meet periodically with a supervising faculty member, do research on their field of employment, and prepare a substantive report on work experience and research. Approval required by a supervising faculty member and the department chair. Junior standing is required.

LGLS 411. Markets and the Law: The Uniform Commercial Code. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides an advanced look at some of the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code. Topics include contracts, sales, negotiable instruments, and secured transactions. These topics are of particular concern to those who are interested in becoming accountants.
Prerequisites: Junior standing
Session Cycle: Fall
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

LGLS 412. Law of Financial Institutions. 3 Credit Hours.

This course offers a study of the laws and regulations that govern U.S. financial institutions and the federal agencies that regulate those institutions. We analyze the creation and actions of the monetary system and capital markets. We examine the evolution of regulatory efforts and analyze current issues and challenges that face regulators and institutions going forward. In particular, we will examine the 2007-2008 meltdown of the mortgage, securities, banking and derivatives industries, and the federal actions (legislative and regulatory) undertaken in response to those crises, with a particular focus on the provisions of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.
Prerequisites: Junior standing
Session Cycle: Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

LGLS 413. Gender and the Law. 3 Credit Hours.

Gender & the Law reviews the history and continuing social battles over gender and gender-relevant issues from a legal lens. Various examples serve as illustrations of how law and policies can and have been utilized to improve and to worsen social problems and discrimination in the United States and in selected foreign jurisdictions and regions. The class examines how, in the United States, law has affected social issues related to gender; sometimes creating the inequalities and inequities for marginalized sex and gender groups and sometimes as instrumental for breaking down barriers for women and transgender persons. The class covers women’s rights movements in other regions of the world and the role of international law and women’s movements. Policy issues can include voting rights; privacy; affirmative action; abortion; reproductive rights; dress codes; rape laws; domestic violence and human trafficking; and discrimination based on sex and sexual orientation.
Prerequisites: LGLS 230 or LGLS 211.

LGLS 443. Legal Ethics. 3 Credit Hours.

Thinking deeply about the nature of "the Good" is the starting point for investigating the purposes of law. To this end, Legal Ethics introduces the student to the leading ethical systems that have guided human thought about the Good. Using examples from both U.S. and international law, the course helps the student to integrate an understanding of ethical systems and theories of moral development into the study of law broadly considered. For qualified students, this course may be taken as a 500-level graduate content level course. Permission of the instructor is required.
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing and one 300-level Legal Studies course or permission of the instructor
Session Cycle: Spring
Yearly Cycle: Varies.

LGLS 451. International Business Law. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will address both the broader issues of government control of international business and the process of doing business overseas. It will compare the unique culture and legal systems of the United States, Europe, Japan and the Middle East. In addition, the course will focus on the mechanics of doing business overseas under international agreements such as GATT, NAFTA and the European Union.
Prerequisites: LGLS 211 or permission of the instructor
Session Cycle: Fall, Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

LGLS 490. Seminar in Politics and Law. 3 Credit Hours.

This seminar is designed as an interdisciplinary capstone course for students in the Politics and Law major. It will include an in-depth examination of a selected theme in politics and law. Each student will work intensively with the instructor to complete a major research project on a topic of their choice, which will be presented to the entire seminar. This course is cross-listed with POLS 490.
Prerequisites: Politics and Law major and senior standing
Session Cycle: Fall
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

LGLS 497. Directed Study in Legal Studies. 3 Credit Hours.

Under faculty supervision, students pursue a well defined area of interest in legal studies.
Prerequisites: LGLS 211 or LGLS 220 and permission of the instructor.