Pre-law students at Concordia University should complete the Bachelor of Arts degree.
The Pre-Law Committee of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Legal Education (see http://www.abanet.org/legaled/prelaw/prep.html) “does not recommend any particular group of undergraduate majors, or courses, that should be taken by those wishing to prepare for legal education; developing such a list is neither possible nor desirable.” In general, law schools look for broad preparation in the liberal arts and high levels of performance in challenging courses. They do not expect or desire to see a long list of law courses on undergraduate transcripts. The law school assumes that legal education is what they do best. The ABA does recommend a rigorous course of study emphasizing these skills and values:
1. Analysis and Problem Solving
2. Critical Reading Abilities
3. Writing
4. Oral Communication and Listening
5. General Research
6. Task Organization and Management
7. Serving Others and Promoting Justice
8. Knowledge, including
a. A broad understanding of history, particularly American history, and the various factors (social, political, economic, and cultural) that have influenced the development of the pluralistic society that presently exists in the United States
b. A fundamental understanding of political thought and theory, and of the contemporary American political system
c. A basic understanding of ethical theory and theories of justice
d. A grounding in economics, particularly elementary micro-economic theory, and an understanding of the interaction between economic theory and public policy
e. Some basic mathematical and financial skills, such as an understanding of basic pre-calculus mathematics and an ability to analyze financial data
f. A basic understanding of human behavior and social interaction
g. An understanding of diverse cultures within and beyond the United States, of international institutions and issues, and of the increasing interdependence of the nations and communities within our world
Recommendations
We recommend a broad social science major (this can be arranged as an individualized major) with the following components:
1. American history (HIS111 and HIS112), Racial and cultural minorities (HIS354), American Cultural and Intellectual Life (HER382)
2. Sociology (SOC101), Ethnographic Geography/Cultural Anthropology (SOC/GEO321)
3. Economics (ECO200)
4. General Psychology (PSY101)
5. American government (POS101), Comparative Politics (POS321), The Politics of Civil Liberties (POS361)
6. Additional 36 semester hours of social science electives
Other Electives: College Algebra (MAT111), Elementary Statistics (MAT261), Accounting I (ACC201)
Other Major/Minor Combinations: English /Communications
0708AC
