Welcome to the 21 Hour
Law and Society (LAS) Minor
at Missouri State University
College of Humanities and Public Affairs
Springfield, Missouri
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Original artwork by
Jeanne Stephens, Graphic Designer
Educational Technology Center
Missouri State University (retired) |
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Student Testimonials
Here's what some of our
LAS students have said about
the Law and Society
program:
"The Law
and Society Minor has prepared
me well for my track to law
school. I just recently was
accepted to several law schools,
and the coursework in this minor
has served as a great legal base
for my years to come. The
professors were very
knowledgeable and informative,
but most of all, they were
passionate about what they were
teaching. Whether the class was
theory-based or applied, the
professors kept me entertained
and begging to learn more about
the subject matter. If you want
to attend law school and would
like to get a basic
understanding in many areas of
law and legal theory, Law and
Society would be a great minor
for you."
_____________
"The
Law and Society program at
Missouri State is designed for
students who are willing to be
challenged and gain a broad
understanding of different
aspects of the legal field. In
my experience the faculty I have
encountered are among the best
from each department, giving me
new perspectives on law and a
daily challenge in the class
room. Each professor has
experience in different aspects
of the legal field giving me, as
the student, knowledge from a
wide range of experts.
 Each course
presents a new challenge - from
the moot court sessions in Dr.
Prosono’s Sociology of Law
course, to the day-to-day class
room experience in Dr. Pybas’
constitutional law courses in
which students get to experience
a class set up similarly to
those one would encounter in law
school. Dr. Carlie's, in his
"An Introduction to the American
Criminal Justice System" course,
allows his students to not only
learn from his personal
experiences in the legal field
but he also brings in a range of
experts from an ex-gang member
to an FBI agent, so students
gain not only from his expertise
but learn from others who have
'lived it.'
I
recommend this program to any
student who is interested in ANY
aspect of the law because there
is something to be gained from
each discipline the various
courses represent. The LAS
program has broadened my view of
the legal field. Although I am
interested in going to law
school, I now know that there is
a world of possibilities and
challenges throughout the legal
field just waiting to be
experienced. Whatever I end up
doing as a career, the LAS
program has confirmed for me
that my place is in the legal
field and I will continue to
follow my passion inspired by
many great professors."
_____________
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"The Law and Society minor is a great way to learn
about how the law functions and has helped diversity
my knowledge of how the law works in modern society.
Even if a student isn't interested in law school, he
or she will have learned how to look at the law from
many perspectives - sociological, psychological,
constitutional and religious. In my final semester
I'll also look at the law both from the standpoint
of the media and city planning.
Not only has the Law
and Society minor given me an excellent view on the
diversity of the law, it has helped me pick a career
path. After I graduate in May of 2010, I plan on
going into the field of law as a paralegal to get
the feel for it and then decide if I want to move on
to law school. What's great is that the Law and
Society minor has provided a great foundation for
just this type of thing and I haven't been 'stuck'
in one department - so I'm better able to experience
what the 'real world' is like. I would recommend the
Law and Society minor to anyone with even a slight
interest in the law."
_____________
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 "I graduated in
August of 2008 and now attend American University in
Washington D.C. and am studying for a Masters of
Science degree in Justice, Law and Society. The LAS
minor I received at Missouri State helped me a lot
and started my interest in the field of law.
The portion of the
LAS program that I enjoyed most was how it was a hybrid of areas. It did not force me to take
classes in one general area but allowed me the
flexibility to experience different academic fields
to see what I liked. Even though I have only had
graduate classes for two weeks, I have already
realized how beneficial the classes I took at
Missouri State were to my current
classes. Specifically, Philosophy of Law (PHI 340)
with Dr. Martire was very helpful in understanding
Legal Theory (in fact, we are doing some of the same
readings).
I think I would be
very lost here at American University if I had not
taken two classes with Dr. Pybas which were focused
on reading cases and Supreme Court decisions (PLS
519 and 497). And to be completely honest, I would
have loved LAS as a major, and not just a
minor. There are so many avenues to experience and I
just felt like there was more I wanted to learn but
I was limited because I needed to take more classes
in my actual major field of History."
______________
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 "I graduate this
spring (2007) with a major in Public Administration and a
minor in Law and Society. I've enjoyed the
class selection for the Law and Society minor and
the content of the courses. They have been some of
my favorite classes and I think the minor is also
good for other students, like myself, who are
contemplating law school.
I value the classes I've taken in
the LAS minor so much that, if it was offered as a
major, I would have taken it. I think the classes
helped prepare me for a masters program in public
administration, law school and other political
science courses I have taken. There's nothing that
stands out to me that I thought needed improvement.
I know the minor will continue to be a success!"
______________
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 "So
far I've really enjoyed the LAS minor because it
encouraged me to take RIL 231 (Legal Environment of
Business), which I normally would not have taken.
Since taking that course, I've taken two other RIL
classes and will probably sign up for more. I feel
as though the diversity of the classes that I am
taking for the LAS minor, combined with the courses
I am taking for my Legal Studies minor, is helping
prepare me for law school."
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The Uniqueness of the
Law and Society Minor
The Law and
Society (LAS) Minor is one of the newest academic programs at
Missouri State University (approved Summer
2004).
The LAS minor is
intended for use by students who want a broad
understanding of how law operates in society as well
as by students who anticipate a career in the law. The LAS minor is unique
in several respects. Compared to the
Legal Studies in Business
Minor (in the Department of Finance and General Business) and the
Public Law Minor (in
the Department of Political Science), the Law and
Society minor is highly interdisciplinary, looking at the topic of
"law" from a wide variety of perspectives.
The Law and Society
Minor does not rely primarily
upon one discipline as do the two other law-related minors
offered here at Missouri State. It should
be understood that each of the minors mentioned are needed in order for
interested students to have access to the minor which best
addresses their intellectual and/or career objectives. That is,
the Legal Studies in Business Minor is very well designed for anyone
interested primarily in business-related law, as is the Public Law Minor for
students interested in public law.
The Law and
Society Minor is for other students - those who are curious
about the nature and expression of "law" in a variety of
societal settings (e.g., relationships
between ethics
and law,
law and media, environmental law,
planning law, the economics and philosophy of law, and all the
other studies of law as found in the course titles below). As
mentioned above, the Law and Society Minor is highly interdisciplinary,
making it compatible with the current
trend in academia towards interdisciplinary studies.
The content of courses available in
the Law and Society Minor address Missouri State's unique public affairs
mission by enhancing students' understanding of the
interrelationship of various social institutions and the
structure of society in general. Finally, the Law and Society
Minor refines and replaces the need to construct personalized
minors in this area of study.
Because it requires only twenty-one (21)
hours of course study, the Law and Society Minor can
be taken easily with any one of several related
majors (Political
Science, Sociology, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Anthropology, English,
etc.). It is an eclectic minor and, as such, is compatible with a
wide variety of majors and student interests.
If you are interested in learning more about
the program, please contact any of its advisors.
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Program Description
The Law and Society (LAS) Minor
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Science
The Law and Society
Minor is a 21 hour program of study with nine (9) credit hours
required in the core and an additional twelve (12) credit hours of
designated electives. No more than two (2) courses with the same
course prefix will count toward the minor.
B. Electives: Choose
twelve (12) hours from AGB 314; ECO 435; JRN 407; PHI 345; PLN 570;
PLS 551; RIL 231; RIL 537; SWK 310; and CRM 210 or PLS 451 or PSY
320.
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Core Courses
(9 hours)
SOC 380 -
The Sociology of Law,
3 (3-0), F
Prerequisites: None
PHI 340 - The Philosophy of Law,
3 (3-0), D (but likely offered every fall, contact
department)
Prerequisites: Three hours of PHI or permission of the instructor.
And choose one (1) course from the following:
PLS 515 - Constitutional La w
and Politics,
3 (3-0), F
Prerequisite: PLS 101
and 50 hours or permission of instructor.
PLS 517 -
Civil Rights and Liberties in
the American Constitutional System,
3 (3-0), S
Prerequisite: PLS 101
and 50 hours or permission of instructor.
PLS 519 -
Individual
Liberties in the
American Constitutional System,
3(3-0), S
Prerequisite: PLS 101.
HST 565 -
English Constitution, Courts and
Common Law (3), F
Prerequisite: 50 hours or
permission of the department Head.
Designated Electives
(Choose any 12 hours from below)
AGB 314 -
Legal Aspects of Agriculture,
3 (3-0), F
Recommended: 30 credit
hours.
ECO 435 -
The Economic Analysis of Law,
3 (3-0), D
Prerequisite: ECO 165
JRN 407 -
Media Law,
3 (3-0), F, S
Prerequisite: MED 120
PHI 345 -
Theories of Ethics
3(3-0), D
Prerequisite: Three hours of
Philosophy or permission of the instructor.
PLN 470 -
Planning Law,
3 (3-0), S
Prerequisite: CRP 271 or
permission of the instructor.
PLS 437 - International Organizations
and Law, 3 (3-0), S
Prerequisite: PLS 101.
PLS 551 -
Administrative Law,
3 (3-0), D
Prerequisite: PLS 101
RIL 231 -
Legal Environment of Business,
3 (3-0), F, S
Prerequisite: 24 hours
at the university.
RIL 537 -
Environmental Regulation
3(3-0), S
Prerequisite:
Undergraduate business majors must be admitted to COBA.
SWK 310 -
Children’s Rights,
3 (3-0), F, S
Prerequisite: None.
If they wish, students may choose
one (1) course from the following (if no more than 2 courses with
the same designation have not already been included in the LAS
minor). All three of these courses deal with some aspect of criminal
law.
CRM 210 -
Introduction to the American Criminal
Justice System, 3 (3-0), F, S
Prerequisite: none.
PLS 451 -
Criminal Law and Its
Enforcement, 3
(3-0), F, S
Prerequisite: None
PSY 320 -
Psychology and the Law,
3 (3-0), F, S
Prerequisite: PSY 121
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Law-Related Campus
Organizations and Online Resources
Phi Alpha
Delta, the Pre-Law Fraternity
Phi Alpha Delta is sponsored by the Missouri State Department of Political
Science and offers its members opportunities to meet other
students with a shared interest in the law. Programs offered
throughout the academic year include presentations by area
law-related professionals. Be sure to contact the fraternity to
learn more about joining and attending its events.
You can find more information
about the field of law by searching
links to law-school resources,
by exploring
The
Internet Law Library
and by learning more
about careers in the field of law.
Meet the LAS Committee and
Advisors
The following faculty members
constitute the Law and Society Committee.
Feel free to contact any member of
the committee for advice and
guidance related to the Law and Society
Minor.
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