The Pre-Law Program at Augsburg College

Students interested in pursuing a career in law at Augsburg have a rich array of resources from which to draw--faculty with background and interest in law, numerous courses, an active Pre-law club, excellent advising, and proximity to four excellent law schools in the Twin Cities.

There is no set curriculum for preparing for applying to Law School. Although the most common major for Pre-Law students is Political Science, students can major in virtually any field. However, there are a variety of steps that are recommended for students considering law school:

• Pursue a major that interests you and take courses with relevance to the field of law (see list below).
• Maintain a high GPA
• Cultivate a good working relationship with several professors, so that they can write letters of recommendation for you.
• Join the Pre-Law Club, which supports students in preparing for the LSAT exams
• Explore your interest in the law and work on specifying why you want to study law and what particular issues or questions you would be interested in pursuing in law school and subsequent career. Internships and independent study can be very helpful in this regard.

Current Faculty with background or expertise in the law:

Faculty Advisor: Prof. Joseph Underhill, Political Science and International Relations Departments.
(612- 330-1312)

• Bill Green, History
• Nancy Steblay, Psychology
• Bob Groven, Speech and Communications; a graduate of University of Minnesota Law School, Bob teaches Argumentation and Contest Speaking classes, which provide excellent background and skills for prospective law students.
• Milda Hedblom, Political Science
• Bruce Reichenbach, Philosophy, teaches the courses in Logic, which help students sharpen their analytic skills and are an excellent preparation for taking the LSAT exams.

Recommended Courses

No student would take all these courses, but pre-law students have a wide range courses from which to choose.

*BUS 301 Business Law
*ENG 223 Writing for Business and Professionals
History 228 American Legal History
*HIS 220, 221, 222 U.S. History
*HIS 242, 243 History of African American Civil Rights
HIS 336 American Labor History
HIS 380, 381, History of Women in the West
*PHI 285/385 Formal Logic and Computation Theory
*PHI 300 Business Law and Ethics
*POL 121 American Government
*POL 122 Metropolitan Complex
*POL 124 American Women and Politics
*POL 241 Environmental and River Politics
*POL 170 Law in the U.S.
POL 370 Constitutional Law
*POL 371 Topics in Constitutional Law
POL 380 Western Political Thought
*POL 381 Topics in Democratic Theory
PSY 325 Psychology and Law
*SWK 230 Global Peace and Social Development
*SOC 265 Race, Class, and Gender
*SOC 277 Intro to Criminology
SOC 290 Cultures of Violence
*SOC 375 Social Psychology
*SPC 111 Public Speaking
*SPC 112 Contest Public Speaking
*SPC 351 Argumentation
*SPC 352 Persuasion
*THR 232 Acting (esp. for those considering being trial lawyers)

* offered 2002-03 (other courses are generally offered every other year)

Also, for-credit internships and independent studies can be an excellent way to increase your experience with the law, test your commitment to that career path, and establish good working relationships with faculty and staff, who will need to write letters of recommendation for you.

ACTC courses worth exploring include Criminal Justice and Legal Studies courses.

If one were to put together a major, minor, and selection of General Education courses that included courses from the above list, this would be excellent preparation for Law School.

A suggested schedule for Pre-Law students:

Pre-law students need not take all of these courses, or take them in this sequence, but these courses are all helpful in preparing for law school and careers in law.

Freshman Year

Courses:
POL 121
POL 170
SPC 111

Activities: Mock Trial

Sophomore Year

Courses:
SPC 112
ENG 223
HIS 228/220-222/HIS 242-243
PHI 285
POL 241
THR 232

Activities:Join Pre-Law Club and participate in Mock Trial competition
Join Forensics and compete in Contest Public Speaking

Summer: possible internship with law office or in the judicial system, such as Hennepin County Courts.

Junior Year

Courses:
POL 370/371
POL 380/381
BUS 301
PSY325
SPC 351/352

Activities: more leadership in Pre-Law Club/Mock Trial/Contest Public Speaking

Summer: For-Credit Internship at Law office; visit law schools; practice LSAT; contact law schools for application material

Senior Year

Courses:
POL 484 or 499: Senior Seminar in Political Science or Independent Study of Law-related topics/careers.

Activities: Take LSAT in early Fall; Get letters of recommendation from professors or work supervisors; mail off law
school applications by December or early January.