Law School Preparation

Fall Semester
	SR		4101		Legal Education I: Logic, Rhetoric, and Foundations (3 Credits)
	SR		4102		Legal Education II: Constitutional Case Law and Law School Preparation (3 Credits)
	SR		4921		Legal Education: LSAT Prep I (2 Credits)
	EL				Elective: (2 Credits)
	EL				Elective: (2 Credits)
Winter Semester
	SR		4922		Legal Education: LSAT Prep II (2 Credits)
	SR		4923		Legal Education: LSAT Exam (2 Credits)
	SR		4109		Legal Internship (4 Credits)
	SR		4995		Senior Thesis (2 Credits)
	SR		4999		Oral Defense (2 Credits)

 

SR4101 Legal Education I: Logic, Rhetoric, and Foundations (3 Credits)

Whether the goal is to practice law, to consult or simply to have the background of a legal education, students may choose this emphasis as a way to learn more about the field of law and to help prepare them to take the LSAT, succeed in Law School, and enjoy the benefits of the background a legal education can give. Students will read some of the foundational authors on logical thinking, dialectic, rhetoric, inductive reasoning and on the fundamentals of civil law.

• Logic, by Aristotle
• Rhetoric, by Aristotle
• Novum Organum, by Francis Bacon
• Blackstone's Commentaries on the Law vol. I, by William Blackstone

 

SR4102 Legal Education II: Constitutional Case Law and Law School Preparation (3 Credits)

This course is designed to give students a strong background in case law, legal vernacular, and modern rhetoric and negotiation skills. Students will also learn to understand the Supreme Court of the United States and some of the ins and outs of legal education in America and throughout the world.

• Constitutional Law: Principles and Policy: Cases and Materials, by Jerome A. Barron, et al.
• Black's Law Dictionary, by Henry Campbell Black
• Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court, by Kermit Hall
• Law School Confidential, by Robert Harrax Mille
• Getting to Maybe, by Richard Michael Fischl and Jeremy Paul

 

SR4921 Legal Education: LSAT Prep I (2 Credits)

Whether or not students choose to attend Law School after they graduate, they will all prepare for and take the LSAT as part of their senior year studies. Students will enroll in an assigned online LSAT Prep course that runs for approximately two four-month sessions.

• The texts for this course will be the first half of an actual law school prep course (LSAT) online.

 

Elective (2 Credits)

Students may choose preexisting electives related to their emphasis, or work with a mentor to design an elective best suited to their interests and needs.

 

Elective (2 Credits)

Students may choose preexisting electives related to their emphasis, or work with a mentor to design an elective best suited to their interests and needs.

 

SR4922 Legal Education: LSAT Prep II (2 Credits)

Whether or not students choose to attend Law School after they graduate, they will all prepare for and take the LSAT as part of their senior year studies. Students will enroll in an assigned online LSAT Prep course that runs for approximately two four-month sessions.

• The Texts of this course will be the second half of an actual law school prep course (LSAT) online.

 
SR4923 Legal Education: LSAT Exam (2 Credits)

In this course, students will actually take the LSAT examination from an approved third-party organization. An official document of student test results must be submitted to the mentor before this course will be counted as complete.

 

SR4109 Legal Internship (4 Credits)

This course requires each student to set up an internship or field experience in the area of their chosen emphasis. Students will be encouraged to set up an internship that will help them gain experience, meet key people, gain allies and personal connections for assistance in future projects, and learn the workings, language and processes of their chosen emphasis. Throughout the process of designing and arranging the internship, students should work with their mentor, follow internship guidelines, and receive approval from their mentor. Students will also meet regularly with a GW mentor and with other interning students throughout the internship process.

To complete this course, students must:

• Find an internship with a law firm, an independent lawyer, or an organization tied closely to the field of law.
• Work a minimum of 320 hours as an intern within a 5 month period.
• Find a mentor from that firm or field, and meet with them regarding your preparations weekly.
• Meet with a GW Mentor over the phone, internet, or in person regarding your progress weekly.
• Keep an Internship Journal and submit it to your mentor for review at the internship's conclusion.
• Write an internship report at the conclusion that details lessons learned from the experience.

 

SR4995 SR Senior Thesis (2 Credits)

Submit a quality paper to be kept on file as the best work of your undergraduate years. You may also submit a project summary to fill this requirement. Students are required to submit a Senior Thesis or a detailed description and analysis of a Senior Project. This paper or project description should be the student's best work, show outside observers the quality of depth and breadth gained, and highlight his or her academic maturity. Students should plan to spend a minimum of 48 hours completing this course under the direction of their mentor. Basic guidelines for the Senior Thesis are detailed in the syllabus.

 

SR4999 SR Oral Defense (2 Credits)

Submit to an Oral Defense administered by a two-four mentor panel. You will prove competency in each of the required subject areas of your undergraduate degree.

The Oral Defense carries with it a $75.00 fee each time it is taken (fees for this class are subject to change).

 

Top of Page

---