Pre-Law Minor

Dr. Ali Ferdowsi
Chair
(650) 508-3610
aferdowsi@ndnu.edu

The Pre-Law Minor at Notre Dame de Namur University is an interdisciplinary program that helps students prepare for law school by enhancing their critical thinking and writing skills and giving them substantial understanding of the social, cultural, historical, economic, and political development of the law in the U.S. and the world. The minor is designed for students who plan to attend law school or are interested in careers in fields closely related to the legal profession. Although the program is hosted by the Department of History and Political Science, students in any major in the undergraduate day school may participate.

The most common undergraduate majors for law students nationwide are Political Science, History, and English. Nevertheless, the American Bar Association (ABA) does not recommend any particular major as the best preparation for law school. Instead, the ABA recommends that pre-law students take “a broad range of difficult courses from demanding instructors” and “seek courses and other experiences that will engage you in critical thinking about important issues, challenge your beliefs, and improve your tolerance for uncertainty.” NDNU’s Pre-Law Minor has been designed with these factors in mind.

Prerequisites		Units
HST2320	Modern America	3
PHL1330/2330	Formal Logic/Critical Thinking	3
PSC1000	Introduction to American Government	3
Total Prerequisite Units		9
These courses may be used to fulfill other requirements including General Degree Requirements.
Required Courses		Units
ENG2108	Advanced Writing	3
PSC2320	The Constitution	3
PSC2340	Legal Reasoning*	3
*Students majoring in Political Science may not take PSC 2340 to fulfill their major requirements.
These courses may be used to fulfill other requirements including General Degree Requirements.
Electives: six units from any of the following:		6
ENG1041	Classics of World Literature II
ENG2200	Survey of American Literature I
ENG2201	Survey of American Literature II
ENG2400	British Literature: Myth, Epic, and Romance
ENG2403	British Literature: The Age of Elizabeth
ENG2408	British Literature: Enlightenment and Revolution
ENG2412	British Literature: Modernism and Postmodern
HST2110	History of Political and Social Thought
HST2120	Modern Western Thought
HST2330	History and Politics of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States (CDiv)
HST2440	Environmental History/Environmental Justice (4)
PHL2100	Ancient Philosophy
PHL2200	Moral Problems
PHL2205	Law, Morality, and Society
PHL2210	Political and Social Philosophy
PHL2235	Bioethics
PHL2410	Women and Philosophy (CDiv)
PSC2110	International Relations
PSC2300	State and Local Government
PSC2330	Gender and the Law
SOC2309	Criminology
SOC2317	Deviant Behavior
SOC2345	The Color of Crime: Race and Criminal Justice (CDiv)
SOC2349	Youth, Crime and Society
SOC2527	Urban Sociology (CDiv) (4)
SOC2725	Social Problems (CDiv) (4)
Note: students must take these six elective units from courses other than their majors.
Total Unit Requirement		24