LEGAL 200 - Introduction to Law and The Legal Process: CD

5.0 Credits
An introduction to the function and sources of American law, state and federal courts, civil and criminal procedures, legal reasoning, ethics applicable to lawyers and paralegals, and the various areas of law, including tort, contract, family, criminal, and American Indian/Alaska Native law. Students will also observe a real court proceeding.
Course-level Learning Objectives (CLOs)
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Read, understand, and analyze published cases and codes.
Demonstrate how to brief a case and identify case holdings.
Explain and distinguish among common legal terms.
Discuss how the civil and criminal litigation processes operate in state and federal courts.
Explain how to file a case with state and federal courts.
Understand the essential resources found in a typical law library.
Compare and contrast the roles of lawyers and paralegals.
Identify the activities which, when performed by a paralegal, constitute the unauthorized practice of law.
Demonstrate effective communication skills in a legal context.
Discuss how law may or may not result in justice while reflecting on the role law has played in the treatment of minority groups in America.

Course Typically Offered
Full Year