In its "Preparation for Legal Education," the American Bar Association (ABA) does not recommend a particular course of study for pre-law majors. Nor is there any evidence that law schools give preference to a specific undergraduate major. Law students come from every conceivable area of study; communication majors from Boston College have attended many prestigious law schools.
If you are considering a career in Law, select courses that will help you develop the skills necessary to succeed as an attorney. To facilitate this selection process, the ABA has identified the following skills:
- analytical thinking
- critical reading
- oral communication
- problem solving
- research
- task organization and management
- writing
At the same time, you should select courses that you find both interesting and intellectually challenging. Since law school admission is highly competitive, it is important that you attain a high grade point average and that you also prepare for the possibility of a career outside of law.
Many of the courses offered by the Communication Department involve skills required of lawyers. By carefully reviewing descriptions and syllabi, it should be possible to select an appropriate set of courses. The following courses would also be worthy of special consideration:
CO010 Rhetorical Tradition
This is an introductory course that is designed to examine the classical periods of rhetoric as well as the Enlightenment and modern periods. The course focuses on pivotal concepts in rhetoric and their application to contemporary discourse. This is a foundation course in the field of communication. It introduces students to perennial issues and concerns in rhetoric, and looks at communication as a way of knowing about self and society.CO105 Elements of Debate
This course introduces the student to the theory and practice of debate. It is designed for students without any formal training in debate. Assignments include participation in three class debates, preparation of affirmative and negative arguments, and compilation of an evidence file and annotated bibliography on the debate topic.CO249 Communication Law
This course examines the constitutional, statutory, and case law affecting the communication professions. A wide range of issues related to the First Amendment will be considered including access, broadcasting, cable, commercial speech, copyright, defama tion, free press vs. fair trial, fighting words, heresy, incitement, obscenity, political speech, prior restraint, privacy, public forums, special settings, symbolic speech, threats, and time-place-manner restrictions.CO259 Cyberlaw
This course will study the extension of communication law to the Internet, assess a range of pending proposals designed to regulate free speech in cyberspace, and discuss a variety of national and international schemes intended to govern the developing global information infrastructure. In the process, the course will consider issues involving political speech, sexually explicit expression, defamation, privacy, trademark, copyright, unsolicited commercial email (spam), schools, and encryption.CO263 Media, Law and Society
This course is designed to examine the interaction among new forms of technology, the legal system, and the changing nature of society. The course seeks to explore the contours of the "Information Society" and to analyze the transformations that are occurring as the word "communication" takes on a broader meaning than it possessed during the twentieth century. Among the topics explored in the course are intellectual property, selling and licensing digital property, the emergence of a digital economy, and the changing legal rules necessary to govern the "Information Society."CO375 Argumentation Theory
Examines the nature of argumentation, the standards for assessing arguments, and communities of argumentation.CO435 Rhetoric, Resistance and Protest
This course engages the discourses of discontent, mobilization, transformation and discipline that emerge and evolve whenever a "movement" attempts to make the world over again. Our perspective focuses on rhetorical dimensions of protest and resistance: agents, audiences, tactics, media, and contexts of specific social movements, including abolitionism, labor, anti-poverty, anti-war, civil rights, black and red power, gay and women's liberation, pro-life/choice, animal rights, AIDS activism, environmentalism, disability rights, and anti-globalization.CO445 Seminar on Freedom of Expression
This course will use landmark cases to illuminate classic controversies involving the freedom of expression. The Supreme Court decisions to be studied include New York Times v. Sullivan (commercial/political speech versus reputation), Paladin Enterprises v. Rice (free speech and incitement to violence), and Hosty v. Carter (student's rights and school newspapers).
In addition to your course work in communication, students interested in law school might consider classes in any of the following areas:
Courses in English that emphasize writing will help you to master this important means of communication.
Courses in Political Science and History will help you develop an understanding of government institutions.
Courses in Economics, Statistics, Accounting, and Computer Science are valuable preparation for any profession.
Courses in Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, and Sociology are also good preparation for studying law as a social science.
Many students pursuing a pre-law program of studies are double majors.
Admission to law school is based on performance on the Law School Admissions Tests, undergraduate grade point average and activities, and letters of recommendation. Information and applications should be requested directly from the law schools.
The LSAT is administered in February, June, October, and December. Because of the schedule under which law schools process applications, students should take the LSAT in June immediately after their junior year or in October of the senior year. In order to receive registration information, you should request that "LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information Book" from the Law School Admission Council at:
Box 2000
661 Penn Street
Newtown, PA 1894-0998
(215) 968-1001
Law School Admission Council web site:
http://www.lsac.org/