Access to and knowledge about the law is an important part of being an active and engaged community member. The Pre-Law minor develops your deeper understanding of law in society and enhances your skills in effective, ethical communication and advocacy.

The Pre-Law minor is interdisciplinary. It complements any CSUMB major, especially Environmental Science, Technology & Policy, Business, Collaborative Health and Human Services, Social and Behavioral Science, Global Studies and Psychology.

Required Courses

Students choose one course that meets each area and one additional Pre-Law course of their own choosing. Students may NOT use one course to meet TWO of the course areas. Students may also choose one learning experience including HCOM 398: Legal Studies Internship or an independent study to complete their elective course for the minor.

Complete one of the following:

Complete one of the following:

Complete one of the following:

Complete one course from one of the following groups:

Ethical & Ethical Decision-Making

  • ENSTU 384: Social & Ecological Justice AND ENSTU 384S: Social and Ecol Justice
  • CHHS 350: Ethics for Health & Human Services
  • BUS 331: Organizational Behavior
  • BUS 331: Organizational Behavior
  • GS 339: Sweat/Service/Solidarity
  • GS 390: Global Politics
  • Students may choose one upper division course from another academic unit, subject to the approval of the Pre-Law advisor.

Deeper Understanding of Law in Society

  • ENSTU 387: Water Resource Assess/Law/Poli
  • GS 335: Comparative Governments & Politics
  • GS 350: Global Gender Issues
  • GS 360: Relig'n/Violence/Peacemaking
  • GS 370: Global Political Economy
  • SBS 350: Domination and Resistance: US since 1880
  • Students may choose one upper division course from another academic unit, subject to the approval of the Pre-Law advisor.

Communication and Advocacy Skills

  • CHHS 330: Collaborative Leadership & Community Building
  • CHHS 340: Collaborative Negotiation
  • CHHS 350: Ethics for Health & Human Services
  • GS 339: Sweat/Service/Solidarity
  • SL 394S: Service & Social Justice
  • Students may choose one upper division course from another academic unit, subject to the approval of the Pre-Law advisor.

Learning Outcomes

Ethical and Effective Decision-Making

Students will be able to identify and describe complex issues involving decision-making processes in a variety of contexts at the interpersonal, community and global levels. Students will also demonstrate the ability to self-reflexively identify and describe their own and other people's relevant beliefs, attitudes, values and ethical frameworks in their socio-historical context without imposing their own onto others.

Deeper Understanding of Law in Society

Students will develop a deeper understanding of how law and legal systems intersect with everyday lives of ordinary people, especially in terms of race, class, ethnicity, gender, age and sexual orientation. Students will also develop a deeper awareness of how law and legal systems intersect with systems of power and privilege. In the process, students will develop the skill to analyze how law and legal institutions articulate with historically specific multicultural communities in the United States and/or across national boundaries.

Critical Thinking, Communication and Advocacy Skills

Students will become aware of the impact of interpersonal, intercultural, small group, and/or institutional contexts on communication dynamics, and develop the ability to understand how and why beliefs, values, assumptions and communication practices interact to shape ways of being and knowing. In the process, students will demonstrate reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills that enable empathetic and critical communication and advocacy. Such skills will include the ability to ask relevant questions, critically identify and explore significant information, and the ability to address, analyze, and assess divergent points of view with mutual respect.