Sponsoring departments: American Studies; History and Philosophy; Politics, Economics and Law; and Sociology.
Pre‑Law Committee: Carolyn Cocca (Politics, Economics and Law), Thomas Lilly (Politics, Economics and Law), Amanda Friskin 9American Studies), Gilda Zwerman (Sociology), Ela Tokay (History and Philosophy)
Law schools maintain that there is no particular undergraduate major that will best prepare students for admission to the study of the law. In accepting applicants, all use LSAT scores, GPA’s, reference letters, personal written statements, and various indicators of applicants’ interest in and suitability for entry into the profession. However, schools have identified the requisite skills for success in the completion of a law degree. They include analytical and problem-solving skills; the ability to reason, to construct a logical argument, and to present that cogently orally and in writing. A strong liberal arts education is crucial in developing these abilities.
Four liberal arts programs at Old Westbury have traditionally graduated students who have gone on to law school and legal careers. They are American Studies (AS); History and Philosophy (HI); Politics, Economics and Law (PEL); and Sociology (SY). In addition to providing students the opportunity to achieve the necessary competen- cies, these programs offer a range of courses which contribute to a knowledge base that is pertinent to law stud- ies. In the past, majors in each of these programs have been advised to broaden their liberal arts preparation for law school by taking specific electives in the others. Faculty in the four programs instituted a pre-law committee to coordinate and formalize their recommendations to aspiring law students. The committee has ar- ranged the re commended courses in a 20-credit pre-law minor.
The curriculum of the minor pulls together courses in the liberal arts disciplines of economics, history, philosophy, political economy, political science and sociology. Excluded are courses on specific areas of the law that are required or recommended for majors in the career-oriented programs of Business and Management, Health and Society, Industrial and Labor Relations, and Media and Communications. These law courses, however, may be of interest to students with specific career goals and are listed at the end of the pre-law curriculum to apprise pre-law minors of their availability.
The Pre-Law minor is open to all academic majors who are interested in applying to law school. Since only one course in a student’s major can be used to satisfy the requirements of a minor, American Studies, History and Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law and Sociology majors opting for the pre-law minor must choose courses offered by departments other than their own. Majors in all other academic departments have a free choice of courses within various categories.
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