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Pre-Law
The courses listed below are for the 2012-13 Academic Catalog and are subject to change. Please reference the Academic Catalog for further information and course descriptions. If you are a current student, please reference the catalog in which you come under.
Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Law
Liberal Education Curriculum 49 credit hours
Pre-Law Core Courses 12 credit hours
Allied Courses 12 credit hours
The Raleigh Experience 12 credit hours
General Electives 35 credit hours
Total credit hours for the B.A. in Pre-Law 120 credit hours
Pre-Law Core Courses 12 credit hours
American Government
PSC 201All of us are affected every day by what the federal government does. As an American citizen, you need to know how it is organized and how it works. In this course, you will learn about the history, constitutional basis, structure, and processes of American government. You will learn about the effects that the media, interest groups, political parties, and public opinion have on the government. You will also begin to learn how to analyze particular types of policies (such as foreign policy, environmental policy, and economic policy) in a systematic way. If you decide to major in political science (PSC), this course is the pre-requisite for all other PSC courses. In any event, you will leave the course as a better-informed citizen, with a solid foundation for future studies in politics, policy, business, and law.
State and Local Government
PSC 202Americans tend to be more familiar with the federal government than with state and local governments, although these latter governments affect most of us more directly on a daily basis. As a companion course to PSC 201 (American Government), this course will help you understand the different types of local and state government institutions, how these institutions interact with the federal government, how laws that affect you on a daily basis are passed, and how you, as an average citizen, can influence local and state Government through advocacy, interacting with local and state officials, and voting. At the end of this course, which is required of all PSC majors, you will have a more thorough understanding of municipal, county, and state government, including how the court system works at all of these levels. You may even be inspired to run for local or state office after taking the course!
Introduction to Law and the Legal System
PSC 270The judiciary is one of the three branches of our constitutional system. How it and the underlying legal system operate is important to all of us. In this course, you will get an overview of American law and the American legal system. You will learn what the law is, what it does, where it is found, and how it impacts individuals and society. You will also learn about many specific legal topics, such as contracts, torts, and the criminal law. If your future plans include law school, this course is highly recommended. Even if you do not major in PSC or do not plan a career in law, you will find the course helpful in everyday life and as background for careers in business and government.
American Constitutional Law
PSC 370The U.S. Constitution is the very foundation of our government. The way in which this document is interpreted determines, to a large degree, what the relationship between the government and the governed will be. In this course, you will learn about the Constitution and about the major cases the Supreme Court has decided in interpreting Constitutional provisions. You will learn about the various theories concerning how the Constitution should be interpreted. You will also learn about the powers of national and state governments; about the powers of the various branches of the federal government, and about how the Constitution protects the rights and liberties of individual citizens and organizations. In class, you will play the role of Constitutional lawyers representing one side of a case actually before the Supreme Court during the term. Then later, you will play the role of a Supreme Court Justice having to decide that same case. This course will be very valuable to anyone who plans to attend law school.
Allied Courses 12 credit hours
History of the United States I
HIS 201Affords students an opportunity to gain an understanding of the history of the United States essential for American citizenship. The course endeavors to recount and explain the development of American democracy. It examines ideas, institutions and processes that affected the achievements of the American people. It focuses on decisions that reflected national goals and directed national purposes; on people who made these decisions; and on problems in foreign policy, growth of capitalism, political practices, social behavior and conflicting ideals.
History of the United States II
HIS 202This is the follow-up course to History of the United States I. This course allows the student the opportunity to gain an understanding of the history of the United States essential for American citizenship from 1877 forward. The course endeavors to recount and explain the development of American democracy. It examines ideas, institutions and processes that affected the achievements of the American people. It focuses on decisions that reflected national goals and directed national purposes; on people who made these decisions; and on problems in foreign policy, growth of capitalism, political practices, social behavior and conflicting ideals.
Principles of Accounting 1
BSA 221The ability to understand financial information is critical to anyone who wants to invest in stock, apply for a loan, or evaluate the profitability of a business. In this course, students will learn how to record business transactions, prepare financial statements and analyze financial data. Students will be prepared to do basic bookkeeping for a service-oriented or retail business.
Principles of Accounting 2
BSA 222The majority of business sales are generated by corporations. In this continuation of BSA 221, students will be able to record basic corporate transactions. Emphasis is given to developing critical thinking about complex financial data and ratio analysis. Students will also be introduced to basic managerial accounting terminology and cost-volume-profit analysis.
The Raleigh Experience (choose three courses) 12 credit hours
Practicum in Advocacy/Lobbying
PSC 410As a student in this course you will learn about the role of advocacy and lobbying in the American governmental system. In addition, you will understand the laws and ethics of lobbying and how advocacy organizations and lobbyists shape policy. The exciting part of this course is that the learning will take place mainly on site. You will spend eight hours per day for four weeks immersed in the agency in which you are placed, under the supervision of an on-site director, learning about all of this first-hand. At the end of the course you will write an investigative report called a "white paper"" in which you describe in detail what you have learned about advocacy and lobbying. This course provides you with an opportunity to supplement in class learning with practical experience
Practicum in Law
PSC 430As a student in this course you will have the opportunity to experience what is like to engage in the private practice of law or to serve in the capacity of someone using legal training in an agency setting. The exciting part of this course is that the learning will take place mainly on site. You will spend eight hours per day for four weeks immersed in the firm or agency setting in which you are placed, under the supervision of an on-site director, learning about all of this first-hand. At the end of the course you will write a report in which you describe in detail what you have learned about the practice of law at the firm or the role and function of legally-trained personnel in the agency. The report will contain exhibits including a record of time spent and actions taken (in the nature of billable-time records often kept by practicing attorneys), exhibits or documents drafted or legal research memorandums or the like, as evidence of the type and quality of work performed (all redacted as required by confidentiality requirements as negotiated between the William Peace University professor and the on-site manager). This course provides you with an opportunity to supplement in-class learning with practical experience, giving the subject matter real-world and real-time significance.
Practicum in Non-Profit Administration
PSC 440As a student in this course you will learn about how non-profit organizations operate within the world of politics. You will understand the internal workings of a non-profit, including fund development, service delivery, and management. In addition, you will observe how non-profit agencies interact with government offices and policy-makers. The exciting part of this course is that the learning will take place mainly on site. You will spend eight hours per day for four weeks immersed in the agency in which you are placed, under the supervision of an on-site director, learning about all of this first-hand. At the end of the course you will write an investigative report called a "white paper"" in which you describe in detail what you have learned about the placement agency and about non-profit administration in general. This course provides you with an opportunity to supplement in class learning with practical experience
Practicum in Politics
PSC 450As a student in this course you will learn about partisan politics in North Carolina. You will discover how historical events have shaped the two-party system in North Carolina. In addition, you will learn how political campaigns really work. The exciting part of this course is that the learning will take place mainly on site. You will spend eight hours per day for four weeks immersed in the agency in which you are placed, under the supervision of an on-site director, learning about all of this first-hand. At the end of the course you will write an investigative report called a "white paper"" in which you describe in detail what you have learned about partisan politics. This course provides you with an opportunity to supplement in class learning with practical experience
Practicum in Policy Research
PSC 460As a student in this course you will be involved in conducting research into important current issues, seeking solutions that will inform those who make and execute policy at one or more levels of government. You will focus on one such issue area or policy problem in preparing a policy issue paper suitable for presentation or publication. The exciting part of this course is that the learning will take place mainly on site. You will spend eight hours per day for four weeks immersed in the organization or think tank in which you are placed, under the supervision of an on-site director, learning about all of this first-hand. At the end of the course you will write an investigative report called a "policy issue paper"" in which you describe in detail what you have learned about the policy issue and about public policy and policy analysis in general. This course provides you with an opportunity to supplement in class learning with practical experience
Practicum in Public Administration
PSC 470As a student in this course you will learn about a particular agency within one of the three levels of bureaucracy in the American governmental system; its mission; its history, structural features, and relationships to entities inside and outside its level of bureaucracy; its budget and personnel issues; its unique agency culture; any significant leaders past and present; and its outlook for the future. The exciting part of this course is that the learning will take place mainly on site. You will spend eight hours per day for four weeks immersed in the agency in which you are placed, under the supervision of an on-site director, learning about all of this first-hand. At the end of the course you will write an investigative report called a "white paper"" in which you describe in detail what you have learned about the placement agency and about public administration in general. This course provides you with an opportunity to supplement in class learning with practical experience
