Minor in Legal Studies Curriculum
The minor in legal studies requires 21 credits. Students take four required courses focused on law, including a capstone class. These classes are taught by professors at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law.
You’ll learn the fundamentals of modern U.S. legal systems and how they operate in our society. You’ll also explore the basics of substantive law and procedural law, and how the law impacts communities. And the minor will equip you with skill sets such as legal reasoning and legal research that are essential to the legal profession.
Students in the legal studies minor also take three elective courses in other disciplines. These electives provide additional perspective on the law and legal systems, help develop skills used in the legal profession, or explore a specific topic relating to the law.
NOTE: The College of Law is currently applying for university approval of a new major in legal studies. The legal studies major has not yet been approved and is not currently offered. If the major is approved, it will be offered beginning in Fall 2026. The required courses in the minor will also count toward the major; however electives in the major may differ slightly from the electives currently offered in the minor.
Required Courses
Law 1010 provides students with a fundamental understanding of law, legal institutions, and the legal systems that shape our society. Students will explore the development and structure of the U.S. legal system. Topics may include, among others, the development of law and legal systems, sources of law, fundamental legal rights, doctrines and principles, the structure and function of civil and criminal adjudicative systems, and legal reasoning.
This course examines the origins of law, how law operates in and organizes society, and how it shapes and is shaped by competing social, economic, and political forces. The class examines how community forces shape the law and how the law shapes our communities. The class focuses on ways that law evolves and how legal interpretations, legal arguments, and the law's threat and use of force resonate throughout society. Students will also come to understand the ways that different institutions and practices can limit or facilitate community and legal change.
This course aims to develop students' legal analysis and problem-solving skills through a series of real-world case studies and simulations. Students will learn to identify legal issues, conduct legal research, analyze facts and evidence, and apply relevant laws and precedents to develop persuasive arguments and practical solutions. The course emphasizes hands-on learning, collaborative work, and effective communication skills essential for success in the legal field.
The Capstone course is intended to provide a signature and unifying experience for all recipients of either the minor or the major in Legal Studies. Students will synthesize what they have learned from the wide range of interdisciplinary electives included in the major and minor, apply that learning to real world legal situations and problems of legal practice, and reflect on how the major or minor will help them transition into further academic study or professional careers.
Elective courses
Students are required to take one elective from each of three of the four core areas described below.
This area is designed to help students view the law from multiple perspectives and to explore the values integral to the law.
- COMM 5300 - Mass Communication Law
- ECON 5380 - Law and Economics
- ETHNC 5663 - Social Inequality, Crime, Criminal Justice & the Law
- GNDR 5429 – Race, Disability and Illness
- HONOR 3161 – Women and the Law
- HIST 3710 – The American Revolution
- PHIL 3710 – Philosophy of Law
- SW 2500 – Social Work in Criminal Justice
- STRAT 3410 – Business Law: The Commercial Environment
This core area is designed to help students develop the skillsets that are hallmarks of the legal profession.
- CMP 4420 - Negotiation & Dispute Resolution
- DES 2615 - Introduction to Design Thinking
- ENGL 2085 – Digital Culture
- FCS 5282 - Conflict and Mediation
- HONOR 3354 – Professional Negotiation
- QAMO 5010 - Economics of Strategy
- PHIL 1250 – Reasoning & Rational Decision-Making
- PHIL 3200 - Deductive Logic
- PHIL 3210 - Inductive Logic
- WRTG 3430 - The Language of the Law
- WRTG 4890 - Writing, Persuasion and Power
This core area is designed to understand how the law functions, the forms it takes, and the institutions that create it.
- ETHNC 3790 – Politics of Borders & Migration
- ETHNC 3150 – Indian Policy
- ETHNC 4560 – Chicano Civil Rights Movement
- GNDR 3640 - Race, Gender, and Incarceration
- GNDR 5665 – Gender on the Hill
- GNDR 3140 – Gender and Politics
- GNDR 3630 – Reproductive Justice
- HONOR 3214 - Forms of Social Justice Advocacy
- HONOR 2980 - Creative Problem Solving
- POLS 3110 – US Congress
- PHIL 3730 – Justice & International Affairs
- SOC 3575 – Critical Perspectives on Criminal Courts
This core area is designed to help students explore a particular field, topic, or challenge of the law.
- COMM 5320 - Freedom of Expression
- ETHNC 4840 – Environmental Racism and Resistance
- PHIL 3520- Bioethics
- PHIL 3530 – Environmental Ethics
- SOC 4566 - Sexual Assault
- SOC 3576 – Critical Topics in Corrections
- HONOR 3214 – Civil Rights Law
- HONOR 4815 – The Bystander
- HONOR 3374 – Privacy in a Digital Age
- LAW 3960 – Special Topics
- POLS 5610 – International Law
- STRAT 4100 - Employment Law/Discrimination Compliance
- STRAT 5620 - Legal Innovation for Policy Advocates
Academic Advising
Please contact Cyri Dixon (cyri.dixon@utah.edu) for academic questions about the minor in legal studies. Important note: The minor cannot be declared until Fall 2025, but we are happy to discuss the minor and answer questions before that.