Pre-Law

The courses you’ll take depend on your choice of major. Here are two examples of what your course of study could look like.

Legal Studies Major

MGT 2410: Business Law (3 hours)
A course in the fundamentals of law in relation to business. Areas studied include: law and its sources, the judicial system, methods of resolving disputes, constitutional law, torts, criminal law, property, and contracts.

COM 2200: Persuasion (3 hours)
Provides advanced skills in the development of messages that aim to influence human behavior, attitudes and values. OR

COM 2020: Argumentation & Debate (3 hours)
This course focuses on argumentation and critical thinking skills with emphasis on analysis, evidence, reasoning, constructing and refuting claims. Students will receive both theoretical background and practice in debate.

LGS 3130: Legal Entrepreneurship (3 hours)
This course will provide a basic understanding of the entrepreneurial process with a focus upon the legal industry, solo practitioners and innovation within the legal industry. Students will also examine entrepreneurship as a career. This course will provide students with the foundation for understanding how to build and manage a solo or small law practice, as well as an introduction to innovation within the legal industry. Students will be provided with fundamental concepts of entrepreneurship, and apply those concepts within the unique environment of a legal setting. Comparisons will be made between entrepreneurship in the legal industry and other business industries, as well as between solo/small firm practice and large firm practice. The course will also discuss recent technological innovations in the legal industry, such as electronic discovery, big data analysis, and artificial intelligence. In addition to the functional implications of innovation, attention will be paid to the implication upon attorney lifestyle, ethics and client management.

PHI 3420: Philosophy of Law (3 hours)
A study of the fundamental theories of the nature of law, the method and uniqueness of judicial reasoning and legal interpretation, the use of the law to enforce morality, and the establishment of legal responsibility and the justification of punishment. OR

PHI 3440: Social & Political Philosophy (3 hours)
This course explores the broad themes of social and political philosophy. Topics will include the source of legal authority, the nature of sovereignty, revolutions, and the nature and extent of individual rights. Several viewpoints will be considered, including Aristotle’s political naturalism, classical liberalism, communism, libertarianism, and political existentialism.

MGT 3230: Business Ethics (3 hours)
This course presents a practical approach that examines ethical issues faced in the contemporary business environment. A comprehensive body of information about business and managerial ethics is presented. This course uses real-world case studies to enable students to make responsible business ethics decisions

MGT 4310: Negotiation (3 hours)
This is a course in basic negotiation skills for business. Areas addressed include interests, options, alternatives, legitimacy, communication, relationships and commitment. There is a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical skills around conflict management and resolution in the workplace.

LGS 4010: Legal Writing ( 3 hours)
This course trains students in techniques of advanced audience analysis for the writing of a variety of legal documents, and in composing advanced analytical and persuasive legal texts. Students will practice information literacy and research using field appropriate resources; write two analytical memoranda in the closed and in the open forms using techniques of objective writing to apply legal research, analysis and application of relevant aspects of the law to the client’s case, and provide well-organized and supported written communication. Students will also write a substantial analytical and persuasive paper (of roughly 10,000 words with opportunities for revision) in the form of a traditional journal note; a research paper on a legal issue of interest to the student; a trial or an appellate brief; a proposal or recommendation report addressing a significant legal issue; or, an equivalent project developed with the course professor. At the completion of the course, students will have written and been evaluated in writing open and closed memoranda and an extended research-based prose persuasive document representative of professional legal writing for publication or for use as a legal brief.

MGT 4220: Business Law II (3 hours)
A second course in law fundamentals related to business transactions. Topics include: the Uniform Commercial Code, bankruptcy, agency, property, and forms of business organization.

Political Science Major

PSC 1210 American Government (3 Hours)
An introductory course covering the federal government in the United States. This course may not count toward a major or minor in Political Science or Political Economy.

ECO 2220 Principles of Microeconomics (3 Hours)
An introductory course in microeconomic theory. Primary emphasis is placed upon the study of the behavior of individual decision-making units. Topics to be studied include: demand and supply analysis, the theory of consumer behavior, the theory of the firm, market structures and resource allocation, and resource price-employment determination.

PSC 2200 American Political Institutions (3 Hours)
The focus of this course is on Congress and the Presidency, the political branches of American government, and the bureaucracy. As an introduction to the sub-field of American politics, the course will study these institutions in greater depth through looking at the approaches the discipline takes toward them. In studying these three institutions in greater detail, it will also investigate how they interact to create public policy.

PSC 2300 International Relations (3 Hours)
A survey of the sub-field of international relations, this course gives special emphasis to political and economic factors which contribute to conflict and cooperation among nations.

PSC 2400 Comparative Politics (3 Hours)
This course examines political, economic and social divergence between nations. As one field of political science, comparative politics attempts to identify patterns of divergence and to determine their causes. A particular focus of this course is how differences in institutional arrangements across countries affect differences in outcomes.

PSC 2500 Political Theory (3 Hours)
An introduction to the foundations of normative political theory, with emphasis on great political ideas and thinkers.

PSC 2600 Social Scientific Methods (4 Hours)
This course is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of the various sub-fields, approaches, and methods of Political Science. Special emphasis is placed on honing the research, writing, and critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in the discipline.

PSC 4600 Research Seminar in Political Science (3 Hours)
A culminating research seminar designed for majors in their last year of matriculation. Students will examine the many sub-fields in the discipline and complete and present a major independent research thesis. Normally taken in concert with PSC 4980. Open to non-majors with instructor’s permission. Taught each spring semester.

Get practical experience and expand your network. As a pre-law student at Belmont, you’ll have many opportunities to get involved.

• Get courtroom experience. As a member of the AMTA Mock Trial team, you’ll build valuable skills by competing in mock trial tournaments across the country.
• Join the Pre Law Society. Meet classmates who share your interests and attend speaker panels, discussions and lectures featuring legal professionals, scholars and law students.
• Get a close-up view of how government works. Each year, the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature brings together students from across the state to draft bills and amendments, learn about the legislative process and develop public-speaking skills.
• Get insider insights. Learn from legal professionals through symposiums, panel discussions and more.