Law and Policy
Law and policy is a minor that takes a liberal arts approach to exploring the meanings, values, and practices of law, as well as the law’s interaction with social and political institutions. Because law and legal issues are embedded in all aspects of society, the minor is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on faculty and course offerings from across the college and the law school. The law and policy minor offers students a practical, theoretical, and critical grounding in legal and policy issues, preparing students either for graduate education in law (including JD programs) or public policy, or for entering the workforce in law and policy fields.
The minor is designed to guide students in the pursuit of the following learning outcomes:
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Understand the structure and history of the American legal system, including the role of case law and precedential reasoning as a component of legal decision making.
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Understand how various arguments are and are not legally cognizable, and how various social controversies can or cannot be effectively pursued through legal institutions.
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Communicate legal arguments and advocacy clearly and cogently, particularly in written form.
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Synthesize the connection between important social and public policy questions and the legal system.
With a BA and a minor in law and policy, graduates can pursue a wide range of careers in politics, law, education, public health, journalism, business, finance, and more.
Minor Requirements
A minimum of 24 semester credits distributed as follows:
- LP 110 Introduction to Law and Policy
- POLS 103 Introduction to American Politics
- POLS 301 American Constitutional Law: Equal Protection and Due Process or POLS 305 American Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties
- A minimum of 14 credits from the list of approved electives below. No more than 8 credits can be from the same department.
Electives
Economics
| Pacific Northwest Policy Issues | ||
| Modern Money, Banking, and the Macroeconomy | ||
| Advanced Environmental and Natural Resource Economics |
English
| Law and Literature | ||
| Animals and Animal Rights in Literature |
Environmental Studies
| Topics in Environmental Law and Policy |
History
| Early North America: Making New Indigenous, European, and Africana Worlds | ||
| The United States in the 20th Century | ||
| Histories of Indigenous Peoples in North America (Turtle Island) | ||
| Borderlands: U.S.-Mexico Border, 16th Century to Present | ||
| African American History Since 1863 | ||
| Crime and Punishment in the United States (Inside-Out) | ||
| Immigration and Asylum Law | ||
| Cross-Cultural Law & Justice in Early America |
International Affairs
| International Organization | ||
| International Law |
Law & Policy Clinic Internship
| Law Clinic Internship: Animal Law Clinic | ||
| Law Clinic Internship: Crime Victim Litigation Clinic | ||
| Law Clinic Internship: Criminal Justice Reform Clinic | ||
| Law Clinic Internship: Earthrise Law Center | ||
| Law Clinic Internship: Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment | ||
| Law Clinic Internship: Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic | ||
| Law Clinic Internship: Small Business Legal Clinic |
Philosophy
| Logic | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Philosophy and the Environment | ||
| Ethical Theory |
Political Science
| Law, Lawyers, and Society | ||
| American Constitutional Law: Equal Protection and Due Process | ||
| American Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties | ||
| Civil Society, Politics, and the State | ||
| Policy Evaluation | ||
| Legal Regulation of American Democracy |
Rhetoric and Media Studies
| Rhetorical Theory | ||
| Black/Africana Rhetoric and Media Theories | ||
| Public Discourse | ||
| Professional Discourse | ||
| Argument and Debate | ||
| Data and Democracy | ||
| Comparative Rhetoric |
Sociology/Anthropology
| Social Life of Policy | ||
| Indebted Lives: Debt & Inequality in American Society | ||
| Rights, Revolvers, and Reforms: An American Story |
Courses
LP 110 Introduction to Law and Policy
Content: Introduction to the legal framework of the United States. Preparation for more advanced coursework in the law and policy minor or courses taken at the law school. National and subnational framework of the U.S. government; constitutional bases that inform judicial rulings in the American legal system; U.S. legal writing and research methods; applications for policy.
Prerequisites: None.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 2.
LP 445A Law Clinic Internship: Animal Law Clinic
Content: Internship at the Animal Law Clinic, hosted at Lewis Clark Law School. While specific expectations will differ each semester, the duties students may be asked to assist in may include administrative work, client intake, research and writing projects, and fundraising initiatives.
Prerequisites: LP 110.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 1-2.
LP 445B Law Clinic Internship: Crime Victim Litigation Clinic
Content: Internship at the Crime Victim Litigation Clinic, hosted at Lewis Clark Law School. While specific expectations will differ each semester, the duties students may be asked to assist in may include administrative work, client intake, research and writing projects, and fundraising initiatives.
Prerequisites: LP 110.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 1-2.
LP 445C Law Clinic Internship: Criminal Justice Reform Clinic
Content: Internship at the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic, hosted at Lewis Clark Law School. While specific expectations will differ each semester, the duties students may be asked to assist in may include administrative work, client intake, research and writing projects, and fundraising initiatives.
Prerequisites: LP 110.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 1-2.
LP 445D Law Clinic Internship: Earthrise Law Center
Content: Internship at the Earthrise Law Center, hosted at Lewis Clark Law School. While specific expectations will differ each semester, the duties students may be asked to assist in may include administrative work, client intake, research and writing projects, and fundraising initiatives.
Prerequisites: LP 110.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 1-2.
LP 445E Law Clinic Internship: Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment
Content: Internship at the Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment, hosted at Lewis Clark Law School. While specific expectations will differ each semester, the duties students may be asked to assist in may include administrative work, client intake, research and writing projects, and fundraising initiatives.
Prerequisites: LP 110.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 1-2.
LP 445F Law Clinic Internship: Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic
Content: Internship at the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, hosted at Lewis Clark Law School. While specific expectations will differ each semester, the duties students may be asked to assist in may include administrative work, client intake, research and writing projects, and fundraising initiatives.
Prerequisites: LP 110.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 1-2.
LP 445G Law Clinic Internship: Small Business Legal Clinic
Content: Internship at the Small Business Legal Clinic, hosted at Lewis Clark Law School. While specific expectations will differ each semester, the duties students may be asked to assist in may include administrative work, client intake, research and writing projects, and fundraising initiatives.
Prerequisites: LP 110.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 1-2.
Faculty
Nancy O. Gallman. Assistant professor of history. 16th-19th Century North America, Spanish Borderlands, Legal Pluralism, Early Native and African American History, Comparative History of Empire. PhD 2017, MA 2012 University of California at Davis. JD 1994 New York University School of Law. BA 1989 Yale College.
Andrea Hibbard. Associate professor with term of English. Victorian Literature and Culture, Law and Literature, Gender Studies. PhD 2000 University of Virginia. MA 1991 Georgetown University. BA 1986 Pomona College.