The Paralegal Certificate

Course Requirements for the Certificate: 26-27 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required of all candidates for this certificate.

With proper planning (see the Legal Studies Coordinator) a student can count almost all Paralegal courses toward the Political Science major.

5 courses required:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered
POLS 451B	Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties	3.0	FS
This course is also offered as MCGS 451B. Analysis of judicial cases and related materials illustrating historical and current interpretations of constitutional problems such as racial discrimination, criminal procedures, and freedom of speech and religion. 3 hours lecture. (005645)
POLS 454	Legal Research and Writing	3.0	FS
Learn techniques of legal research and writing. Write briefs, memoranda, and other legal documents based on library research with cases, treatises, law reviews, statutes, regulations, etc. 3 hours lecture. (007581)
POLS 455	The Legal Para-Professional	3.0	FS
Prerequisite: POLS 454. The study of the field of paralegalism and the laws that the paralegal will be dealing with. Deals both with substantive law and the methods and role of the paralegal case study method used. 3 hours lecture. (007582)
POLS 489K	Internship in Legal Studies	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. See description below. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (007621)
POLS 489L	Internship in Public Law	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. POLS 489K and POLS 489L: Field work in law in various projects such as bail service, welfare rights, legal aid, penal law, consumer law, environmental law, housing law, etc. Work supervised by faculty and/or cooperating legal organizations. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (007622)

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered
POLS 491F	Simulation in Political Science: Public Law	2.0	FA
Prerequisites: Upper-division standing. Participation in mock trials and other law activities. Oral argument, legal research, and brief-writing. 4 hours activity. Credit/no credit grading. (007631)
POLS 491G	Trial and Applellate Advocacy	3.0	SP
Prerequisites: Upper-division standing. Participation in mock trials and other law activities. Oral argument, legal research, and brief-writing. Must participate in the moot court competition. 6 hours lecture. Credit/no credit grading. (007632)

3 courses selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered
BLAW 413	Employment Law	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: At least junior standing. An in-depth study of federal and California employment laws as they affect the management of human resources, with appropriate consideration of ethical and global dimensions. Emphasis is on the legal rights and responsibilities of employers and employees in the employment relationship, primarily in a private-sector, non-union environment. 3 hours discussion. (001352)
BLAW 414	Labor Law and Collective Bargaining	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: At least junior standing or faculty permission. Intensive examination of unions in an organizational setting. Includes organizational and concerted activities, collective bargaining and employee/employer rights and responsibilities. Includes applied collective bargaining project. 3 hours discussion. (001343)
BLAW 452	Legal Issues in Music	3.0	FA
Prerequisites: MUSC 309. This course is also offered as MUSC 452. Students will explore the intricate questions surrounding intellectual property statutes, the musician, and businesses designed to market and sell music as a product. The course covers copyright law, royalties, contracts, publishing and Web technology territory of vital importance to students seeking employment in the music industry. 3 hours lecture. (001353)
EDAD 614	The Law and Education	3.0	FS
An examination of the effect of school law upon public school personnel. Special emphasis will be given to the areas of liability, contracts, tenure, and pupil-parent-teacher rights. 3 hours seminar. (002756)
FINA 453	Estate Planning	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: FINA 307. To give students a basic understanding of the major methods and techniques of preserving and transmitting an individual's wealth, including gift-giving, the use of various trusts, the use of life insurance, and the proper preparation of a will. Students will be expected to be aware of the causes and consequences of an inefficient transfer of wealth and therefore must acquire a working knowledge of the institutional constraints, including the law of property, wills, and intestate distribution, the probate process, and State and Federal estate, gift, inheritance, and generation-skipping transfer taxes. 3 hours lecture. (001047)
HCSV 332	Laws, Ethics, and Regulations in Health Services	3.0	FA
Study of specific areas of law, ethics, and regulations in health care. Examination of legal and ethical issues of licensing, health insurance, managed care, funding mechanisms, medical negligence and malpractice, informed consent, health care records, and patient and family rights. 3 hours seminar. (004452)
JOUR 320	Mass Communication Law	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: JOUR 101, JOUR 260. The law as it applies to the press, pictures, and broadcasting. Philosophical basis and historical evolution of legal precedent governing the media. Practical limitations of libel, slander, privacy, copyright, information access, free press-fair trial, contempt and reporter's rights, advertising and media concentration as they affect freedom of the press. Required for news-editorial option; elective for public relations option. 3 hours lecture. (002032)
POLS 399	Special Problems	1.0 -3.0	FS
This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (007523)

POLS 399 must be taken for 3 units

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered
POLS 443	International Law	3.0	INQ
Analysis of the development of international law, the role of international law on international relations, legal problems of world order, and contemporary international legal issues. Case analysis and critical writing required. 3 hours lecture. (007562)
POLS 451A	Constitutional Law: Powers and Restraints	3.0	INQ
Analysis of judicial cases and related materials illustrating historical and current interpretations of constitutional problems such as the powers of the courts, congress, and President; and the balance of federal-state power in such areas as commerce and taxation. 3 hours lecture. (007577)
POLS 452	Alternative Dispute Resolution	3.0	INQ
Focus on the various methods of negotiation and dispute resolution including mediation and arbitration with primary emphasis on the legal rights and principles involved in alternative dispute resolution especially in the process of arbitration. Major social and scientific theories of conflict will be explored as well as conventional disciplines and new approaches of conflict avoidance and resolution. Ethical issues involved in negotiation, mediation, and arbitration will be covered. 3 hours lecture. (007579)
POLS 453	Legal Process and Behavior	3.0	INQ
The study of law from the political, sociological, and behavioral perspectives examining recent and contemporary approaches to the legal process. Other questions about areas of study include: What, if any, are the boundaries of the legal process? To what extent should the legal process be a part of our everyday lives? To what extent is the law political? 3 hours lecture. (007580)
POLS 456	Legal Analysis	3.0	INQ
The objective of this course is to teach students legal analysis using Socratic method, briefing cases, and law-school-type examinations. The course will be aimed at students considering law school. 3 hours lecture. (007583)
POLS 457	American Indian/Federal Law	3.0	FA
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. This course is also offered as AIST 457. This course in Indian/Federal law examines 200 years of legal relationships of tribes with the Federal government, state government, and with tribal members. It has its origins in constitutional law, and is the only body of law directly relating to a single group or minority in this country. We will examine and analyze the practical application of these laws as they apply to the legal rights of tribes and the states in which the tribes reside. 3 hours lecture. (000393)
POLS 459A	Criminal Procedure	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: POLS 250. The machinery of criminal justice in theory and practice; the significance of the rule of law and its exceptions in the actual administration of justice. This course will concentrate on the application of the fourth, fifth, and sixth amendments to the U.S. Constitution in the administration of justice and the application of modern behavioral research as it applies to police and court administration. 3 hours discussion. (007588)
POLS 461	Environmental Politics and Policy	3.0	FA
Investigation and analysis of the political nature of the environmental crisis in the United States and the development of legal and administrative mechanisms for handling environmental problems. 3 hours lecture. (007596)
POLS 464	Administrative Law	3.0	FA
Study of the role of administrative law in American government. Scope and implications of discretionary decision-making. 3 hours lecture. (007599)
POLS 465	The Administration of Justice	3.0	INQ
The machinery of justice in theory and practice; the significance of the rule of law and its exceptions in the actual administration of justice. 3 hours lecture. (007600)
POLS 468	Planning Law	3.0	SP
Review and analysis of the present and changing nature of planning and land-use control law, particularly as the law is applied in California. 3 hours seminar. (007605)
POLS 481	Law and Disadvantaged Persons	3.0	INQ
This course is also offered as SWRK 481. Explores legal issues facing the poor, older adults, disabled, and minorities, and how to advance the legal rights of the disadvantaged. Family law, consumerism, small claims court, Social Security, welfare law, and landlord/tenant rights are addressed from theoretical and practical perspectives, with an emphasis on advocating those rights. 3 hours lecture. (009431)
POLS 493	Community Research	1.0 -15.0	FS
Prerequisites: Approval of the Department of Political Science. This course is a special topic offered for 1.0-15.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. Organized research and development of a problem in community administration. Students may enroll for 1 to 15 units, and will engage for a part or the whole of their time in the community. A seminar focusing on analysis of the project and the experience will be held weekly or at other appropriate times. Only a total of 6 units of POLS 489 and POLS 493 may be counted toward the requirements of the major or the Paralegal Certificate, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Certificate, or the Alternative Dispute Resolution minor. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. (007655)
POLS 489M	Community Legal Information Center Directorship	1.0 -15.0	FS
Prerequisite: Approval of the Department of Political Science. This course directs students through the process of being a director at the Community Legal Information Center (CLIC). As a director of CLIC, the students have the opportunity to take on significant administrative responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the on-campus law clinic. Registration for this course is attained through an application process in the spring semester. Enrollment in this course is required in both the fall and spring semesters. In addition, each director will have CLIC responsibilities during the summer and intersession. Only a total of 3.0 units of this course may be counted towards the requirements of the major, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Certificate, the Paralegal Certificate, or the minor in Alternative Dispute Resolution. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. (020651)
RECR 428	Recreation Law and Legal Principles	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: RECR 200; concurrent enrollment in or prior completion of RECR 220, RECR 240, RECR 250, or RECR 260; or faculty permission. Introduction to the study of law applicable to the management of recreation resources in providing valuable recreational experiences for clientele of public and commercial recreation programs and facilities. Examines general legal principles, legal aspects of provision of services by the private sector, contracts and contracting for recreation and park services, legal authority and methods in resource-based recreation areas, and legal liability in parks, recreation, and athletic programs. 3 hours lecture. (008818)

Or other law-related courses selected with prior permission of the Legal Studies Coordinator.

The Paralegal Certificate is not granted automatically. Students must make application through the Department of Political Science early in their final semester in the program. A 2.5 grade point average in all courses for the certificate is required.