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The Paralegal Certificate

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.
Only 1 elective course that has been completed for the Bachelor of Arts Political Science Option in Legal Studies may also be counted towards the elective requirements of the Paralegal Certificate.

Course Requirements for the Certificate: 27 units

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

6 courses required:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
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)
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)
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)
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)

Note: POLS 489K must be taken for 3.0 units.

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
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)

Note: POLS 489L must be taken for 3.0 units.

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
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)

9 units selected from:

Note: Only 3 units of POLS 495 may be counted in this selection.

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
This course introduces students to the theories and practices of justice, as well as the administration of justice. As a writing intensive course, students examine pertinent justice issues of local, national, or international significance, identify the theory (or theories) of justice relevant to the situation, and investigate how justice was (or was not) administered. 3 hours lecture.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education Capstone course. Formerly POLS 365I. (007600)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Study of the role of administrative law in American government. Scope and implications of discretionary decision-making. 3 hours lecture. (007599)
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)
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)
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)
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 (the following course may be substituted for the above with department permission)

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

Catalog Cycle:13