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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.

4 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. This is an approved Writing Course. Formerly POLS 454. (007581)
Prerequisite: POLS 454W.
In this course, students learn court system and jurisdictional issues, as well as follow a civil case from the first client interview through preparation for trial. The course focuses on the legal ethics and professional responsibility of paralegals and legal professionals in the civil litigation process, including topics such as calendaring, pleadings, court forms, discovery methods, motion practice, and other legal documents and tasks encountered by professionals in the legal field. 3 hours lecture. (007582)
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. 3 hours lecture. Credit/no credit grading. (007632)

6 units selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
Prerequisite: Faculty permission.
Field work in a public or private law office. Work supervised by attorneys in cooperating legal organizations. POLS 454 Legal Research and Writing is highly recommended for placement in private or public law offices. 9 hours independent study. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (007621)
Students engage in practical work at the on-campus Community Legal Information Center under the supervision of a faculty member and also participate in seminar and training workshops that focus on the substantive law, doctrine, theory, skills, and ethical questions that arise in the legal practice area. 3 hours clinical. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (021759)

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)
Prerequisite: MGMT 450 (may be taken concurrently).
This course presents an in-depth study of California, federal, and international laws as they affect the management of entrepreneurial and small business enterprises. Emphasis is placed on social policy dimensions as much as practical aspects of the dynamic and ever-changing relationship between government and entrepreneurial ventures. 3 hours lecture. (020569)
Prerequisite: 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)
Prerequisite: HCSV 331.
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 260W.
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)
Prerequisites: POLS 250 or faculty permission.
Examines current and developing programs and issues in the field of criminal justice. 3 hours seminar. (001603)
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 Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. Formerly POLS 365Z. (007600)
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 lecture. (007588)
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 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)
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 or the Paralegal Certificate. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. (020651)
Prerequisites: Junior standing.
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 may be substituted for the above with department permission)

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

Catalog Cycle:18