Legal Studies Programs

• Faculty
• Legal Studies and Criminal Justice Program
  • Legal Studies Major requirements
• Criminal Justice Program Description
  • Criminal Justice Concentration (comprehensive) Requirements
• Criminal Justice Minor Requirements
• Certificate Programs
  • Paralegal Certificate requirements
  • Mediation Certificate requirements
  • Criminal Justice Paralegal requirements

Faculty

Maria Stalzer Wyant Cuzzo - Professor, Ph.D., JD, Mediator
Nathan LaCoursiere - Senior Lecturer, JD
Steven Steblay - Senior Lecturer, Master's in Criminal Justice
Allison Willingham - Assistant Professor, Masters in Criminal Justice, ABD pending Ph.D.

Legal Studies and Criminal Justice Program

Providing courses of study both in Legal Studies and Criminal Justice, the Legal Studies Program is one of four programs housed in the Human Behavior, Justice and Diversity Department. Legal Studies and Criminal Justice are two disciplines under the umbrella of the Legal Studies major. Students can elect to pursue either or both disciplines. The major in Legal Studies requires coursework totaling 35-36 credits, whereas the Criminal Justice concentration offers a comprehensive curriculum of 57-58 credits.

Learning Goals of the Legal Studies and Criminal Justice Program

1. to analyze and interpret legal texts
2. to write well
3. to convey ideas effectively orally
4. to think critically and to reason analytically
5. to practice public service

Legal Studies Major Description

The major in Legal Studies provides an undergraduate liberal arts major grounded in the Humanist tradition of law. The focus of the program is the study of law in itself and in its relations to politics, moral philosophy, society and history.

The impact of law and legal process upon citizens in the United States and around the world has increased markedly in recent years. Factors contributing to the development of law include growth in the complexity of government and regulation, expanded conceptions of individual and group rights, increased public access to knowledge via the internet and increasing exposure to structures of legal ordering, such as healthcare and bank regulation. If citizens are to maintain and advance democratic forms of civic life and participation, they require better knowledge of the role of law, its goals, methods, successes and failures. Coupled to this must be an understanding of the limits of the dominant forms of dispute resolution as well as the benefits of alternative forms.

Students in the Legal Studies major learn about both the theoretical and practical dimensions of law, not only within the American model, but in other legal systems as well. They gain first-hand experience in legal analysis, argument and advocacy as well as in mediation and other forms of alternative conflict resolution (ADR). They learn such substantive areas of law as contracts, real property, family law, etc., and gain an understanding of procedural law in civil and criminal contexts. The program offers coursework in law-related topics involving diversity, multiculturalism, environmental regulation and international law.

Criminal Justice Program Description

Understanding crime and justice is essential in a democratic society, and studying both is challenging. Crime involves coercion, freedom, fear and safety. A low incidence of crime enables society to work toward a higher quality of life. An explosion of crime tears at the fabric of a community. Crime is both a legal and a political concept. The very definition of crime is rooted in law; however, it is not limited to law. Some injuries to society become prohibitions in criminal statutes. Other harms, for various historical, political and cultural reasons, are not included within the penal code. Justice, itself, is an elusive philosophical concept that has legal, political, economic, social and psychological underpinnings as well as implications. Ever present in our thinking is the desire for justice in individual cases as well as the pursuit of living in a just society.

With a strong liberal arts emphasis, the Criminal Justice program encourages intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and extensive communication skills, characteristics associated with rewarding professional and personal lives. At the same time, a primary goal of the UW-Superior's Criminal Justice Program is the academic preparation of individuals planning criminal justice careers as well as the educational advancement of practitioners already enjoying criminal justice careers.

The criminal justice curriculum is both broad and deep, enabling students to critically reflect on the complexity of "the problem" of crime as well as our paradoxical responses to it. Its study requires a multidisciplinary approach. Housed in a Legal Studies major, the concentration in Criminal Justice examines various ways of "knowing" the problem, especially through a rigorous, scientific lens. Completion of core courses in criminal justice permits students to become firmly grounded in a range of perspectives in the justice field. Selection of courses from legal studies provides a significant context for appreciating the fluid boundaries of justice systems. In addition to classes in criminal justice and legal studies, the curriculum consists of coursework in six areas: accounting, philosophy, political science, psychology, social work, and sociology. Taking courses from these disciplines enable students to achieve global views of this complex problem and its possible solutions as well as to "drill down" into critical subject areas. Selection of elective courses encourages students to pursue flexible paths of study tailored to their individual interests in such careers as law enforcement, law and court processing, juvenile and adult corrections as well as graduate education. The result is the achievement of baccalaureate competency in the study of criminal justice.

Graduates from UW-Superior's Criminal Justice program distinguish themselves in many diverse professional fields, in graduate and law schools, and in the community. Alumni serve in positions of responsibility across the United States in federal, state and local criminal and juvenile justice agencies as well as in Canadian justice agencies. Others have careers as private attorneys, paralegals, youth counselors, teachers, military officers, security/loss specialists and private investigators.

No minor is required because the Criminal Justice Concentration in Legal Studies is a comprehensive major.

Depending on course selection, the number of credits is either 57 or 58.

Criminal Justice Minor Requirements

The curriculum consists of coursework totaling 24 credits: 15 required credits and 9 elective credits.

24 total credits

Justice Core courses (15 credits required):

Elective Credits (9 credits required):

A total of 9 elective credits selected from the following. With advisor's approval, other courses not listed below can be substituted and count as part of the 9 credits.

or

Certificate Programs

The Legal Studies program collaborates with the Center for Continuing Education in offering three certificate programs. Students who are seeking degrees may also complete certificate requirements as part of their elective credits toward a degree. Non-degree-seeking students may seek the certificates through Center for Continuing Education. Completion and awarding of these two certificates is coordinated through the Center for Continuing Education. Contact Dr. Maria Cuzzo Legal Studies or Lisa Mattsson the Center for Continuing Education for more information.