1999-2000 - The University of Scranton

In addition to these skills and values, the ABA has identified several more specific
areas of knowledge that pre-law students should acquire as undergraduates. The
University’s Curriculum 2000 provides a framework whereby all can be acquired through
the General Education requirements applicable to all majors:
— a broad understanding of American history (HIST 110-111)
— a fundamental understanding of political thought and the American political system
(PS 130-131)
— a basic understanding of ethical theory (PHIL 210)
— a grounding in economics, especially microeconomic theory (ECON 153)
— an understanding of basic pre-calculus mathematics (MATH 106 or equivalent)
— a basic understanding of human behavior and social interaction (PSYC 110
or SOC 110)
— an understanding of diverse cultures within and beyond the United States (the sixcredit
cultural-diversity GE requirement)
In addition to the courses listed above which satisfy general-education requirements,
certain departments offer courses that can be of particular value to pre-law students and
which, depending upon their major, can be taken as electives within either the major or cognate.
Such courses include HIST 336 (History of American Law), HIST 337 (British
Constitutional and Legal History), PS 311-312 (American Constitutional Law), and WRTG
212 (Writing for the Law).
Pre-Law Internships. Interested students with a grade-point average above 3.00 at the
time of application may, with the approval of the appropriate dean, receive academic credit
for internships served in the offices of either private law firms or various legal agencies
such as the district attorney, public defender, or district magistrate. Prior approval of the
planned internship is necessary. A minimum of 150 hours work is required for internship
credit in PS 280. Application forms for these internships are available from the Registrar’s
Office.
Pre-Law Advisory Council. Continuing advice on course selection, career planning and
the law school-application process is provided by a pre-law advisory council headed by Dr.
Frank X.J. Homer as Director of Law School Placement. He is assisted by Ms. Constance E.
McDonnell, Associate Director of Career Services, who aids law school applicants in
assembling their credential files and coordinates the annual on-campus Law Fair; and Dr.
Robert F. Hueston who serves as moderator of the student Pre-Law Society which provides
a forum for speakers from the legal profession and sponsors trips to visit law schools, along
with faculty members from the departments of Criminal Justice, English, History,
Philosophy and Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences as well as faculty representatives
from both The Panuska College of Professional Studies and The Kania School
of Management.
Law-School Admission Test. Along with a student’s undergraduate academic record, the
LSAT score is a critical factor in the law-school-admission process. Ordinarily, pre-law
students take the LSAT at the end of the junior year or early in the senior year. As a means
of assisting University students to score up to their fullest potential on the LSAT, on-campus
LSAT workshops are offered at least twice each year. These provide University students
with an alternative to costly commercial test-preparation services.
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