The School of Social Sciences offers a rigorous and challenging Minor in Pre-Law. It is designed to provide students with the foundational knowledge, critical thinking skills, and ethical framework essential not only for successful entry into the legal field, but also for informed and socially responsible citizenship.
More specifically, the Pre-Law Minor is intended to ensure an advantage to Tougaloo students who plan to attend law school by focusing on coursework that emphasizes skills necessary for success in the first year of law school and beyond: legal writing and research, case briefing and legal analysis, and learning how to prepare for and take the law school exam. In other words, the new pre-law minor takes a strategic and targeted approach to ensuring that any gap in knowledge and skills necessary for success in law school for Tougaloo graduates is closed; and they enter law school ready to succeed on day one.
While there is no specific course of study required for law school admission, as all law schools emphasize the value of excellent reading comprehension, analytical reasoning skills, and a solid command of written English, it is important that those foundational skills be taken to the next level to encompass the academic rigor and legal aptitude that is unique to the law school experience. Law students transitioning from college often find themselves trying to navigate their law school experience the first year without any idea as to whether or not their approach to law school will ensure their success the first year. We intend to change that dynamic with this new pre-law minor. That is why completion of the Pre-Law Minor will be mandatory for all participants in the Reuben V. Anderson Pre-Law Program.
Learning Outcomes
Students who complete the Pre-Law Minor, in addition to being prepared to enter the first year of law school, equipped with foundational skills for proficiency in the first year and beyond, will develop a deeper understanding of how law and legal systems intersect with the everyday lives of ordinary people, especially in terms of race, class, ethnicity, gender, age, and sexual orientation. Students will also develop a deeper awareness of how law and legal systems intersect with systems of power and privilege. In the process, students will demonstrate reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills that enable empathetic and critical communication and advocacy. Such skills will include the ability to observe and make fine distinctions, ask relevant questions, explore significant information, and analyze divergent points of view with clarity and conscience.
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