This course is INACTIVE
School
Business, Entrepreneurship, and Professional Development
Division
Business & Economics
Department
Paralegal
Academic Level
Undergraduate
Course Subject
Paralegal
Course Number
120
Course Title
Legal Research I
Credit Hours
3.00
Instructor Contact Hours Per Semester
47.00 (for 15-week classes)
Student Contact Hours Per Semester
47.00 (for 15-week classes)
Grading Method
A-E
Pre-requisites
PLGL 100 and ENG 131 - both with a C grade or better
Co-requisites
BBA 110
Catalog Course Description
Examines the structure of the court systems and sources of law in the context of conducting legal research; covers how to locate and understand statutory, regulatory, and common law; and how to identify real or hypothetical legal issues and then develop a research plan using both print and electronic sources of law.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
Core Course Topics
- Sources of Law
- Identify sources of law in the context of legal research.*
- Structure of Federal and State Court Systems
- Explain the structure of federal and state court systems, and the manner in which civil and criminal cases progress through these court systems.
- Identify proper jurisdictional authority.*
- Locating the Law
- Locate the law using primary and secondary resources.
- Distinguish between mandatory and persuasive authorities.*
- Validate Legal Research
- Validate findings.
- Westlaw®
- Generate search terms.*
- Apply basic Boolean research techniques.*
- Identification of Legal Issues
- Identify legal issues from real or hypothetical scenarios.*
- Research Plan
- Develop research strategies for federal and state statutory, regulatory, and case-based sources using primary and secondary authorities.*
- Generate search terms.*
- Perform basic legal research using books and computer-assisted research tools.*
- Anatomy of a Case
- Brief legal cases, properly identifying all parts.*
- Ethics
- Evaluate the ethical considerations of the paralegal in the legal research process.
Assessment and Requirements
Assessment of Academic Achievement
Students will be assessed through quizzes, tests, in-class and out-of-class assignments, drafting assignments, and/or class participation.
Approval Dates
Effective Term
Winter 2016