Law & Politics Minor

This course will look at the origins of the American political system from the end of the Seven Years' War through the Louisiana Purchase and Marbury vs. Madison, with a focusing on government under the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention, ratification controversies, the first political party system, and Jeffersonian vs. Hamiltonian approaches to government. Offered alternate years.

This course will survey the scope and methods of the study of economics; the principles underlying the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of wealth along with various economic problems. The systematic investigation of the market structure of American capitalism, encompassing the production and distribution of income, welfare economics and current domestic problems.

This course will analyze the nuances and trace the development of Western political thought from classical Greece to 17th century northern Europe with attention given to the questions facing every generation concerning the nature of political association and the good society. Students will become familiar with each major political thinker, the context in which they wrote, and influence upon the history of ideas.

This course will analyze the nuances and trace the development of Western political thought from the early Enlightenment (17th century) to the present with attention given to the questions facing every generation concerning the nature of political association and the good society. Students will become familiar with each major political thinker, the context in which they wrote, and their influence upon the history of ideas.

This introductory course into the lands, peoples, and cultures of the Middle East from antiquity to modern times, will include the role of religion in shaping social and political institutions, and the influence of Islamic thought on the Arab world and conflicts in the contemporary Middle East. Offered alternate years.

This course will explore the basic background and methods for analysis of current issues in international affairs such as the arms race, detente, human rights and the role of multinational corporations.

The role of religion in American public life will be examined in this course with an emphasis on the interpretation and impact of the First Amendment and the concept of "separation of church and state" on religious and political life in the United States. Offered alternate years.

The development of judicial interpretation of the U.S. Constitution from 1789 to the present will be examined in this course with an emphasis on the political, social, cultural, and economic context for key Supreme Court decisions. The case study method will be used to introduce students to legal reasoning, including controversial court decisions involving race, religion, gender, and limits of government authority.

Through an exploration of morality and ethics in light of what Scripture teaches, students will be oriented to the main approaches, both traditional and contemporary, of non-biblical philosophical ethics as they learn how the Christian faith interacts with these approaches as the significance of the Lutheran confessional distinction between God's left and right hand rule is explored. Student research and presentation on contemporary ethical issues is usually included. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing or consent of instructor.

An introductory course to philosophy through the study of major traditions of ethical reflection in the history of philosophy by studying Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill. This course will be used as part of the preparation of teams for ethics competitions. Offered in alternate years.

As a performance-based course, students will learn argument design, use of reason and evidence, and practice in a competitive academic debate setting with a focus on critical thinking, research skills, and the oral expression of arguments with rhetorical and presentational power.

Primarily from a social scientific approach, this course will examine the basic theories and techniques of influence, providing students with an awareness of the nature, function, and scope of attitude change as well as the concepts of attitudes, credibility, resistance to persuasion, ethics, and modern advertising practices.

This course will examine the theory and techniques of oral communication in the process of interviewing with the practical application to employment, information gathering (as in journalism and investigations), and persuasive interviews (as in selling and legal argument).