Students in the law and government certificate program develop an understanding of the legal structure, function, and operations of national, state, and local governments.
Students in the program learn how to make, modify and influence public law and policy.
Students in the program will:
Develop knowledge of the structure of government.
Understand the process of how laws and regulations are made, implemented and interpreted by courts.
Understand the relationship between and roles of the different vertical levels of government (federal, state, and local), as well as the various organs that play a role in the formulation of legal rules at each level of government (legislatures, executive agencies, courts).
Students will demonstrate their knowledge of the above through the completion of several required courses, each of which has more specific learning outcomes and assessment methods.
Demonstrate mastery of a discrete legal subject within the area of law and government by writing a 20-page research paper under the supervision of a full-time faculty member in a seminar or independent study. Produce a written work product as part of a supervised externship or field placement that resembles the kind of work lawyers in the law and government field produce on a regular basis. Examples include brief writing, analyzing proposed legislation and regulations, drafting legislation, and drafting regulations.
Adopted unanimously by the Willamette University College of Law faculty, March 20, 2017.
Willamette University