Paralegal Studies (AA) Curriculum

The course gives the student a thorough introduction to the legal system in general, specific areas of the law, and the paralegal's integral role as a member of the legal team. The student will gain a comprehensive understanding of the laws in our society, the importance of ethical and professional responsibility, and the skills needed to thrive in a legal environment. Students learn how professionals work in each area of the law and how each skill directly translates on-the-job. Paralegal students learn about the substantive areas of the law, and how to excel as a professional in each area.

Students will examine a variety of sources of law, explore relevant legal principles, and build their legal vocabulary. This course addresses the long standing legal principles that created the foundation of the American legal system. Through a detailed course of study, students review the structure and systems composing the judicial branch of the U.S. system of government.

This course assists students in developing a practical knowledge of the legal industry, including technical considerations and law office operations and management. Students examine how law firms and types of legal offices conduct business differently from other industries. Students gain an inventory of the functions and procedures common to a law office environment and the essential skills utilized throughout a legal career.

In this course students explore concepts related to professional legal ethics and responsibility. Students apply standards of care for legal professionals in areas such as professional care, confidentiality, work products, and privilege. Students examine major principles that affect how the practice of law is regulated and develop analytical skills, recognizing and responding to case study scenarios.

This course provides students with fundamental and essential legal research and writing skills necessary for all legal professionals. Emphasis is given to resources of law both primary and secondary and an introductory explanation of legal reasoning and analysis. This course emphasizes writing client opinion letters, pleadings, contracts, office memos, memoranda of law, and appellate briefs.

This course teaches the paralegal student proper methods and procedures that must be followed in a legal practice. Emphasis is placed on trial and litigation practices through the study of procedures directly relevant to a paralegal professional. Students examine pre-trial and trial procedures as well as motions and other aspects they will likely encounter in their career. The primary focus is on general litigation practices with some examination into substantive areas such as personal injury, real estate, employment, and intellectual property law.

Students study academic principles of tort and personal injury law and practical skills necessary for the paralegal. Topics covered include fundamental tort law, personal injury law concepts, and real-world, practical skills using annotated cases that examine current topics in the field of tort and personal injury litigation.

This course explores the six steps of contract law: 1) body of law application to the transaction; 2) contract formation, offer and acceptance; 3) freedom to contract, including infancy, illegality, duress, and unconscionability; 4)plaintiff allegation of defendant breach; 5) defendant responses to allegation of breach; and 6) plaintiff remedies for defendant breach of contract. Updated cases and examples are used to reinforce the theories addressed within the content of the course.

This course introduces students to the University of Arkansas Grantham policies and staff, provides information about higher education funding resources, discusses important skills for success in the online learning environment, and provides information about University of Arkansas Grantham student support services. Students practice submitting assignments and navigating the Learning Management System (Blackboard). Students will be required to demonstrate fundamental skills necessary for success in the online learning environment at the University of Arkansas Grantham.

This course covers the process and method of science applied to understanding biological concepts at the molecular, cellular, organismal and community levels. The emphasis of this course is on biological diversity in major groups of living organisms and ecology. This course includes a lab.

This course stresses human systems, with applications to contemporary issues in human health and the environment. The scientific method and social applications of scientific information related to human issues are emphasized. This course includes a lab.

This introductory course provides an overview of current and traditional concerns and methods of macroeconomics. Topics that are covered include: economic growth, unemployment inflation, government deficits, monetary policy, investment and capital, the role and methods of the Federal Reserve, Keynesian and monetarist theories and comparative advantage.

This course emphasizes the writing process. Students will apply principles of good writing practice through various genre (narrative, persuasive, expository writings). Additionally, students will analyze reading material as part of the critical and creative thinking processes associated with written communication.

This course introduces students to terms, concepts, and documents related to Technical Writing (writing in the work environment). The concepts and skills presented in the course are intended to be a foundation for effective writing that combines content and format with knowledge of the target audience. Technical writing covers many document types; the course will provide an overview of documents used in the work place such as visual elements, instructions, reports, and presentations. Students will create a portfolio of technical writing documents including: a proposal, progress reports, feasibility and recommendation reports, visual elements, and descriptions of a mechanism and a process.

This course provides the fundamentals of data aptitude. Through this exploration of quantitative reasoning, emphasis will be placed on how to interpret graphs, charts, and pictorial representations of data, along with an understanding of the principles underlying statistics and financial information.

This course examines critical thinking and the analysis of arguments in terms of premises, reasons, and conclusions. Course topics include obstacles to critical thinking, diagramming arguments, belief and doubt, logical fallacies, inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, inferences, and judging scientific theories.

This course is a survey of ethical systems with an examination of how such systems can be applied to business, medical, legal, environmental, and personal issues.

This course provides an introduction to American government and politics. Topics include the concept of a constitutional democracy, federalism, amendment rights and equal rights under the law. Also covered are political culture, political ideology, interest groups, lobbying, and political campaigns and elections.

This course presents an introductory overview of psychology. The course includes topics such as the history of psychology, nature vs. nurture, biological psychology, sensation, perceptions, developmental theories, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, memory, cognition, personality, health, and social psychology.

This course offers a global perspective to help students understand their own lives as well as presenting the most current research in the field of sociology. Students will explore social diversity while critically examining the issues and challenges facing society. Topics covered include the theoretical and empirical foundations of sociology, the major themes of sociological research, and the techniques employed.