New legal research, writing course could be in place by fall 2011

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Kirstin Miller wants to give students an edge before graduation by adding a legal research and writing course to Central Michigan University’s curriculum.

“I think that the class is vitally important, especially now that we have created the law and economics major,” said Miller, Vassar junior and president of the Phi Alpha Delta pre-law academic fraternity.

The new class she proposed would be a first-year requirement for all students with the law and economics major and possibly for those with the legal studies minor.

“We hear from admissions professionals from CMU and universities in general that students aren’t challenging themselves enough in their undergraduate careers,” Miller said. “This class would give CMU a further edge.”

Student Government Association President Brittany Mouzourakis is supportive of Miller’s idea.

I think many people go to law school with certain misconceptions about what it is,” the Garden City senior said, “and I think this class would put into perspective the rigor and difficulty of law school.”

Mouzourakis is a legal studies minor and fellow member of Phi Alpha Delta.

Academic Senate chairman Phil Squattrito, a chemistry professor, said Miller must take her idea to the department and find a faculty member to work with her. Together, they would prepare a master course syllabus, a document that describes what will be in the course and how to structure it. If the department approves it, it moves forward to the curriculum committee for that particular college.

“If the class is proposed and approved this semester, it could be offered as soon as the 2011 fall semester,” Squattrito said.

After the class is created, the process to make it mandatory for law and economics majors is more extensive.

“They would have to put forth a proposal to change the major and minor requirements,” Squattrito said. “Then it would need to be approved by the department,  the college committee and the undergraduate curriculum committee would be the final hurdle.”

Squattrito said the change would be easier to pass if adding the class does not increase the number of credits in the major; however, this would require deleting an existing required class in the process.

It could be mandatory as soon as a year from this fall, starting with the new freshmen of 2012, since the university cannot change major requirements unless it starts with incoming freshmen, he said.

Alumnus Ryan Buck, now a student at Michigan State University College of Law, supports the initiative.

“In law, you are writing to persuade an audience that might already have an opinion about an issue and you are writing to persuade them otherwise,” Buck said. “Any opportunity to perfect this type of writing and refine it will help students in the long run.”

Miller has spoken with several faculty members about her idea, including finance and law professor Adam Epstein.

“He told me that CMU used to offer a legal research and writing course many years ago and that quite a few students have requested it,” Miller said. “Apparently there has been a lot of talk about it within the department.”

Miller said Epstein’s personal concern is to avoid making CMU’s legal studies programs similar to paralegal programs.