Undergraduate Courses

Satisfies Global Perspective in Category G: Citizenship in a Diverse World
Learn how taking a stand for a powerful idea can make an impact! Explore how committed advocates have transformed U.S. constitutional law.

Satisfies Global Perspective in Category G: Citizenship in a Diverse World
How do we, as individuals or as a society, have an impact upon judicial decision and help shape the meaning of the Constitution?

Learn how to read and write about key Supreme Court cases. Consider the social context in which they arose, the stories of individuals who became a part of our constitutional history, and the resonance their stories have today.

How do we select and elect our candidates? Why do so many think the system is broken? Examine the relationship between the rules that structure the political system, the theories behind them, and the reality of how the political system actually works.

Discoveries of false convictions mount steadily, making wrongful convictions a prominent concern in the American criminal justice system.

Explore sources of error throughout the criminal process: the police investigation, the pre-trial process, the adjudicatory process, and the post-conviction process.

Investigate the relationship between public media and the criminal process, the role of non-governmental organizations, and the impact of civic engagement on public policy making.

The first part introduces students to the criminal system’s objectives, design, institutions and safeguards. The second part explores how this system has gone awry.

Join us on a journey to learn more about the United States criminal justice system and explore the fundamentals of substantive criminal law.

Analyze the ethical dilemmas and societal implications of artificial intelligence and debate the future of artificial intelligence regulations and laws.

This course studies how governments and corporations confront information privacy conflicts. Students will analyze various perspectives on information privacy laws and their place in society.

LAW-210 is a foundational course on the U.S. legal system. It serves as a primer for all of our undergraduate law courses and we encourage students to enroll in this course prior to other of our law courses, if possible. It prepares students to become critical thinkers and well-informed citizens. Learn about equal protection rights, our nation's governing structure, and basic private law by studying case law and applying their analysis to current events. This class is a sneak peek into law school, but is also appropriate for students who want to learn more about how the branches of government have shaped history and our daily lives.

Examines how American law protects and facilitates intellectual property and its modern utility. Provides a practical understanding of laws regulating patents, copyrights, and trademarks.

Examine current immigration law in America, the normative debates over immigration policies and the role the government plays in expanding or limiting immigration rights.

What are the various roles that lawyers play? Learn the basic structure of the American legal system, the educational training that lawyers receive, and become exposed to various types of legal careers.

Examines law and the legal system from different disciplinary perspectives. It explores how various disciplines provide different insights to the legal regime.

Discover the impact of legal decisions on society through analysis of pending and recent cases on the court's docket.

Satisfies Global Perspective in Category G: Citizenship in a Diverse World

What legally defines a child in the eyes of the law?

Explore legal issues and implications surrounding children - essential to domestic, international, family, psychological and education-based decisions.

Satisfies Global Perspective in Category H: Traditions and Historical Foundations

For over 150 years, American civil rights laws have aimed to make all persons equal under the law, but what does legal equality mean and how can it be achieved? Explore this history and address important questions that continue to vex civil rights enforcement.

Discover how U.S. laws were shaped by the human condition, all while learning from the lawyers and judges responsible for landmark legal decisions in American law.

Examines the basic themes surrounding the legal regulation of elections with a focus on voting rights.

Examination of the philosophic and political concepts that underpin international influence, while learning how this structure impacts the modern incentives and interests of international actors.

Focuses on the role artificial intelligence plays in a variety of aspects of the law through humanities-based approaches like ethics, linguistics, sociological and economics approaches.

Satisfies Global Perspective in Category G: Citizenship in a Diverse World

How does the international community establish laws against genocide? Explore the development of international laws that protect human rights.

Examines key legal principles governing the entertainment industry by exploring legal challenges faced by professionals in music, film, sports, gaming, and other areas of entertainment.

Satisfies Global Perspective in Category H: Traditions and Historical Foundations

Uncover how law, politics and culture impacted the institution of slavery and the development of modern conceptions of race.

Examines the relevance and application of legal structures to all participants in the sports enterprise by providing an overview of legal and ethical issues.

Planning to work for a startup or to start your own business? Learn the legal information you need to know - from formation to fundraising, intellectual property laws to IPOs - to be an entrepreneur.

An exploration of core aspects of the US legal system (property, contracts, torts, criminal law, civil procedure) from the perspective of basic economics theory.

Examines the role the legal systems may play in preventing and ending homelessness, interweaving principles of urban planning to understand their physical implications.

Study the rise of cybercrimes and cybersecurity measures in recent years and their impact on society. Topics include cyberattacks, digital forensics, information privacy, and more.

Examine policies, procedures, and practices within the criminal justice, drawing on perspectives from cognitive, social, and clinical psychology.

From civil issues to criminal defenses, where do ethics come into play regarding mental health in the courtroom?

Recommended Preparation: PSYC 100

This course in law and psychology examines the capacity of the criminal process to produce accurate verdicts, focusing on: witnesses, detectives, suspects, judges and jurors.

What prevents your government from treating you unfairly or unequally? What protects your right to act, think and make decisions free from government interference? Learn about individual and group rights in the Constitution and how they apply to you!

Introduces legal and social ideas and issues surrounding regulatory law - how and why regulations are developed, along with the accountability and enforcement of regulations.

Individual research and readings.

Introduces students to the basics of legal writing and research, with a focus on legal scholarship and law review-type journal articles.

This research seminar seeks to uncover, publicize, and lay groundwork for remedying USC's hard history of discrimination.

A cumulative experience demonstrating a student's depth of knowledge in applying research and writing skills on examining the legal system.

Intensive experience with a law-related non-profit organization, or public agency.