Department Honors, Research & Awards
Legal Research
Our Legal Studies students actively engage in legal research culminating in their Senior Seminar in Legal Studies or Practicum. Students have access to a first-class law library and an incredible array of electronic resources through Bush Library. We also provide Westlaw access to our students.
The students in our Senior Seminar produce legal scholarship in the form of a mini-law review article and present their research to their peers and Legal Studies faculty each semester. Some students’ work has been selected for publication in our department newsletter and at least one student has published in a national law journal:
Jenna Yauch, When Home is Where the Hurt Is: Minnesota’s Address Confidentiality Program Keeps Battered Women Safer, 6 Dartmouth L. J. 217 (2008).
Departmental Honors Student Research
Students wishing to be considered for honors should begin discussions about their project with a Legal Studies faculty member early in their junior year. It is recommended that students have a GPA of 3.5 or better in the major. Students must submit a proposal to their faculty advisor as well as a portfolio of writing samples and personal statement. Honors projects should exhibit distinctive scholarship, originality of thought, and a high degree of relevance to a major issue in the discipline. Project proposals must be approved by a majority of department faculty and on approval, submitted to the registrar. Students should request the Legal Studies Departmental Honors Guidelines for details on the proposal process, requirements, and project timeline.
In addition to these Legal Studies Department guidelines, there are also University guidelines that must be followed. University guidelines can be found on the University Honors webpage.
Recent Departmental Honors Projects include:
Allison Capaul, An Examination of Prostitution and Sex Trafficking Laws within the United States (2013).
Natalie M. Lamphier, Battered Lives: Addressing the Collateral Effects of Domestic Violence on College Campuses (2010).
Jessica M. Eidsmoe, Arrested for Swearing: Why Minnesota Needs to Redefine Disorderly Conduct (2009).
Joao da Fonseca, Law and Policy in Brazil: Protecting the Forest and Enhancing Communities (2008)
Randi Williams, Evolving Issues in Tort Law (2007)
Collaborative Research
Legal Studies students may also consider engaging in collaborative research and applying to participate in the Summer Collaborative Research Seminar.
2017 Legal Studies Departmental Awards
All awards are sponsored by SiebenCarey P.A.
Connor Suddick, Legal Studies Departmental Service Award
Kenzie Gerber, Legal Studies Classroom Contribution Award
Kayla Gribble, Outstanding Mock Trial Student Award
Michelina Lucia,Legal Research and Writing Award
Lisa Swanson, Outstanding Postbaccalaureate Student Award