Imagine you are living in Sellery Residence Hall during your first year on campus, and an RA comes knocking on your door, asking to take a look around your room. Do you know your rights in this situation?
For most, moving into housing at the beginning of Freshman year of college is a huge step in independence. You set your own rules and make your own decisions, and with this comes a lot of responsibility.
This is one reason why I recommend that Freshmen take the class Legal Studies 131: Criminal Justice in America (4 Credits). Here’s three reasons WHY.
#1: Real-World Application
To this day, I find myself applying concepts that I learned in this class to my life. Thankfully, my conflicts with the law have not been more serious than a speeding ticket, but I feel that this class gave me a good grip on legal concepts that I was previously unaware of. This class will teach you specifically about concepts that apply to you.
#2: Ralph Grunewald
Professor Grunewald is one of my favorite professors I’ve ever had. The lecture hall could seat around 400 students, but he only allows about 130 students in the class; Grunewald highly values student participation and involvement. Students leave namecards out, and he walks around the room, engaging students. I found this really mentally stimulating, and was laughing during every lecture from the hilarious examples he gives.
#3: Fair Exams and Assignments
The Teaching Assistants for this course are notoriously knowledgable and helpful. Discussion sections mostly just review class content to make sure you understand it! Grunewald will give you 2-4 potential essay questions, and the ones that appear on the exam will be the same, word-for-word. This made studying much easier and directed. The multiple choice questions are very straightforward if you have done the assigned reading and go to class!
I’ve recommended this class to many of my friends, and they’ve agreed that it’s been intriguing and entertaining, all while giving applicable knowledge. It is available in Fall 2019, sign up before it’s too late!