Bethany offers a major and minor in legal studies, as well as a paralegal certicificate and pre-law program.
Major Requirements
Note Bethany’s Program Requirements Disclaimer when planning your coursework.
Mission Statement
The legal studies program prepares students for various law-related careers while adhering to biblical moral principles and values. This major equips students for a variety of vocations, including paralegal, business leadership, nonprofit board service, community development, consulting, corrections, and probation. This major also provides a foundation for the pursuit of advanced degrees in law or other graduate programs. Students cultivate a broad understanding of basic principles of law and the role and function of the legal system.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students majoring in legal studies will demonstrate an ability to:
- Identify the appropriate legal procedures applicable to a variety of civil and criminal controversies;
- Research and analyze the relationships among case facts, statutory law, case law, and constitutional principles involved in specific legal controversies;
- Advocate, in both written and oral communication, for a particular party in a legal controversy;
- Evaluate, in reference to both the historically contingent legal culture and the more transcendent principles of natural law, the arguments offered by competing sides in legal controversies.
Core Requirements
All of:
- LEGL210 Introduction to Legal Studies
- SOCL240 Criminal Deviance and Justice
- COMM230 Argument and Advocacy or PHIL201 Logic and Critical Thinking
- PHIL202 Introduction to Philosophy or PHIL204 Ethics
- ECON203 Principles of Macroeconomics or ECON204 Principles of Microeconomics
One of:
All of:
- HIST385 Western Legal Traditions or HIST470 The Supreme Court and the American People
- LEGL320 Legal Research and Writing
- LEGL460 Legal Procedures
- LEGL470 Family Law
One of:
- BUSN360 Business Ethics
- HIST350 French Revolution through Napoleon
- HIST385 Western Legal Traditions (if not counted above)
- HIST410 The Era of the American Revolution
- HIST420 Constitution and Early Republic
- HIST450 Civil Rights Movement
- HIST470 The Supreme Court and the American People (if not counted above)
Two of:
- BUSN310 Principles of Management
- BUSN330 Principles of Marketing
- BUSN360 Business Ethics
- BUSN370 Legal Aspects of Business and Sport
- BUSN420 Managing Human Resources
- COMM385 Law and Ethics in Media
- COMM389 Intercultural Communication
- ECON330 International Economics
- PHIL450 Philosophical Readings
- PSYC340 Social Psychology
- PSYC350 Abnormal Psychology
One of:
Legal Studies Minor
A minor in legal studies requires the following courses.
Two of:
- COMM230 Argument and Advocacy
- HIST207 History of USA I
- HIST208 History of USA II
- PHIL201 Logic and Critical Thinking
- PHIL202 Introduction to Philosophy
- PHIL204 Ethics
- PLSC105 American Government
- PLSC106 World Politics
One of:
- ECON203 Principles of Macroeconomics
- ECON204 Principles of Microeconomics
- SOCL240 Criminal Deviance and Justice
All of:
- HIST385 Western Legal Traditions or HIST470 The Supreme Court and the American People
- LEGL210 Introduction to Legal Studies
- LEGL320 Legal Research and Writing
One of:
One of:
- BUSN310 Principles of Management
- BUSN330 Principles of Marketing
- COMM385 Law and Ethics in Media
- COMM389 Intercultural Communication
- ECON330 International Economics
- HIST350 French Revolution through Napoleon
- HIST385 Western Legal Traditions (if not counted above)
- HIST410 The Era of the American Revolution
- HIST420 Constitution and Early Republic
- HIST450 Civil Rights Movement
- HIST470 The Supreme Court and the American People (if not counted above)
- PSYC340 Social Psychology
- PSYC350 Abnormal Psychology
Contact for more information
Associate Professor- Legal Studies – Legal Studies
Legal Counsel to the Cabinet – No Department
Senior Women's Administrator – Athletics
507-344-7523
HH 233
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Legal Studies Faculty
Additional information is available on the Legal Studies Department page.
Name | Title | Office / Phone | Courses | |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Dan Birkholz | Adjunct Faculty | | |
![]() | Sara Edwards HH 233 507-344-7523 | Associate Professor- Legal StudiesLegal Counsel to the CabinetSenior Women's Administrator | HH 233 507-344-7523 |
|
![]() | Ryan MacPherson HH 308 507-344-7787 | ProfessorDirector of Apologetics and Worldview Studies | HH 308 507-344-7787 |
|

Associate Professor- Legal Studies
Legal Counsel to the Cabinet
Senior Women's Administrator
HH 233
507-344-7523
- Business Ethics
- Fundamentals of Speech
- Law and Ethics in Media
- Mock Trial
- Introduction to Criminal Justice
- Introduction to Legal Studies
- Business Law
- Legal Research and Writing
- Legal Procedures
- Family Law
- Topic: Personal Injury Law
- Senior Seminar
- Legal Studies Internship
- Legal Studies Independent Study
- Criminal Deviance and Justice
- American Minorities

Professor
Director of Apologetics and Worldview Studies
HH 308
507-344-7787
- History of USA I
- History of USA II
- Western Legal Traditions
- Native American Culture and Government
- Native American History
- Civil Rights Movement
- The Supreme Court and the AmericanPeople
- Senior Seminar I
- Logic and Critical Thinking
- Introduction to Philosophy
- History of Western Philosophy II
- History and Philosophy of Science
- Ethics in Science