Looking for a vocation with purpose-driven application? The study of law opens doors to many professional opportunities, diverse areas of practice, and skills transferable to a variety of careers—from academia and consulting to management and mediation.

WHY PRE-LAW AT SEWANEE?

What's great about Sewanee's pre-law program is that it’s not an academic track. You can major in anything you want—from Economics to Ecology—and still be in this program. 

If you're interested in a career in law, pre-law advisors will suggest appropriate courses and offer advice about how best to seek admission to law schools. 

The Association of American Law Schools does not prescribe specific courses or activities for preparation to study law. Undergraduates are best advised to concentrate on areas of study aimed at developing oral and written expression, language comprehension, critical understanding of the human institutions and values closely related to law, and a logical and systematic approach to solving problems.

Is law school right for me?

The decision to go to law school is a big one. It demands a great deal of personal commitment and financial sacrifice. Pre-Law at Sewanee is an advisory and support program to help you discern whether law school is right for you, and if it is, to help you apply to the law school that's right for you. Explore legal work with a summer internship through Sewanee's Career Center or participate in Sewanee’s moot court competition. 

Featured Student

Daphne Nwobike, Class of 2026

"Sewanee's Pre-Law Program prepared me for law school by connecting me with current law students who shared insights from their respective law school journeys, providing networking opportunities with practicing lawyers, and offering advising on the LSAT and the law school application process. While at Sewanee, I helped start the Multicultural Pre-Law Society, which offered students opportunities to learn more about the legal field through chats with Sewanee alumni in the legal field and presentations from law school admissions representatives. The Pre-Law Program's extensive programming helped me approach my decision to apply to law school with confidence."  

(Daphne Nwobike is currently attending University of Virginia School of Law)

 Watch: The Sewanee Classroom Experience

See, hear, and learn more about the classroom experience at Sewanee from Pre-Law alumni Daphne Nwobike, C’26, and Winnie Pajcic, C’25, who are currently attending the University of Virginia School of Law and Florida State University College of Law, respectively.

Contact

Andrea C. Hatcher
Professor of Politics and Director, Pre-Law Program

ahatcher@sewanee.edu

Book an appointment with Professor Hatcher

A Sampling of Courses

U.S. Immigration Law and Policy
Politics

This course explores U.S. immigration and immigration policy, with special attention to the period from 1996 to the present. Taking into account the ideological shifts resulting in previous immigration reforms, the course examines causes of migration, current strategies used by the U.S. government to control the flow of immigrants into the United States, the costs and benefits of immigration to the United States and sending countries, security concerns, and ethical and human rights implications.

POLS 336
Philosophy of Law
Philosophy

An examination of philosophical issues surrounding the nature of law and legal reasoning. Topics to include the following: the conditions of legal validity and the viability of natural law theory; the nature of legal normativity and its relation to other public manifestations of normativity (such as morality, religion, and etiquette); the limits and conditions of human liberty; the Constitutional status of rights to privacy; and the moral and legal justification of punishment.

PHIL 321
Constitutional Law: Civil Rights
Politics

This course examines Supreme Court cases related to equality by situating cases within varying theories of constitutional interpretation, and by assessing the socio-political implications of those decisions. Civil rights are specific governmental provisions to secure individual entitlements, as exemplified by the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of "equal protection of the laws." Claims centering on race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability are examined, along with other claims of equality arising from the Fifteenth Amendment's prohibition of voting discrimination.

POLS 338
Argumentation and Debate
Rhetoric

Study of the precepts, theories, strategies, and ethics of argument. Students critically analyze arguments found in speeches, public debates, and controversies, newspaper articles and editorials, television news programs, and scholarly texts. Students write argumentative essays, present argumentative speeches, and engage in class debate.

RHET 110