Paralegal Online Program Curriculum

Occupation of the paralegal; strategies for completing the paralegal studies program as an independent learner; value of the paralegal in the practice of law as it’s conducted in the traditional legal community as well as in government, education, and business.

• Identify skills needed to be a confident and independent online learner
• Identify the various opportunities and challenges of a paralegal professional

This course introduces students to the techniques and strategies necessary to research successfully in a cyber environment. Topics include the need for information literacy and how to formulate a search statement, navigate online search engines, cite sources, and organize and use information honestly and responsibly.

• Identify how to formulate focused and specific research questions and the need for information
• Explain the different types of research tools, how they’re used to conduct different searches, and how to evaluate the quality and usefulness of the information found
• Explain how to cite sources properly using various citation styles in consideration of academic integrity, plagiarism, and ethical use of resources

Basic legal terminology needed to embark on a career as a paralegal; avoiding inaccuracies that can give rise to serious legal consequences; basics of critical thinking in the drafting of good legal arguments.

• Analyze the various aspects of litigation, trial procedures, and tort law
• Categorize the various legal terminologies associated with trial procedures, tort, criminal, property, and family law
• Analyze the various elements in developing critical thinking skills

Professional responsibilities that apply to paralegals as they assist their employers and their clients, including maintaining confidentiality and competence; handling fees and funds carefully; and avoiding unauthorized practice of law, conflicts of interest, and potential malpractice.

• Analyze the legal system structure and the important roles and issues within the system
• Prepare a report on situations involving a breach of ethical rules by paralegals and attorneys

(3 CREDITS)

Microsoft® Office allows people to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases. This course will teach you how to use three popular tools from the Microsoft® Office Suite — Word™, Excel®, and PowerPoint®. In this course, you'll learn how to use Word™ to create and edit text documents, insert figures and tables, and format pages for a variety of uses. You'll then learn how to use Excel® to organize and format data, including charts, formulas, and more complex tables. Next, you'll learn how to use PowerPoint® to create and deliver slide shows. Finally, you'll complete a graded project, which will test the skills acquired in Word™, Excel®, and PowerPoint®.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Create various Microsoft® Word™ documents.
• Produce a thorough Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheet.
• Identify the basic skills needed to use Microsoft® PowerPoint®.
• Synthesize what you’ve learned by integrating Word™, Excel®, and PowerPoint®.

This course teaches the skills and techniques of effectively developing, drafting, and revising college-level essays toward a specific purpose and audience: active reading, prewriting strategies, sentence and paragraph structure, thesis statements, varied patterns of development (such as illustration, comparison and contrast, and classification), critical reading toward revision of structure and organization, editing for standard written conventions, and use and documentation of outside sources. Students submit two prewriting assignments and three essays (process analysis, comparison and contrast, and argumentation).

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Use writing skills to construct well-written sentences and active reading skills to understand and analyze text
• Develop paragraphs using topic sentences, adequate detail, supporting evidence, and transitions
• Contrast the revising and editing steps of the writing process
• Distinguish between different patterns of development
• Write a process analysis essay using prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing skills
• Recognize how to determine the reliability of secondary sources and to give proper credit to sources referenced in an essay\
• Write a comparison and contrast essay by using persuasive writing techniques to defend a claim
• Create a sound written argument using techniques of drafting and evaluating sources

This course looks at the relationship among the judiciary, defense, and prosecution involved in the United States Courts system. Your studies start with an overview of the basic structures of courts. You’ll also look to the successive steps involved in prosecutions and cover topics such as plea bargains, trials, juries, sentencing, and appeals.

• Point out the structure and working process of the legal system in the United States
• Analyze the emergence of law in the different systems of litigation in the United States
• Distinguish between the civil and criminal litigation in state and federal courts in the United States
• Analyze articles relating to the United States court system

Types of questions that can be used in an interview; identification of the objectives of an interview; ethical considerations about interviewing; summarizing the information obtained through an interview.

• Analyze the procedures and considerations that practicing paralegals follow to conduct effective investigations and interviews
• Prepare answers based on the analysis of five different scenarios, corresponding to the given days

This course will provide a foundation in basic mathematical operations. You'll learn about percentages, discounts, interest, present worth, sinking funds, installment buying, pricing, depreciation, investments, insurance, the use of symbols and their applications, equations and formulas, and the importance of statistics.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Analyze functions of whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percents
• Show calculations involved in simple interest, compound interest, and time value of money
• Prepare various business math applications involving financial reports, installment buying, and depreciation
• Analyze various financial concepts related to taxes, insurance, financial investments, and basic business statistics
• Describe other HRM functions including collective bargaining, labor relations, global HRM, and building a high-performance organization
• Prepare for the final exam

Principles of tort law that an attorney applies in a personal injury practice; the importance of the attorney-paralegal team in the practice of personal injury law; basics of the legal system, and the elements of the most common intentional and unintentional torts are discussed.

• Point out the important elements of law and liability pertaining to torts
• Analyze the concept, possible violations, and defenses used in intentional torts
• Categorize the purpose, consequences, defenses, and remedies for the liabilities under the negligence tort
• Point out the importance, elements, defenses, and remedies against strict and product liability
• Analyze the essential characteristics and consequences of defamation and invasion of privacy
• Write a legal analysis memo for the mentioned scenario in your project
• Prepare an analysis, legal writing, and interviews from the information and instructions given in your project

This course provides an introduction to the various methods of organizing material for a professional setting. Students will compose business documents using the ABC method. These include: memos, emails, outlines, reports and proposals, descriptions, and organizing materials. Students also work on honing their grammar skills.

• Recognize how to use words correctly and effectively
• Produce a well-constructed interoffice memo, workplace email, and business letter
• Produce a brief business report based on findings obtained using research techniques and methods of documentation
• Produce an informal report that lists findings of an investigation and provides recommendation for issues raised in the findings
• Describe procedures for creating proposals, descriptions, instructions, and manuals for the workplace
• Create a detailed proposal designed to solve an internal human resource issue

This course will provide an overview of macroeconomics and the modern market economy. Law of supply and demand, cost of living, monetary systems, international factors, and short run economic fluctuations will be examined and discussed.

• Explain economic systems and the economic perspective
• Identify the key factors in macroeconomics and how economists use them to study the economy as a whole
• Explain the macroeconomic models and fiscal policies
• Explain money, banking, and financial policy
• Explain the extending analysis of aggregate supply, current issues in theory and policy, and international economics
• Analyze foreign exchange and investment and the effects each nation’s economy has on another nation’s

(3 CREDITS)

(Choose one) ...

Earth Science

This course covers a number of topics which are concentrated in four main categories: geology, meteorology, oceanography, and astronomy. Geology is the study of Earth, its minerals and rocks, and the many varied processes that formed our planet and continue to reform it today. Oceanography is the study of Earth’s oceans. Meteorology is the study of Earth’s atmosphere and astronomy is the study of Earth’s place in space and all things related. These four elements combined make up the Earth and are essential in understanding how the world works and how it’s evolving.

• Categorize the matter, minerals, and materials that compose the Earth
• Distinguish between the various theories about the forces behind the Earth’s history
• Differentiate between the elements and their ways of sculpting the landscape
• Point out the geological features of oceans and the important concepts of geology
• Categorize the causes and effects of various phenomena affecting Earth’s atmosphere
• Analyze the components of the solar system and the universe
• Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of earth science by completing an open-book proctored exam

Introduction to Biology

An introductory course that explains the origin of life and the relationships between all living things. It describes how a significant number of organisms are structured and how they work, in order to enable students to discuss intelligently the various forms of life and their processes.

• Analyze cells and their processes for obtaining energy and reproducing
• Explain how traits are passed on from one generation to the next
• Explain how different species of living things have evolved and are classified
• Write responses to fundamental biology essay prompts
• Identify the characteristics and behavior of plants and animals
• Diagram the anatomy and physiology of the human body
• Describe the ecology of living things

SCI140 - Nutrition 

Nutrition is the science that investigates how the body takes in, breaks down, and uses foods. The course will provide you with basic information on how these processes take place, including information about nutrients and how they contribute to the way the body functions. This will help you to have a better understanding of your decisions about food and diet. You’ll also learn about physical activities that can contribute to a healthier lifestyle. Because a central focus of nutrition studies is on health promotion, suggestions for individual nutrition choice will be discussed, as well as tactics for maintaining a healthy weight and keeping food supplies safe. 

Objectives:

• Describe how nutrition supports a body's wellness
• Recognize the body's use of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins 
• Identify the body's use of water, minerals, and micronutrients
• Discuss what nutritional needs are for a healthy weight and for an athletic lifestyle 
• Define food safety and the nutritional needs of humans over a lifetime
• Prepare a research paper on a nutritional topic 

In this course, the student will gain an understanding of artistic media, historical periods and artistic movements, the roles of the artist and the viewer, and the principles of art criticism.

• Define the language, visual elements, and principles of design of art
• Identify two-dimensional media
• Identify three-dimensional media
• Explain the evolution of art from ancient Mediterranean cultures through eighteenth-century Europe
• Identify features and popular examples of art throughout the history of African, Asian, Pacific, and American cultures
• Compare the genres of the Modern and Postmodern eras of art from around the world

Provides training in the kind of research and writing that students will actually be doing as paralegals, including the use of lexis.com, other online resources, and traditional print sources, in order to complete three writing and research projects.

• Analyze the process of legal writing and the areas that require legal writing
• Prepare a letter, a deed, and a memorandum using the skills acquired from the course
• Categorize the disciplines of legal research and the related components
• Identify the aids used to conduct legal researches with the help of computer programs
• Distinguish between the types of internet needs with respect to legal research and practices
• Prepare a report and memorandums on a parental custody case
• Apply the CALR system to complete legal research assignments

(3 CREDITS)

(Choose one) ...

World Civilization

This course serves as an introduction to many of the major events of the fifteenth through twenty-first centuries. It also examines the causal relationships between events and trends all across the globe.

• Identify the causes and consequences of global trade and its conflicting worldwide impact
• Describe the impact of social and industrial revolutions, fifteenth century onward, on various nations
• Recognize the conditions that led to the World Wars, decolonization, and the Cold War
• Summarize post–World War II effects on the economic and political structures around the world
• Discuss an event that occurred after the fifteenth century and had an impact on a world civilization
• Explain the effects of World War II on the world population

Introduction to Sociology

In this introduction to the field of sociology, you’ll learn about social structure, forms of power, and social relationships, as well as deviance, crime, and social control. You’ll explore issues of identity and inequality regarding class, race, ethnicity, sex, gender, and sexuality. Social institutions including the family, religion, education, work, and the media are examined, as well as the topics of health, politics, social movements, globalization, and social change.

• Examine foundational concepts and theories of sociology and recognize how they inform research
• Analyze the ways in which culture, social structure, and power influence daily life
• Evaluate the effects of socialization, interaction, deviance, and social control on human behavior
• Develop an essay reflecting on the importance of cultural traditions amid increasing globalization
• Examine the ways in which class, race, gender, and sexuality influence identity and inequality
• Distinguish the various social institutions and issues in the current global system
• Develop an essay examining the ways in which social inequality informs social change and movements

Essentials of Psychology

This course covers biology and behavior, consciousness, memory, thought and language, intelligence, personality and gender, stress, and community influences.

• Explain various states of consciousness, learning theories, and thought processes and development
• Summarize the nature of human motivation and development, the human development cycle, and approaches to understanding and assessing personality
• Prepare an essay on the topic of conditioning, memory, or motivation and emotion
• Recognize psychological disorders and available treatments
• Explain social psychology as it relates to attitudes, influences, behaviors, and stress
• Use critical thinking skills to determine the likely causes of behaviors of individuals and groups discussed in

Use of the court system to resolve disputes; involvement of paralegals in litigation support, including discovery; alternative dispute resolution methods; how paralegals can develop their skills as arbitrators and/or mediators in these methods.

• Explain the purpose of litigation and the differences between civil and criminal litigation
• Know the role of court system personnel in litigation
• Prepare and file a complaint
• Define evidence law and the requirements to make evidence admissible
• Describe hearsay and some important hearsay exceptions

(3 CREDITS)

(Choose one) ...

Music Appreciation

In this course, you'll practice the skill of active listening. Learning to listen differently will allow you to experience all kinds of music in a new way. Most listeners are familiar with how music makes them feel, and we often say we like a particular piece of music because it has a "good beat" or a beautiful melody. This course will allow you to go deeper. You'll identify what the composer might have been trying to convey and listen for the way elements of musical composition and performance make each piece unique.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Identify the building blocks of music a composer can use to create a piece, such as rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, form, and timbre
• Differentiate between the music of the baroque era and the musical styles of previous time periods
• List the major characteristics of classical music, including form, melody, and instrumentation
• Describe the musical trends and innovations that occurred during the romantic era
• Relate musical styles of the early twentieth century to comparable movements in art and literature
• Explain the evolution of American popular music in the twentieth century
• Describe the influence of world music on modern western composition
• Synthesize research comparing composers' influence in their respective genres

Textbook: Experience Music

Introduction to Literature

This course will allow you to develop your critical thinking skills and broaden your knowledge of the main genres of literature — fiction, poetry, and drama.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Explain how to effectively read fiction for both knowledge and enjoyment
• Identify different styles and forms of poetry
• Use what you've learned in this course to discuss, write about, and understand literature
• Prepare a critical interpretation of fiction or poetry based on what you've learned in this course
• Discuss how literary dramas differ from fiction and poetry
• Identify different strategies of critical literary analysis

Algebra is the mathematical language used to interpret and represent patterns in numbers by using variables, expressions, and equations. Algebra is an essential tool used in business, science, and computer technology. Throughout this course, you’ll be introduced to algebraic concepts, along with real-world application problems from a variety of fields. In addition to providing a springboard to the discovery of underlying mathematical properties, these applications illustrate the importance of mathematics in your world.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• Demonstrate effective quantitative skills
• Solve algebraic equations, linear equations, inequalities, and absolute value equations
• Solve and graph linear equations and inequalities
• Solve polynomials
• Apply algebraic operations to rational expressions and rational equations
• Solve problems involving radicals and complex numbers
• Solve quadratic equations, rational inequalities, nonlinear equations, and nonlinear inequalities
• Calculate exponential and logarithmic functions
• Solve binomial expansions, sequences, and arithmetic and geometric series
• Prepare for the final exam

Introduction to the practice and theory of criminal law; substantive criminal law; criminal procedure; criminal responsibility; major felonies recognized in most, if not all, jurisdictions; constitutional dimensions of criminal procedure; practical aspects of the criminal justice process.

• Point out the various sources of criminal law and elements of a crime
• Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge related to crimes against the person
• Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge related to non-personal crimes
• Identify defenses and rights prior to arrest
• Identify rights after arrest, during trial, and at postconviction
• Apply knowledge of criminal law to details about a criminal case

The nature and sources of law, the U.S. court systems, litigation and alternative methods of dispute resolution, constitutional and administrative law; tort law and product liability; contract law; agency law; business organizations; business ethics and social responsibility; and property rights for both personal and real property.

• Analyze the sources and structure of the U.S. legal system, and the business laws and organizations
• Point out the purpose, requirements, and criteria needed for contracts
• Distinguish between real and personal property and the relationship between principal and agent
• Analyze the principles of sales, goods, and services and laws by UCC that governs them
• Distinguish between the role of insurance, transactions, and bankruptcy in business law
• Create a case brief by following the instructions and procedure
• Prepare a written memorandum by applying your knowledge and following the instructions

Description of the current state of family law and the role of the attorney-paralegal team within it; changes in the practice of family law.

• Explain the elements of family law practice and of marriage
• Define the fundamental principles of law with annulment and the divorce process
• Identify the role of a paralegal with cases involving parenthood, child custody, child support, and adoption
• Identify the proper forum and procedural requirements for spousal support, property division, separation agreements, and family violence
• Construct legal documents in order to apply learning of the paralegal practice in the field of family law

Introductory course in real property law; basics of real property law; areas of a modern real estate practice; preparation for assisting transactional real estate attorneys; legal forms used in real estate law.

• Understand the types, content, and preparation of deeds
• Understand how real estate is described in deeds
• Define and give examples of encumbrances, easements, and licenses
• Describe some of the ways government regulates the use of real estate
• Describe the components of a real estate purchase contract and the real estate closing process
• Explain the role of lawyers and paralegals in the process of real estate financing
• List the provisions of a standard lease and explain their purpose

Basic, practical, everyday duties of paralegals working in the fields of wills, trusts, and estate administration; terminology and general principles of law that are the basis for drafting wills and trusts; planning and administering estates.

• Explain the need for end-of-life planning and estate planning
• Describe the law of succession and how to draft, validate, and administrate a will
• Summarize how the critical participants in a probate process interact with the court in administrating the decedent’s estate
• Describe how to use trusts to execute end-of-life estate planning needs
• Apply your paralegal knowledge in completing the case problem

This course provides students with a foundation in the basic concepts of public speaking. Students will learn how to research, organize, and write effective speeches; incorporate presentation aids; and rehearse and deliver speeches effectively. Students will prepare, rehearse, record, and submit speeches in a number of rhetorical styles to be graded.

• Analyze the different methods and principles required for effective public speaking
• Point out the principles, methods, and skills required to rehearse and deliver effective public speaking
• Prepare and record a narrative or speech on personal experience
• Prepare and record an informative podcast for a website
• Create and record an infomercial by using one of the mentioned methods
• Prepare and present a motivational or reasoning speech to persuade your audience
• Develop a speech by using key information delivery of a speech