Legal Spanish Minor

Adviser: Marianne Mason
Phone: (540) 568-6327
Email: masonmx@jmu.edu 

The minor in legal Spanish is designed for students who wish to improve and consolidate their knowledge of Spanish in several legal areas. Students acquire a basic understanding of the differences between common law and Roman law and investigate several branches of law such as civil law, labor law, criminal law and commercial law in Spanish-speaking countries. The main aims of the minor are to teach students how to use specific legal terms in Spanish and to manage legal documents such as contracts, as well as to prepare students to understand cultural differences and to identify and communicate terminology and phraseology needed for effective cross-cultural communication in the public safety arena. The minor provides a framework for learning the appropriate Spanish usage for thematic areas such as victim reporting, field interviews, investigations, traffic stops, armed and dangerous calls, medical emergencies, and public safety situations.