College Park Scholars Justice and Legal Thought Program (CPJT) examines the connections between law and justice by challenging students to ask: “What is the right thing to do?” Using the greater Washington, D.C.-Baltimore-Annapolis area as their laboratory, students investigate justice as it pertains to real-world situations. This unique collaboration taps the faculty and scholarly expertise of the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.
CPJT is an innovative, interdisciplinary and experiential approach to the study of justice and the law. Students will be introduced to justice and legal thought through courses taught by faculty in the University of Maryland’s Government, Philosophy and History Department as well as law faculty from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Coursework will challenge students to explore the ethical and historical foundations of a just society, and examine legal topics from an interdisciplinary perspective. Each course will respond to "big questions" also raised in the previous course.
Because laws cannot be established or evolved without a consideration of the first-order principles of ethics and justice, CPJT will challenge students to explore ethics from a social sciences and humanities perspective, and examine justice in terms of real world situations. They will examine societal change in its various legal contexts, be it social justice, criminal justice or preventative justice. As CPJT deepens students’ understanding of justice and the role of law to advance a just society, students will also be introduced to the interdisciplinary examination of legal topics, and will gain research skills and experiential activities that will prepare them for successful careers in any field.
Students will have the opportunity to apply concepts studied in the classroom to real world situations. This will occur through service-learning and academic enrichment activities. Students will attend field trips, volunteer at service sites, participate in simulations and regularly attend MLaw lectures and events. As students experience their fast changing modern legal environment, they will gain important skills in critical thinking, argumentation, and problem solving.
College Park could not be better located for putting legal thought into action. Our location exposes students to legal practice and consequences at all levels: local, state and federal. The proximity to Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Annapolis provides unique opportunities and entrees into government, NGO, and non-profit sectors. Along with co-curricular opportunities, CPJT students will visit and network with national, state and local leaders.
Through CPJT students will reap advantages of both a small school experience along with the esprit that comes with attending a Big-10 school like the University of Maryland.
CPJT is sponsored by MLaw Programs. MLaw is a state-of-the-art collaboration between the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, driven by MPower.
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