Stetson University Launches Summer Pre-Law Institute for Undergrad Students

DELAND, Fla., April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Stetson University in Central Florida is now accepting applications for its new Stetson University Summer Pre-Law Institute, a rigorous, six-week course in which undergraduate college students will be chosen to prepare for law school and a career in the legal field.

Students enrolled in the unique program will spend four weeks on Stetson's DeLand, Fla., campus, taking a critical thinking course designed for pre-law students, and two weeks at the Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport/St. Petersburg in an immersion program designed to introduce students to the law school experience and the practice of law. Pre-law students, from a variety of majors, can develop their critical thinking, writing, problem-solving, and interpretation skills, preparing them for the competitive law school admissions process and creating a vision for themselves as law students and lawyers. The program will cost about $6,000, which includes campus housing. This year's Summer Pre-Law Institute will be held June 6 to July 15.

Faculty for the program are full-time Stetson University faculty:

--  Dr. Rebecca B. Watts, assistant professor of communication studies at
        Stetson University, earned her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. Her
        research interests center on the application of rhetorical theory and
        criticism to public culture. Her book, Contemporary Southern Identity:
        Community through Controversy (University Press of Mississippi, 2008),
        reflects her research and teaching interests in the application of
        rhetorical theory and criticism to understanding Southern culture
        specifically and public discourse in general.
    --  Dr. David L. Hill, associate professor of political science at Stetson
        University, teaches courses in the areas of American politics and
        research methodology. His research focus is in political behavior with a
        specific interest in the interaction between institutions and political
        participation. He has published articles in American Politics Research,
        Electoral Studies, State and Local Government Review, American Review of
        Politics, and Politics and Policy. He published the book American Voter
        Turnout: An Institutional Perspective (Westview Press, 2006), which
        explores the impact of governmental and electoral institutional
        arrangements on turnout in American elections. He received his Ph.D.
        from the University of Florida.
    --  Kirsten Davis is an associate professor of law and director of the Legal
        Research and Writing Program at Stetson University College of Law. She
        is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Legal
        Writing Directors, and she writes on the topics of legal writing, law
        and rhetoric, professional responsibility and work/life balance. Her
        doctoral dissertation, in progress, focuses on the rhetorical
        construction of work and family issues in the regulatory context. Davis
        teaches Professional Responsibility and Legal Research and Writing.

To apply for the Stetson University Summer Pre-Law Institute, undergraduate college students must have at least a 3.0 GPA and have completed at least two full years of university study. Applications are now being accepted for summer 2011, with admissions beginning immediately and continuing until the program is full.

For more information and to apply online, visit: http://www.stetson.edu/artsci/prelaw/summer.php.

Contacts: Dr. David Hill at [e-mail], Dr. Rebecca Watts at [e-mail], and Professor Kirsten Davis at [e-mail].

Visit www.stetson.edu and www.law.stetson.edu.

Founded in 1883, Stetson University in Central Florida is an independent university that provides a transforming education in the liberal arts tradition. Stetson stresses academic excellence and community-engaged learning, and consistently earns high national rankings. In 1982, Stetson was awarded a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honorary society. The College of Arts & Sciences, School of Business Administration and School of Music are located at the historic campus in DeLand. The College of Law is in Gulfport/St. Petersburg. The university also has two satellite centers: the Tampa Law Center and the Stetson University Center at Celebration near Orlando. More information: University Marketing, 386-822-8920. Stay Connected with Stetson on social media.

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Stetson University

CONTACT: Cindi Brownfield, University Marketing, [phone]; main
line [phone]; cell [phone], [e-mail]

Web site: http://www.stetson.edu/