Course Syllabus

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Course Description:

Fundamental legal principles pertaining to business transactions.  Introduction to the legal process.   Topics include sources of law and ethics, contracts, torts, agency, criminal law, business organizations, and judicial and administrative processes.

Student Learning Outcomes:

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to: 

  • Explain the historical development of the law, operation of the court system, and sources of commercial law.
  • Explain the social, political, and ethical implications of the law and their application to actual and hypothetical business transactions.
  • Distinguish between torts and crimes and describe the purpose of criminal and tort law.
  • Evaluate when a promise is enforceable, the elements of a contract, performance, and the remedies available in the event of a breach.
  • Distinguish between contracts governed by the Uniform Commercial Code and those governed by the common law of contracts.
  • Analyze cases. Identify issues and apply the appropriate legal rules to the fact patterns to reach defensible legal conclusions.
  • Demonstrate the ability to utilize the internet to research legal issues and utilize other computer skills to enhance effective business communications and presentations through the use of appropriate business and legal terminology.
  • Analyze whether a source is a reliable source for legal information.
  • Perform legal research, including evaluating and interpreting a court citation and locating a court case on an assigned topic.
  • Categorize the types of government agencies, powers, and functions, control through congressional action, executive action, and the courts.
  • Differentiate the relationship between state and federal systems, jurisdiction, and the importance of alternate dispute resolution methods to the participants
  • Demonstrate how cases progress through the court system from problem, to filing, to trial, and appeal.
  • Appraise the relationship between law and ethics.
  • Describe the various agency relationships and the duties and liabilities of agents and principals. Describe the Constitutional basis for federal governmental regulation of business, including limits of government power. 
  • Explain a corporation’s legal structure and differentiate it from other forms of business organization, the meaning of limited liability for the owners; describe the relationship of the various stakeholders.

Course Content:

  • Sources of and reasons for the law.
  • Administrative agencies. 
  • State and federal court systems, jurisdiction, and methods for alternate dispute resolution.
  • Progress of a case through the court system, the role of judge, jury, lawyers, and the parties.
  • The appellate process, types of motions, rulings, judgments, and enforcement of judgments. 
  • Law and ethics, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder relationships, and ethical decision-making. 
  • Contracts under the common law and Uniform Commercial Code, classification, contract terms and elements, performance.
  • Enforcement, breach, and remedies, third person beneficiary contracts, assignment of contracts. 
  • Creation of an agency relationship, duties of agents, principals, liabilities (tort and contract) of principals, agents. 
  • Torts are distinguished from crimes, intentional torts, negligence, business torts, strict liability, tort reform, and proposals. 
  • Basics of criminal law and how crimes affect business. 
  • Sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, limited liability companies, corporations, corporate structure and governance. 
  • Application of the U.S. Constitution to business activities.

Textbook:

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!

You can use whichever formats you want. The web view is recommended -- the responsive design works seamlessly on any device.

Important Notes:

  • Any student needing accommodations should inform the instructor as soon as possible.
  • Academic dishonesty and plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the assignment. Using someone else's ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is a serious offense known as plagiarism. Please see the Crafton Hills College handbook for policies regarding plagiarism, harassment, etc.

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS

  • Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes
    • Read through each chapter as assigned weekly. The information given in the book will corollate directly with your quizzes and discussion forums. In weeks 3, 5, and 7, you will be reading and quizzed on 1 chapter and be assigned a discussion board on said chapter. On all other weeks (except week 8) you will be reading and quizzed on 2 chapters. On week 8 you will be reading and quizzed on 3 chapters to finish off the term. Be sure to plan accordingly.
  • Introduce Yourself
    • Introduce yourself to your classmates. This will be worth 5 points.
  • Course Requirements Checklist
    • After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the
      related checklist found in Modules/Getting Started by end of day Thursday of week 1. This will be worth 5 points.
  • Discussion Board Forums 
    • The student is required to provide a thread of 250–500 words in response to the
      provided prompt for each discussion question. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to at least 2 other classmates’ threads in at least 150 words each by the end of class week. There will be three Discussion boards total, on weeks 3, 5, and 7. The grading will be as follows: The initial response to the chosen question will be scored up to 50 points. The replies will be scored up to 25 points a piece. This allows a total score possible of 100 points. I will be grading these after the week ends and updating the scores based on the timeliness, quality of the answers, the number of words, and responses that are given.
  • Quizzes
    • There will be a quiz given for each chapter of reading that you are assigned. They will be a selection of True/False and multiple-choice questions taken from the content of the chapters. In weeks 1,2,4, and 6 you will be reading and quizzed on two chapters which will be worth 100 points a piece. In weeks 3,5, and 7, you will be reading and quizzed on just one chapter and they will be worth 50 points a piece.  In week 8 you will be reading and quizzed on three chapters which will be worth 150 points. 

COURSE GRADING AND POLICIES

  • Points
    • Course Requirements Checklist = 5
    • Introduce Yourself = 5
    • Discussion Board Forums (3 at 100 points each) = 300
    • Quizzes (4 at 100 points each for weeks 1-2, 4, and 6) (3 at 50 points each for weeks 3,5, and 7) (1 at 150 points on week 8) = 700
      • Total = 1010

Course Summary:

Date Details Due