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FBE 403 – Introduction to the Legal Environment of

Business

Syllabus – Fall 2015

Professor: Kevin C. Fields

Office: Bridge Hall 303E

Office Phone: 213.740.8764

E-mail: kfields@marshall.usc.edu (preferred method of

communication)

Class Details

Date:

Time:

Room:

Section:

Mon. & Wed.

4:00 – 5:50 PM

WPH B27

15320R

Office Hours

Mondays 12:30 – 2:00 PM (or by appointment)

Wednesdays 12:30 – 2:00 PM (or by appointment)

Course Description

FBE 403 (4 units) provides an introduction to legal concepts that students can apply in a business

context by providing practical legal knowledge of substantive business law topics. It will provide the long

term benefit of spotting potential legal problems and issues. This course is appropriate for all students who

wish to better understand our legal system and be empowered to analyze legal issues and situations they

may face in business.

In an overview, the course begins with an understanding of statutory and common law in the

United States then proceeds with instruction on substantive legal principles to permit the student to acquire

a sound grasp of the concepts, legal vocabulary, and rules of law which apply to the material covered;

and, provides the long term benefit of spotting potential legal problems and issues.

Topics covered in FBE 403 include: the litigation process and dispute resolution, constitutional

law, torts and negligence, products liability, strict liability, intellectual property, contracts, landlord tenant,

personal property laws, criminal law, wills and trusts and family law. This course does not cover mergers

and acquisitions nor does it discuss business entities or starting a business. That information is covered

in FBE 458.

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Learning Objectives

This course is designed to provide a broad framework and understanding of relevant issues

students will face as potential business owners, employees, parents, and citizens of society. This course

will help you develop the following:

Global Objective

o Equip students to recognize and analyze legal issues and manage legal risks in a broad area of

study

o Examinations will primarily test student’s ability to apply legal concepts discussed in class to

a factual scenario. In many situations, students will have to distinguish between relevant and

irrelevant facts to analyze the legal problem.

Detailed Objectives

o Increase the ethical sensitivity of students by exposing them to business related legal problems

that have ethical issues.

o Understand and distinguish the different classifications and sources of law and the basic

principles and key amendments set forth in the Constitution as it applies to businesses and

individuals.

o Recognize different types of legal liability including intentional torts, negligence, strict

liability, product liability and intellectual property.

o Acquaint students with the rules and regulations concerning valid contracts including the

essential elements for creation and enforcement, rights and duties of third parties, methods of

discharge and remedies for breach of contract.

o Learn about different kinds of property including sales, leases, gifts, bailments, wills, trusts

and intestate succession.

o Recognize the essential elements of criminal law and criminal procedure and understand the

types of crimes including white collar crimes, crimes against persons and crimes against

property.

o Perform a negotiation exercise. The exercise is designed to improve critical thinking by having

students examine and evaluate their assumptions both in their own possession and that of their

advisory. During the negotiation, students will make inferences and interpret non-verbal cues

and analyze statements made. At the conclusion of the negotiation, students will prepare a

paper which will require students to critique their own strategy and develop a plan for

improving their strategy for future negotiations.

o Improve critical thinking and communication skills.

MARSHALL GUIDELINES

Learning Goals: In this class, emphasis will be placed on the USC Marshall School of Business

learning goals as follows:

Goal Description Course Emphasis

1

Our graduates will understand types of markets and key business areas

and their interaction to effectively manage different types of

enterprises

Moderate

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2

Our graduates will develop a global business perspective. They will

understand how local, regional, and international markets, and

economic, social and cultural issues impact business decisions so as

to anticipate new opportunities in any marketplace

Low

3

Our graduates will demonstrate critical thinking skills so as to become

future-oriented decision makers, problem solvers and innovators

High

4 Our graduates will develop people and leadership skills to promote

their effectiveness as business managers and leaders. Moderate

5

Our graduates will demonstrate ethical reasoning skills, understand

social, civic, and professional responsibilities and aspire to add value

to society

High

6 Our graduates will be effective communicators to facilitate

information flow in organizational, social, and intercultural contexts. Moderate

Required Materials Textbook: Business Law: Legal Environment, Online Commerce, Business Ethics, and

International Issues (9th Edition)

Author: Henry R. Cheeseman

Publisher: Prentice Hall (2016)

ISBN-10: 0-13-400400-0

ISBN-13: 978-0-13-400400-6

Other: Slides, handouts, negotiation materials, supplemental readings/articles, and grades will be

posted on Blackboard

Prerequisites: None

Other Materials: Wall Street Journal Subscription.

While not a required reading, students are strongly encourage to read (or begin reading) and

become more familiar with the Wall Street Journal. Many a recruiter, especially business and accounting

majors, have asked former students to discuss an article or topic they read in the past couple of days from

the WSJ and discuss it with them while they are being interviewed. As a student you can sign up for the

WSJ at very inexpensive rates ($1.00 per week).

Note that the student rate provides access to the WSJ digital access (web, tablet and smartphone)

as well. The WSJ’s digital access in my opinion is one of the best digital newspapers around and is updated

frequently throughout the day and utilizes the functionality of iPads and other digital devices very well.

If interested:

1. Complete the order form online

a. www.wsj.com/studentoffer

b. Enter your information (school, name, email address, birth date)

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c. Select me as your referring professor

d. Upon completion, you will have access to the WSJ Digital edition immediately and the

delivery of the print edition of the WSJ should begin in 3-5 business days.

Course Notes: Details that are contained on the course BlackBoard site as well as other pertinent

information include:

1. BlackBoard site will include:

a. Course Documents

i. Includes the syllabus, instructions for the negotiation exercise and the court visit

assignment

b. Lecture slides

i. The PowerPoint lecture slides are grouped by topics covered on Midterm 1,

Midterm 2 and the Final respectively.

ii. The slides are guides for classroom topics and discussion. You are required to

know the material discussed in the book and in the classroom – the slides are not

comprehensive as to what you are expected to know and be tested on.

iii. Slides will be posted frequently throughout the semester.

c. Negotiation Materials

i. Instructions for the negotiation exercise and any reading materials

ii. Link to turn in your negotiation paper through Turnitin

d. Exam and Grade Information

i. A sample midterm exam will be posted

1. The exam which will be posted is either a whole or partial exam from a prior

semester.

2. I do not answer questions about prior exams. You will learn more by

studying and trying to answer the questions in a group.

3. Exam hints are provided throughout the course – If you have been attending

class, you will be adequately prepared.

ii. Midterm & Final answer keys

iii. Midterm & Final grades

iv. I will periodically post a class total point standing by student ID number. The

information will be posted and current as of a certain date clearly indicated by the

file. Note the first posting of point standing will occur after the first midterm.

1. You are responsible for verifying that your grades are properly recorded.

The last day to make any correction to the gradebook is the last day of class.

No gradebook corrections will be made thereafter, including after the final

exam is taken.

2. Office Hours (located in Bridge Hall 303E)

a. If students have any questions about the material covered in the class they should not

hesitate to see or contact me.

b. If a student cannot make the regular office hours, they should first try to send me an email.

While I can also be reached at 213.740.8764, I do not have any university voicemail.

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However, I usually check and respond quickly to email and at all hours of the day (and

night).

3. Check the dates of your final examinations. No makeup for a final examination will be given, with

the following exceptions:

a. If the student can establish to my satisfaction that the student has three final examinations

on the same day (not within 24 hours of each other) one is scheduled for this class. The

current policy of the University of Southern California is to reschedule one of three

regularly scheduled final exams on one day; and/or,

b. If the student can establish to my satisfaction there is a verifiable conflict with any other

regularly scheduled examination during the final exam period for this class; or,

c. In the context of extenuating circumstances with my prior written permission given in

advance of an examination. Verifiable proof will be required to evidence the basis for such

a request.

d. Note the foregoing does not apply to midterm examinations or the dates other assessments

are due.

Key Course Dates

Please Note: The date/time of the Final Exam is determined by the University. For the date and time of

the final for this class, consult the USC Schedule of Classes at www.usc.edu/soc. Select the corresponding

semester to view and click on the “Final Examinations Schedule” link on the left side of the screen.

Date Time

1st Midterm Exam Monday, September 28, 2015 During class

Court Report (Last Names A-L) Wednesday, October 21, 2015 Beginning of class

2nd

Midterm Exam Wednesday, October 28, 2015 During class

Court Report (Last Names M-Z) Monday, November 09, 2015 Beginning of class

Negotiation Paper Monday, November 23, 2015 Beginning of class

Final Exam Wednesday, December 09, 2015 4:30-6:30 p.m.

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Grading Summary:

After each midterm exam and the final exam, students will receive a grade for that exam; however,

the more important performance predictor for the student’s final course grade is a student’s class rank.

Rank is more important than the interim letter grades because at the end of the semester, the total points

accumulated throughout the semester are curved to ensure compliance with the standards and policies of

the Marshall School of Business, and the academic policies and procedures of the University. Final grades

for this course depend upon how students perform in this class relative to other students. While there is

no mandated curve or hard target, this class’ GPA has been historically around 3.3.

As the exams (Midterm 1, Midterm 2 and the Final exam) account for a significant portion of the

final grade in the course, there is a high correlation between the grades students receive on the midterm

exams and final exam and their final course grade. Final course grade variances from this average are

attributable to a student’s performance on the other assignments in the course (e.g. participation,

negotiation paper, etc.).

Once the exam grades and final course grades are in place, they will not be reset to accommodate

individual requests. No relief will be granted on that basis. Grades are not open to negotiation. Petitions

for exceptions or understanding of particular needs to attain a higher grade (e.g. graduate school, university

graduation honors, etc.) for some reason will not be honored.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING DETAIL

Exams

All examinations are closed book/closed notes and non-cumulative. While every examination will

ask students to recognize definitions, the focus of the examinations will be on the application of the legal

principles that have been taught to factual scenarios. Therefore, in preparing for an examination, students

will need to know the legal principles and then be able to apply those principles to factual situations. It

can be very helpful to form and use a study group to review the material. Cooperative learning assists

students in identifying their areas of weakness.

Assessment Points % of Grade

Tests

Midterm #1 165 28%

Midterm #2 165 28%

Final Exam 165 28%

Court report 15 3%

Negotiation Paper 30 5%

Participation 40 7%

Total points 580 100%

FBE 403 Grading

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Exam Policies

1. I will supply scantrons and paper for the short answer questions.

2. No textbooks, notes, electronic equipment, devices, or similar material are to be open or used

during any examination.

3. No talking or communicating with anyone in any form, except the instructor, is allowed during

any exam. Failure to abide by this rule will result at a minimum of receiving a 0 for the exam

and potential submission to Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards (SJACS).

4. It is your responsibility to check your exam to ensure that no pages are omitted and that you

have answered all of the questions (including all short answer questions). Requests for

regarding or additional points will not be honored.

5. You are responsible for adequately erasing modified answers on your scantron. Scantrons that

are incorrectly graded due to poor erasure marks will not be honored.

6. Unfortunately, from time to time, exam answers may be incorrect. In the event the answer key

was incorrectly marked (i.e. the answer is B rather than C) the exam will be graded to reflect

the correct answer. Where there are two or more correct answers, both answers will receive

credit. Where the question is vague all will receive credit for that question.

Makeup Exams

Make-up midterms will be given only in exceptional circumstances. Makeup examinations will

be graded on the same curve as the class exam. Student-athletes and students with a religious holiday on

the day of the exam must make arrangements with the instructor at least one week prior to an exam date.

Make-up exams will be administered at times convenient for the professor. These times may be

inconvenient with you; therefore, it is advised you make every opportunity to take the scheduled

examination.

Exam answer challenges, discussed below, do not apply to makeup examinations. In addition, on

occasion I have been known to include an extra credit question on examinations. Makeup examinations

do not include any extra credit questions.

Exam Answer Challenges

Exam answers will be posted shortly after the exam (typically within a few hours). If you want to

challenge the posted answer, you must do the following within 2 calendar days of the posting of the

answer key (for Midterm 1 and 2). Challenges to the final must be provided within 1 calendar day

of the posting of the answer key:

1. E-mail me with the following information:

a. the name of the course in the subject line (i.e. FBE 403);

b. the version number of the test in the subject line (A or B);

c. the question number involved; and,

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d. A complete analysis and argument of why your choice is the best of those presented within

2 calendar days of the examination. Your arguments are to be based upon what has been

taught in the course and in the book. Arguments based upon extraneous analyses are not

read.

2. Once challenges have been received and reviewed, I will post a revised answer key to the exam on

Blackboard

3. No further discussion of the answers will be entertained as the curve will be set following the

challenge period.

Participation and Preparation

Students are expected to read each week’s assigned reading prior to class, and be prepared to

discuss and examine the concepts during class. It is expected that students will have read the material in

advance in order to make the class periods as engaging as possible. Students should always proceed to

the next reading assignment whether the previous reading has been fully discussed in class. Students

should also prepare thoroughly before class, making sure that they are clear on each concept as they

progress through the course. Please do not hesitate to ask (or answer) questions. I enjoy the discussion

and it makes class more interesting.

To encourage students to prepare for class, participation will be taken 5 times during the semester.

While the various tasks that make up the participation may vary over the semester (e.g. Poll Everywhere

participation, in class questions, etc.) credit for participating will be counted by your signature on a

participation sheet taken on the day participation is checked. Failure to sign the participation log on the

day of the participation will result in not receiving participation for the day. Only 4 of the 5 participation

checks will be counted for each student (i.e. you are allowed to miss 1 of the 5 times participation is taken

and still receive full participation points). Each of the participation checks is worth 10 points for a

maximum total 40 points in the course. Participating at all 5 checks does not give you any additional

points as 1 participation check is not counted.

Students who routinely and consistently participate in meaningful class discussions may receive

participation points to offset a missed class or two when a participation check was administered.

If you will miss class to participate in a university sponsored activity, or religious holiday, you are

responsible for informing me in writing at least one week before the impending absence. Such absence

shall not count as a missed class.

Having a job interview, the cold, flu, or just not wanting to attend class are not excused absences

and you will not receive credit for the day missed.

Poll Everywhere

To improve interaction and stimulate discussion during class I plan to use Poll Everywhere to test

student’s understanding of concepts discussed in class. In order to participate with Poll Everywhere you

need to bring your cell phone, smartphone or laptop to class. You will be able to submit your answers to

in class questions by either text messaging the answer or voting over the web.

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Poll Everywhere will be used often with end of chapter questions throughout the semester designed

to assist you in understanding the material. They assist me in focusing and explaining answer choices that

many people have missed without utilizing class time for answer choices/questions that the class

understands.

Court Report

Students will be required to visit either a federal or state court during this semester. You may not

report on a prior court experience, you must make a court visit for the singular purpose of fulfilling this

class requirement. You may attend court at any location most convenient to you (i.e. within or outside of

Los Angeles County). As part of this assignment you will be required to write a short paper on your

experience. Comprehensive details related to this assignment with instructions, court suggestions and

requirements are posted on Blackboard entitled Court Visit Assignment.

A hard copy of this assignment must be turned in on the due date noted in the syllabus below. Any

assignment turned in late, will receive a grade deduction noted in the Court Visit Assignment document.

If you are unable to attend class on that day, make arrangement for it to be delivered to the classroom or

to my inbox in the FBE office (BRI 308) by the start of class.

Negotiation Exercise and Paper

Students will take part in a negotiation exercise this semester on a topic or legal principle discussed

in this course to provide a real world experience to the concepts learned in class. You will need to read a

brief summary prior to class of the exercise and prepare any pre class required documents. Detailed

information will be provided on Blackboard entitled under Negotiation. Students will need to prepare a

critical thinking paper on their experience. More details related to this assignment with instructions will

be provided on Blackboard.

The assignment must be turned in electronically through Turnitin on Blackboard. The assignment

is due at the start of our regularly scheduled class time. Any assignment turned in late, will receive a grade

deduction noted in the Negotiation Exercise document. If your internet breaks down on the due date, you

must go to the library, a friend’s residence, or other arrangement to electronically submit the assignment

by the start of class.

Class Notes Policy

Notes or recordings made by students based on a university class or lecture may only be made for

purposes of individual or group study, or for other non-commercial purposes that reasonably arise from

the student’s membership in the class or attendance at the university. This restriction also applies to any

information distributed, disseminated or in any way displayed for use in relationship to the class, whether

obtained in class, via Blackboard, email or otherwise on the Internet, or via any other medium. Actions in

violation of this policy constitute a violation of the Student Conduct Code, and may subject an individual

or entity to university discipline and/or legal proceedings.

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No recording and copyright notice

No student may record any lecture, class discussion or meeting with me without my prior express

written permission. The word “record” or the act of recording includes, but is not limited to, any and all

means by which sound or visual images can be stored, duplicated or retransmitted whether by an electro-

mechanical, analog, digital, wire, electronic or other device or any other means of signal encoding. I

reserve all rights, including copyright, to my lectures, PowerPoint slides, course syllabi and related

materials, including summaries, exams (current and prior), answer keys, and all supplementary course

materials available to the students enrolled in my class whether posted on Blackboard or otherwise. They

may not be reproduced, distributed, copied, or disseminated in any media or in any form, including but

not limited to all course note-sharing websites. Exceptions are made for students who have made prior

arrangements with DSP and me.

Actions in violation of this policy constitute a violation of the Student Conduct Code, and may

subject an individual or entity to university discipline and/or legal proceedings.

No Legal Advice

The material presented and the classroom discussions are for the students’ edification. They are

not intended to be legal advice to students in connection with any legal issue they or others may have. If

students have a legal matter, they are advised to promptly consult an experienced attorney who can

confidentially and fully review the facts and advise them of their legal rights and remedies. Quite often,

the facts dictate the result and only in the context of an attorney-client relationship can they be reviewed

and legal opinions rendered.

MARSHALL GUIDELINES

Add/Drop Process

In compliance with USC and Marshall’s policies classes are open enrollment (R-clearance)

through the first week of class. All classes are closed (switched to D-clearance) at the end of the first week.

This policy minimizes the complexity of the registration process for students by standardizing across

classes.

I can drop you from my class, without prior consent, if you don’t attend the first two class sessions.

The instructor is not required to notify the student that s/he is being dropped. Please note: If you decide

to drop, or if you choose not to attend the first two sessions and are dropped, you risk being not being able

to add to another section this semester, since they might reach capacity. You can only add a class after the

first week of classes if you receive approval from the instructor.

Retention of Graded Coursework:

Final exams and all other graded work which affected the course grade will be retained for one

year after the end of the course if the graded work has not been returned to the student; i.e., if I returned a

graded paper to you, it is your responsibility to file it, not mine.

Technology Policy

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Laptop usage during class is permissible for the purposes of taking notes. Internet usage is not

permitted during academic or professional sessions unless otherwise stated by the respective professor.

Use of other personal communication devices, such as cell phones, is considered unprofessional and is not

permitted during academic or professional sessions. All such devices (cell phones, I-pods) must be

completely turned off during class time. Videotaping and audiotaping lectures is not allowed and violates

copyright regulations. Use of any recorded or distributed material is reserved exclusively for the USC

students registered in this class.

Statement for Students with Disabilities

Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with

Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved

accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me (or to your TA)

as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in GFS 120 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday

through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776. For more information visit

www.usc.edu/disability. Please provide me (or my TA) the appropriate form two weeks in advance

of an examination.

If you are taking an examination at the DSP office and believe that a question is unclear,

incomplete, ambiguous or otherwise defective, you are advised that additional pages will be attached to

the examination placed at DSP. If you are making such a contention, then, you are required to clearly

state the problem you encountered with the question and why you answered the question in the manner

you did. Only with such information in hand at the time I grade your examination will I be able to gauge

the appropriateness of giving you credit for your answer to the subject question.

If for some reason, you must take the examination after the class has taken the examination, you

will take a comparable examination to that given the students in class.

Statement on Academic Integrity

USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty

include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work

will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own

academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students

are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook,

(www.usc.edu/scampus or http://scampus.usc.edu) contains the University Student Conduct Code (see

University Governance, Section 11.00), while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A.

Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for

further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found

at: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/. Failure to adhere to the academic conduct standards set

forth by these guidelines and our programs will not be tolerated by the USC Marshall community and can

lead to dismissal.

The following are considered unacceptable examination behaviors: communication with fellow

students during an examination, copying materials from another student’s exam, allowing another student

to copy from an exam, the use of electronic devices to communicate to others during the exam, possession

or use of unauthorized notes, electronic or other dictionaries during exams. The University’s Student

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Conduct Code will be strictly applied. Students cannot achieve grades that they have not legitimately

earned. Part of Marshall’s mission is to remind students of the value systems that will regulate their

business lives, and breaching ethical standards cannot be condoned.

Academic Conduct

Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own

words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the

discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Section 11, Behavior Violating University Standards

https://scampus.usc.edu/1100-behavior-violating-university-standards-and-appropriate-sanctions/. Other

forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and

university policies on scientific misconduct, http://policy.usc.edu/scientific-misconduct/.

Discrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university. You are

encouraged to report any incidents to the Office of Equity and Diversity http://equity.usc.edu/ or to the

Department of Public Safety http://capsnet.usc.edu/department/department-public-safety/online-

forms/contact-us. This is important for the safety whole USC community. Another member of the

university community – such as a friend, classmate, advisor, or faculty member – can help initiate the

report, or can initiate the report on behalf of another person. The Center for Women and Men

http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/cwm/ provides 24/7 confidential support, and the sexual assault

resource center webpage sarc@usc.edu describes reporting options and other resources.

Support Systems

A number of USC’s schools provide support for students who need help with scholarly writing.

Check with your advisor or program staff to find out more. Students whose primary language is not

English should check with the American Language Institute http://dornsife.usc.edu/ali, which sponsors

courses and workshops specifically for international graduate students. The Office of Disability Services

and Programs http://sait.usc.edu/academicsupport/centerprograms/dsp/home_index.html provides

certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations. If an officially

declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency Information

http://emergency.usc.edu/ will provide safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will

be continued by means of blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technology.

Emergency Preparedness/Course Continuity

In case of a declared emergency if travel to campus is not feasible, USC executive leadership will

announce an electronic way for instructors to teach students in their residence halls or homes using a

combination of Blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technologies.

Please activate your course in Blackboard with access to the course syllabus. Whether or not you

use Blackboard regularly, these preparations will be crucial in an emergency. USC's Blackboard learning

management system and support information is available at blackboard.usc.edu.

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Incomplete Grades Explanation

A mark of IN (incomplete) may be assigned when work is not completed because of a documented

illness or other “emergency” that occurs after the 12th week of the semester (or the twelfth week equivalent

for any course that is scheduled for less than 15 weeks).

An “emergency” is defined as a serious documented illness, or an unforeseen situation that is

beyond the student’s control, that prevents a student from completing the semester. Prior to the 12th

week, the student still has the option of dropping the class. Arrangements for completing an IN must be

initiated by the student and agreed to by the instructor prior to the final examination. If an Incomplete is

assigned as the student’s grade, the instructor is required to fill out an “Assignment of an Incomplete

(IN) and Requirements for Completion” form (http://www.usc.edu/dept/ARR/grades/index.html)

which specifies to the student and to the department the work remaining to be done, the procedures for

its completion, the grade in the course to date, and the weight to be assigned to work remaining to be

done when the final grade is computed. Both the instructor and student must sign the form with a copy

of the form filed in the department. Class work to complete the course must be completed within one

calendar year from the date the IN was assigned. The IN mark will be converted to an F grade should

the course not be completed.

Date Day Reading Material Class Discussion

8/24 M Syllabus Course Introduction

8/26 WChapter 1: Legal Heritage and the Digital Age

Chapter 2: Courts and Jurisdiction

Introduction

Federal and State Court Systems

8/31 M

Chapter 3: Judicial, Alternative and E-Dispute Resolution

The Walt Disney Company lawsuit (on Blackboard - bring

to class)

Litigation process and Dispute Resolution

Disney lawsuit as litigation example

Video: Deposition Example (~2 min)

9/2 WChapter 4: Constitutional Law for Business and E-

CommerceConstitutional Law for Business and E-Commerce

9/7 M

9/9 W Chapter 5: Intentional Torts and NegligenceTorts

Video: A Civil Action (~5 Min)

9/14 MNegligence & Defenses

Critical thinking - hypothetical & discussion

9/16 W Chapter 6: Product and Strict Liability

Strict Liability and Product Liability

Video: Noland v. Galloway Pharm.(~10 min)

Critical thinking - hypothetical & discussion

9/21 M Chapter 7: Intellectual Property and Cyber Piracy Trade secrets, patents

9/23 WCopyrights and trademarks

Intellectual Property Class hypothetical

9/28 M

9/30 W Chapter 9: Nature of Traditional and E-Contracts

Contract Law Introduction

Details of Court Report Discussed

Video: Contracts (~ 9 min)

10/5 M Chapter 10: Agreement Contract Elements: Agreement & Acceptance

10/7 W Chapter 11: Consideration and Promissory EstoppelContract Elements: Consideration, Gifts and Promissory

Estoppel

10/12 M Chapter 12: Capacity and Legality Capacity to form contracts & legality of a contract

10/14 WChapter 13: Genuineness of Assent and Undue

Influence

Contract rescission: Undue Influence, Mistake, Fraud,

Duress

10/19 MChapter 14: Statute of Frauds & Equitable

ExceptionsStatute of Frauds, Parole Evidence Rule

10/21 W Chapter 16: Breach of Contracts and RemediesContract Remedies

Court Reports Due (Last Names A-L)

10/26 MContract Remedies (Cont.)

In Class review of Contract

10/28 W

11/2 M Negotiation packet (on Blackboard) Negotiation Class exercise

11/4 W Chapter 21: Warranties Express and Implied Warranties

11/9 MChapter 31: Employment, Worker Protection, and

Immigration Law

Court Reports Due (Last Names M-Z)

Employment law

11/11 WChapter 42: Ethics and Social Responsibility of

Business

Ethics

Video Clip: Malden Mills (~13 min)

11/16 M Chapter 47: Personal Property and Bailment Personal Property acquisition and disposition, Bailments

11/18 W Chapter 8: Criminal Law and Cybercrime Criminal Law & Procedure

11/23 M

Negotiation Paper Due

Criminal Law & Procedure (Cont.)

Video: To Defend a Killer (~39 Minutes)

11/25 W

11/30 M Chapter 52: Wills, Trusts, and EstatesWills, Trusts, Gifts

Advanced Health Care Directives (living wills)

12/2 W Chapter 53: Family Law Marriage, Divorce, Prenuptual agreements and business

12/9 W

COURSE READINGS/CLASS SESSIONS

Fall 2015

Midterm #1

Midterm #2

FINAL EXAM

~ Labor Day ~

~ Thanksgiving Break ~