Tentative Syllabus: LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS II
ON-LINE
COURSE SYLLABUS
Fall 2004
[NOTE TO STUDENTS: IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU PROVIDE THE INSTRUCTOR WITH YOUR CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESS AS IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO THE CLASS IS COMMUNICATED BY EMAIL.]
I.INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Bert Whitaker
Faculty Office #L111-H
Telephone (386) 312-4220
email: bertwhitaker@sjrcc.edu
II. OFFICE HOURS:
Monday , Wednesday 8:50 – 10:50
Tuesday, Thursday: 9:15 – 11:15
Monday 4:00 – 6:00
III. COURSE SYMBOL AND TITLE: (3 credits- 3 hours)
BUL 2132 Legal Environment of Business II
IV. TEXT: Business
Law and the Legal Environment; Comprehensive Volume 19th edition;
V. CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
A study of legal concepts in the business and commercial setting. Substantive areas to be covered include, personal property, sales, commercial paper (negotiable instruments), secured transactions, real property, and estates.
VI. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of BUL 1241 the student should be able to:
A. Demonstrate a knowledge of the law as it affects businesses in the following fields:
1. Personal property
2. Sales
3. Negotiable instruments
4. Debtor-creditor relationships
5. Real property
6. Estates
B. Apply these principles to factual situations sufficiently to recognize a legal problem when it arises and to seek professional advice.
V. COURSE CONTENT
UNIT I
Chapter 21 Personal Property and Bailments
Chapter 23 Nature and form of sales
Chapter 24 Title and risk of loss
Chapter 25 Product liability
Chapter 26 Obligations and performance
Chapter 27 Remedies for breach of sales contract
UNIT II
Chapter 28 Kinds of instruments, parties, and negotiability
Chapter 29 Transfer of negotiable instruments and warranties
Chapter 30 Liabilities of parties
Chapter 31 Checks and fund transfers
UNIT III
Chapter 32 Nature of the debtor-creditor relationship
Chapter 33 Consumer protection
Chapter 34 Secured transactions in personal property
Chapter 35 Bankruptcy
Chapter 36 Insurance
UNIT IV
Chapter 49 Nature and ownership of real property
Chapter 50 Environmental law and land use controls
Chapter 51 Leases
Chapter 52 Decedents’ estates and trusts
VIII. EXPECTATIONS:
An on-line course requires that students be disciplined and self-motivated in ways different from a traditional lecture-based course. I will not be standing over you, making sure that you are coming to class, looking you in the eyes to see if you are understanding the material, and asking you questions to make sure you are adequately preparing for exams. The information you need to do well on the exams will be made available to you.
However, it will be up to you to access and understand that material. (For some practical information on available resources, see “Orientation” link on home page.)
I consider you as my student just as if you were sitting in my classroom and will be just as available to you outside of class as any student. You may call me, email me, or come by the office. I welcome your visits.
IX. TESTS AND GRADING:
There will be four non-cumulative tests for the course. The tests will be a combination of multiple choice and short essay. The multiple choice portion of each exam will consist of fifty questions accounting of 50% of the test grade. The short discussion portions will consist of 5 questions making up the remaining 50%. The exams will be open book and open notes. All tests will be counted for grade averaging purposes, i.e., there will be no “drop” grade.
You will submit your answers by the email provided within the course, and they are due no later than the third day after the posting of the test.
The dates the exams will be posted and the due dates are as follows:
Test Number Date
Posted Date
Due
Test 1 – Unit I September 17 September 19
Test 2 – Unit II October 15 October 17
Test 3 – Unit III November 12 November 14
Test 4 – Unit IV December 8 December 10
X. GRADING:
The final grade will be based on the following:
Test average: 90%
Weekly Discussion Postings (see below): 10%
The grading scale is:
92 - 100 A; 83 - 91 B; 70 - 82 C; 60 - 69 D; below 60 F
XI. WEEKLY DISCUSSION POSTINGS
On Monday of each week, I will pose a discussion question intended to stimulate thinking and discussion concerning some topic in the law. You will be expected to respond to each question. There will probably be no “right” or “wrong” answer. You will lose credit only if you fail to answer.
XII. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Students in this class must know, observe, and not compromise the principles of academic integrity. It is not permissible to cheat, to fabricate or falsify information, to submit the same academic work in more than one course without prior permission, to plagiarize, to receive unfair advantage, or to otherwise abuse accepted practices for handling and documenting information. The grade for this course includes the judgment that the student's work is free of academic dishonesty of any type. Violations or infractions will be reported to the Vice President of Student affairs and may lead to failure of the course and other sanctions imposed by the college.
To avoid any misunderstandings, while the tests are open book and open notes, you may not receive assistance on the exams from a fellow class member or any other person.