Business Law I Syllabus for 2015-2016
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Course

BUSI-2301-001 Business Law I

Prerequisites

Course Description

The course provides the student with foundational information about the U.S. legal system and dispute resolution, and their impact on business. The major content areas will include general principles of law, the relationship of business and the U.S. Constitution, state and federal legal systems, the relationship between law and ethics, contracts, sales, torts, agency law, intellectual property and business law in the global context.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

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Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Hybrid

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Business Law: The First Course--Summarized-Case Edition by Roger LeRoy Miller

ISBN 978-1-305-08785-9

Supplies

Small – Medium 3 ring binder – Optional 

Student Performance

• To learn the basic forms of business organizations;
• To learn pertinent legal terminology;
• To apply such terminology to legal topics relevant to business;
• To understand the foundations of legal systems;
• To understand the foundations contract law; and
• To develop critical thinking for solving business law problems.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

I. Students and teachers have obligations to each other.

II. What I expect from students:

You will treat everyone in the class with the respect due all human beings.

You will do the work outlined in the syllabus on time.

You will not plagiarize or otherwise steal the work of others.

You will accept the consequences – good and bad – of your actions.

III. What students can expect from me:

I will treat you with the respect due all human beings.

I will treat you as an individual.

I will not discriminate against you on the basis of your identity or your viewpoints.

I will manage the class in a professional manner.

I will respond to student email within 24 hours, including weekends and holidays.

I will pursue the maximum punishment for plagiarism, cheating, and other violations of academic integrity.

I will keep careful records of your performance and progress.

I will make myself available to you for help and am willing to discuss anything even tangentially related to this class, college, law school, or the legal profession.

I will respect the fact that you have lives and commitments outside college, but I do not consider those to be excuses for not being prepared.

If I am notified in advance, I will make every reasonable effort to accommodate particular situations that may arise in your life.

I will make every reasonable effort to accommodate sudden, unexpected, extraordinary situations that are impossible for you to notify me about in advance.

I will maintain confidentiality concerning your performance.

I will provide you with professional support and write recommendations for you, if appropriate.

I will be honest with you.

Your grade will reflect the quality of your work and nothing else.

Grading Criteria

Grading:

Quizzes (32) - 30%

Midterm - 30%

Major Projects – 30%

1. Social Responsibility Project
2. Employment Contract Drafting and Negotiations Project

Participation/Attendance – 10%

Quizzes:

•           There will be 1-3 Chapter Quizzes due each week.

•           Each Quiz will be 10 Multiple Choice Questions from the corresponding Chapter.

•           You only have one attempt at each Quiz

•           You must complete the Quiz once you open it. You cannot start a Quiz, exit out and come back. Once you exit the Quiz, your grade will be submitted as is. THUS, PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND DO NOT SUBMIT BEFORE YOU ARE FINISHED. 

•           The quizzes are due every Monday night by 11:45 p.m., according to the Calendar below unless otherwise specified.

•           There will be NO make-up quizzes given under any circumstances. If you do not complete the quiz by the due date, you will receive a ZERO. The two lowest quiz scores will be dropped at the end of the semester. 

•           If your computer crashes or you have technical difficulties, email me immediately, and I will decide on a case-by-case basis the appropriate solution. I highly recommend using Firefox as your browser. If you consistently have technical problems, I will insist you take the quizzes at one of AC’s computer labs.

Midterm Exam:

•           There will be a Midterm Exam.

•           There will be 60 Multiple Choice or True/False Questions from Chapter 1 through Chapter 18.

•           You will have one attempt at the Midterm Exam.

•           You will have 3 hours to complete the Midterm Exam once you open it.

•           You must complete the Midterm Exam once you open it. You cannot start the Midterm Exam, exit out and come back. Once you exit the Midterm Exam, your grade will be submitted as is.

Social Responsibility Project:  

•          You will be divided into groups, and each group will be required to find and watch a movie that addresses how a business was socially responsible or socially irresponsible.  Each group member will be assigned a role in project completion.You will then write a paper over your selected movie and give a presentation to the class. Further detailed instruction will be handed out individually the 2nd or 3rd week of class when we select teams. A majority of this project will be completed outside of class but I will reserve some class time so that teams can work in class or the computer lab where I can help answer questions.  The final paper will be due the same day as your presentation.  Each presentation will be approximately 15 minutes.    A Rubric wll be posted on Blackboard that will list my expectations and how I will grade this assignment

Employment Contract Drafting and Negotiations Project: 

•            You will get the opportunity to actually draft and negotiate an employment contract. Students will randomly be selected and placed into teams of two where one student will play the role of the Employer, CEO, HR, etc.; and the other student will play the role of an employee selected as a new hire. Further detailed instruction will be handed out individually to each team member the 2nd or 3rd week of class when we select teams and scenarios. Remember to keep your instructions confidential from the opposing team member. A majority of this project will be completed outside of class but I will reserve some class time so that teams can work in class or the computer lab where I can help answer questions. Each team will present to the class for approximately 10 minutes their final work product and what they learned during this presentation. The Final Employment Contract and your 2-3 page paper of what you learned from this activity are due the same day as your presentation. A Rubric will be posted on Blackboard that will list my expectations and how I will grade this assignment.  

Participation- 2% / Attendance – 3%

•           I expect each student to participate in class discussions. Reading the weekly chapters before Thursday classes is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED because I will checking periodically for understanding (i.e. Socratic Method). If a student misses 3 classes they will lose 1%. Missing 4 or more classes will result in a loss of 3% of your grade.

Attendance

Since this is a hybrid class, your attendance each week will be the one lecture each week and the completion of your quizzes. You have 2-3 Quizzes due each week, so you better get busy now and stay busy until December. That is the nature of a hybrid course, and this is especially true in the hybrid format. I will be monitoring your progress throughout and will answer any questions you have about the material. PLEASE ask me questions about the material.

Hybrid Course (Part lecture - Tue 5:30pm-6:45pm Rm. BYRD 404 / Part Online)

Calendar

Additional Information

Midterm (10/28 is due by end of day (11:45 pm) on the posted date

Fall 2015 - Important Dates

August 24	First Day – Fall 2015
September 7	Labor Day – AC Closed
September 9	Census Day
September 17	Constitution Day
November 9	Spring Registration Begins
November 17	Last Day to Withdraw
November 26-November 29	Thanksgiving Holiday – AC Closed
December 7-December 11	Finals Week