Santa Fe Community College
Spring, 2006
BSAD 232 – Business Law I – CRN 30972
(CWA – 11 weeks) – Meets at Montoya Building, Mondays 4:45 – 6:15 p.m.
Deborah Posen. Assistant Professor of Paralegal Studies; J.D., B.F.A. University of Oregon;
B.A. Sociology with honors, University of California at Santa Cruz; certificate in Computer
Programming and Operations, Control Data Institute; inactive member, Oregon State Bar,
affiliate member, New Mexico State Bar Association; member, First Judicial District Bar
Association; member, American Association for Paralegal Education.
You can find me by calling me at my office telephone: 428-1660, by cel phone at 570-0175,
by email in the SFCC Online system or at dposen@sfccnm.edu. I encourage you to visit me
in my office in the basement of the “west wing” of the campus main building, room 322H. My
office hours are 11 a.m. to noon everyday, and 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on most Fridays and
whenever else I’m around. Appointments are appreciated, and can be made for other hours as
our schedules allow. I will do my best to reply to any email you send to me within 48 hours.
However, some responses will be made not directly to you, but to the entire group through an
SFCC Online announcement, a class discussion board, or a group email.
The text is Business Law Today: Comprehensive Edition, by Miller and Jentz. The text is
the 7th edition, ISBN 0-324-30392-0. Unlike math or art history, the law changes everyday, so
older versions of the text are significantly different than the current text, and will not suffice for
this class. However, you may reuse the text for Business Law II, and since this text is in wide
distribution, you should be able to sell it on the secondary market (to used book sellers) when
class ends.
Course Objectives. After completing this course, students should be able to discuss the scope,
extent, and importance of the law in business; be able to define and discuss fundamental
concepts, principles and rules of law related to court systems, contracts, torts, and alternative
dispute resolution; be able to define the operation and function of the courts and administrative
agencies, and demonstrate analytical skills and reasoning power. In addition, students will
become familiar with common legal terminology, and will learn to distinguish between simple
and complex problems requiring a lawyer’s advice.
Major topics covered are: the Legal Environment; Contracts (creation, performance, breach,
and remedies); U.S. Court Systems; Torts (negligence, intentional torts, and strict liability); and
Alternative Dispute Resolution (negotiation, mediation, and arbitration).
Grading: I anticipate using the following grading scale:
Quizzes
Midterm
Cumulative Final
100 points
100 points
100 points
Final grades will based upon the percentage of points earned, as follows: 91-100%=A; 81-90%=B;
71-80%=C; 61-70%=D; Below 61%= F or W. The grading scale may be adjusted at the
instructor’s discretion.
Quizzes. There will be one online quiz for each chapter. You may take these quizzes as many
times as you like during their period of availability, and only the highest score you achieve will
be entered for your grade on each quiz. I will automatically drop two quiz scores, so you may
skip two quizzes if you have emergencies or other commitments which prevent you from taking
up to two quizzes, without grade consequences. You will not have access to the quizzes after the
deadline passes. Quizzes will generally be multiple-choice questions, with some explanations for
correct and incorrect answers, to assist you in learning the material.
Midterm and Final. The midterm and final will also be online and open book, but will be
time-limited, and therefore you will not be able to pass them unless you have prepared for them
much as you would for an in-class exam. The final will be cumulative, meaning it will cover all
chapters assigned during the term, however, it will emphasize the areas not tested on the
midterm. The midterm and final may include true/false, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and
short essay questions.
“Extra” Credit. I will also give up to 30 points of “extra” credit for in-class attendance (2
points per class) and thoughtful responses to discussion board questions (1-2 points per
response). Thus, with class attendance and online participation, you can raise your testing grade
one level. In addition, those activities will help you learn the material and perform better on the
tests.
Non-Completion of the Course. If for some reason you believe that you will be able to
complete or pass the class, it is usually best to voluntarily withdraw. However, if you do not,
withdraw from the class and have not passed by the end of the course, I will normally give you a
grade of “W” (for “withdrawal”) unless you specify that you would prefer an “F.” Note that
receiving an “F” damages ones college grade point average, and a “W” may have adverse
financial aid consequences.
This is an intensive course; we will complete a 16-week semester’s work in 11 weeks.
Therefore it is imperative that you keep up with the reading and the work, because there is
very little time to catch up if you fall behind.
This is a hybrid course. Because this is a “hybrid” course, a significant amount of the course
activities must take place through the SFCC Online system. While I will help you use this
system in any way I can, I am not a computer usage expert, and expect that you will take the
steps necessary to assure your access to the system. If your home computer system is not up to
the task of completing this course, then you can use the computers on campus. You may need to
on-campus student resources to assist you in solving any technical difficulties.
Legal and Academic Advice. I am a lawyer, but my role in and out of the classroom is educator
and academic advisor. Also, our time in the classroom is very limited, so I do not want to
address issues in class which are not relevant to most or all of the students. If you have personal
legal questions, I would be happy to assist you in finding resources to help you, and to explain
general legal principles. The same goes for academic advice. Please feel free to contact me
outside of class (by email, phone, or office visit) to talk about your personal academic and career
goals.
***THIS SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT THE INSTRUCTOR’S DISCRETION***
Orientation
1/18 Thursday
Introduction to the course. Read chapter 1-- The Legal Environment. For
next class the chapter review questions on page 19, and “A Question of Ethics” on page 20.
Week 1
1/22 Monday
SFCC Online access starts. Topic: The Legal Environment (chapter 1).
Complete online chapter 1 quiz by next class. For next week, read Constitutional Law (chapter
2), chapter review questions, and problems 2-1 and 2-2 on page 59. “Chapter review questions”
include both the material in the “Reviewing Law” inset (olive green), and the “For Review”
section at the end of each chapter.
Week 2
1/29 Monday
Topic: Constitutional Law (chapter 2). Complete online chapter 2 quiz by
next class. For the next week, read Courts and ADR (chapter 3) and chapter review questions.
Week 3
2/5
Monday
Topic: Courts and ADR (chapter 3). Complete online quiz for chapter 3
by next class. For next week, read Torts and Cyber Torts (chapter 4) and chapter review
questions.
Week 4
2/12 Monday
Topic: Torts and Cyber Torts (chapter 4). Take online quiz for chapter 4
by next class. For next week, read Nature and Classification of Contracts and Agreement
(chapters 8 and 9) and chapter review questions.
Week 5
2/20 Monday
Topic: Nature and Classification of Contracts and Agreement (chapters 8
and 9). Complete online quizzes for chapters 8 and 9 before taking the midterm. Take midterm.
No reading for next class.
2/25 Sunday
Complete online midterm before midnight on Sunday, February 25th
(Chapters 1-4 and 8-9).
Week 6
2/26 Monday
Topic: Consideration (chapter 10). Before next class, read chapter 10 and
take online quiz for chapter 10. For next class, read Capacity and Legality (chapter 11) and
chapter review questions.
Week 7
3/5
Monday
Topic: Capacity and Legality (chapter 11). Complete chapter 11 online
quiz before next class. For the next class, read Genuineness of Assent (chapter 12) and chapter
review questions.
Week 8
3/13 Monday
Topic: Genuineness of Assent (chapter 12). Take online quiz for chapter
12 before next class. For next class, read the Statute of Frauds (chapter 13) and chapter review
questions.
Week 9
3/19 Monday
Topic: The Statute of Frauds (chapter 13). Take the online quiz for
chapter 13 before next class. For next class, read Performance and Discharge (chapter 14)
chapter review questions.
Week 10
3/26 Monday
No class. Spring Break. Read Chapter 15. No other class prep.
Week 11
4/2
Monday
Topics: Performance, Discharge, Breach and Remedies. Take online
quizzes for chapters 14 and 15. Study for Final Exam.
Final Week
4/9
Monday
Complete Final Exam before midnight on Monday, April 9th. The test
is cumulative, meaning it will cover chapters 1-4 and 8-15, but will emphasize chapters not
tested on the midterm.