Business Law I
BUS 3213
M/W/F 11:00 – 11:50 a.m.
Spring 2005
Classroom: Business, Room 200
Credit Hours: 3
Instructor: Aubree L. Helvey, J.D., C.P.A.
Office: BUS 207
Phone: 581- 2853
email: aubreeh@cameron.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An overview of the legal system, principles of
contract law, Uniform Commercial Code and how it has changed contract law, rights of
debtors and creditors and bankruptcy.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. To provide students with an understanding of both the state and federal court
systems.
2. To provide students with an understanding of court procedures, including pretrial,
trial, appellate, and alternative dispute resolution procedures.
3. To provide students with an understanding of the government’s constitutional
authority to regulate business.
4. To provide students with an understanding of product liability and defenses to
product liability.
5. To provide students with an understanding of intellectual property law.
6. To provide students with an understanding of criminal law, including the various
type of crimes and defenses to such crimes.
7. To provide students with an understanding of contract law, including formation,
third party rights, and remedies to breach of contract.
8. To identify the types of negotiable instruments and provide students with an
understanding of the legal significance of negotiable instruments.
9. To provide students with an understanding of both intentional and unintentional
torts.
10. To provide students with an understanding of bankruptcy law.
REQUIRED TEXT:
1. West’s Business Law (Ninth edition), Clarkson, Miller, Jentz, & Cross,
Thomson/South-western Publishing.
You MUST acquire this textbook within the first week of class. I do not accept late
assignments just because you do not have the textbook. You may purchase the textbook
in the Cameron University bookstore. Students who choose to order their textbook online
assume all risk that the textbook may arrive late.
REQUIRED SUPPLIES:
 3 SCAN-TRON Form 882
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or by consent of advisor.
COURSE POLICIES:
1. Students are required to read assigned material prior to class. Students may be
questioned in class about the reading assignments. Timely reading of the material is
crucial to successful completion of this course.
2. Any assignments must be completed on the assigned date. NO LATE WORK WILL
BE ACCEPTED!
3. Cheating or plagiarism on tests and other assignments will not be tolerated and may
result in the student receiving an “F” on the assignment or for the course. Plagiarism,
the appropriation or imitation of the language or ideas of another person and
presenting them as one’s original work, can be avoided by proper documentation of
sources. Students who are uncertain about proper documentation should consult the
course Instructor.
4. It is the student’s responsibility to drop or withdraw from the class. There are no
Professor-initiated withdrawals for lack of attendance.
5. Please try to arrive to class on time. Late arrivals are distracting to both the Professor
and other students who take the course seriously enough to arrive on time.
6. Turn off cell phones during class.
7. Be prepared to spend at least 6 hours per week preparing for this course.
8. All students are expected to behave in a respectful, professional manner to both the
Professor and other students. If this requirement is not met, a student may be asked to
leave the classroom.
ATTENDANCE: Due to the nature of this course, significant absences will affect
your ability to successfully perform on the exams. I will not reduce your grade for lack
of attendance, but I do take daily attendance for record purposes.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS: I will assign 4 Homework Assignments that
relate to a topic covered in class. These Assignments must be submitted on the due date
in order for the student to receive credit. I do not accept late assignments for any reason!
You will find the due dates posted in the Class Schedule at the conclusion of this
syllabus. I will give you details on the specific assignments as we approach the
applicable chapter. I will not remind absent students of a due date. It is your
responsibility to ascertain missed assignments and obtain lecture notes for days you are
absent. I do not provide a separate lecture for absent students.
Each Homework Assignment is worth 25 points for a total of 100 maximum points.
QUIZZES: Twelve quizzes will be given throughout the semester. These quizzes are
unannounced and are closed book/closed notes. I will drop your two lowest quiz scores.
The remaining 10 quiz scores will be added to determine your overall quiz grade. Each
quiz is worth 10 points for a maximum of 100 points.
These quizzes CANNOT be made up. NO EXCUSES! If you arrive to class after a quiz
has begun you will NOT be allowed to participate in that particular quiz.
EXAMS: Exams are closed book and consist of multiple choice and true/false
questions. Each exam will contain 50 questions. The exams are not comprehensive.
There are 2 exams during the semester plus a final exam. There will be no scheduled
make-up exams. I will only give a make-up exam for dire emergencies such as a
family death. All make-up exams are short problems to avoid an appearance of
impropriety. Each exam is worth 100 points.
The final exam must be taken on the scheduled date which is Monday, May 2nd,
from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.. This means the exam starts at 1:00 p.m. It does not mean that
you can show up anytime between 1:00 and 3:00 to start your exam.
Please note the date and times for taking the final exam. I do not give make-up
examinations for the final exam under any circumstance! It is your responsibility to
schedule any vacations or work time around the scheduled exam. You have notice 4
months in advance of the date and time. Any student who fails to take the final exam will
be given an Incomplete for the course. The Incomplete may be removed from your
transcript by completing the next scheduled Final Exam for Business Law I (for example,
if Business Law I is taught during the Summer session you would be responsible for
determining the date and time of the final exam in July). This rule only applies to
students who notify me IN ADVANCE of the May final that they are unable to attend the
final exam. Any student who "skips" the final exam will receive a zero for that exam and
cannot make-up the grade.
GRADING:
Homework
100 total
points
Quizzes
100 total
points
Exam 1
100 total
points
Exam 2
100 total
points
Exam 3
100 total
points
20%
20%
20%
20%
20%
Grading Scale:
Percentile
Points
90 – 100%
450-500 points
80 – 89%
400-449 points
70 – 79%
350-399 points
60 – 69%
300-349 points
Below 60%
0 – 299 points
Total
Available
Points =
500
Letter Grade
A
B
C
D
F
OFFICE HOURS: If you have any questions concerning material covered in class,
homework assignments, or any other issue relating to the course please feel free to call or
come by my office during the following hours:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
All other times must be by appointment. If you are going to travel to campus from out of
town you might verify that I will be in my office that day. I periodically have civic
activities that I have to attend.
DISABILITIES: If you have a disability that qualifies you under either the
Rehabilitation Act of 1963 or the American Disabilities Act of 1990, please inform me.
You may be referred to the Director of Cameron University’s Multi-cultural and
Disability Office for evaluation and assistance.
Course Schedule: The following schedule is tentative and may be amended at any
time.
Date
Jan. 10
Jan 12
Jan 14
Jan 17
Jan 19
Jan 21
Jan 24
Jan 26
Jan 28
Jan 31
Feb 2
Feb 4
Feb 7
Feb 9
Feb 11
Feb 14
Feb 16
Feb 18
Feb 21
Feb 23
Feb 25
Feb 28
Mar 2
Mar 4
Mar 7
Mar 9
Mar 11
Mar 14
Mar 16
Mar 18
Mar 21
Mar 23
Mar 25
Mar 28
Assignment
Introduction to Course; Syllabus; Assessment Pre-test
Chapter One: Introduction to Law & Legal Reasoning
Chapter Two: Courts & Alternative Dispute Resolution
Chapter Three: Court Procedures
Chapter Four: Constitutional Authority to Regulate Business
Chapter Four (cont)
Homework Assignment #1 DUE
Chapter Five: Torts & Cyber Torts
Chapter Six: Strict Liability & Product Liability
Chapter Seven: Intellectual Property & Internet Law
Chapter Seven (cont)
Homework Assignment #2 DUE
Chapter Eight: Criminal Law and Cyber Crimes
Review for Exam #1
Exam #1 (Chapters 1 through 8)
Chapter Nine: Nature & Terminology
Chapter Ten: Agreement
Chapter Eleven: Consideration
Chapter Eleven (Cont)
Chapter Twelve: Capacity & Legality
Homework Assignment #3 DUE
Chapter Twelve: (cont)
Chapter Thirteen: Genuineness of Asset
Chapter Fourteen: The Statute of Frauds
Chapter Fifteen: Third Party Rights
Chapter Sixteen: Performance & Discharge
Chapter Sixteen (cont)
Chapter Seventeen: Breach of Contract & Remedies
Chapter Eighteen: E-Contracts
Review for Exam #2
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK
Exam #2 (Chapters 9 through 18)
Chapter Nineteen: Formation of Sales & Lease Contracts
Homework Assignment #4 DUE
Chapter Nineteen (cont)
Chapter Twenty: Title, Risk, & Insurable Interest
Mar 30
Apr 1
Apr 4
Apr 6
Apr 8
Apr 11
Apr 13
Apr 15
Arp 18
Apr 20
Apr 22
Apr 25
Apr 27
Apr 29
May 2
Chapter Twenty-one: Performance of Sales and Lease Contracts
Chapter Twenty-two: Remedies for Breach of Sales and Lease
Contracts
Chapter Twenty-two (cont)
Chapter Twenty-three: Sales and Lease Warranties
Chapter Twenty-four: Function & Creation of Negotiable
Instruments
Chapter Twenty-five: Transferability & Holder in Due Course
Chapter Twenty-six: Liability, Defenses & Discharge
Chapter Twenty-seven: Checks & Electronic Fund Transfer
Chapter Twenty-eight: Secured Transactions
Chapter Twenty-nine: Other Creditors’ Remedies & Suretyship
Chapter Thirty: Bankruptcy Law
Chapter Thirty (cont)
Assessment Post-test
Final Exam Review
Final Exam, Monday from 1:00 to 3:00. Chapters 19 through 30)