Course Syllabus

Course Syllabus:

The course syllabus provides the roadmap to follow in the completing the course.  It is also the contractual agreement that you will need to follow in order to achieve success in the course.  You will be given an opportunity to confirm your understanding and provide any recommendations for enhancements to our agreement.

Course Description:

Fundamental legal principles pertaining to business transactions.  Introduction to the law as an instrument of social and political control in society. Topics include sources of law and ethics, contracts, torts, agency, judicial and administrative processes, employment law, forms of business organizations, and domestic and international governmental regulations.

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Find the legal issue in a set of facts and state the applicable principle of law.
  2. Analyze and explain legal consequences resulting from various actions against persons and/or property.
  3. Compare and contrast the legal ramifications of alternative business decisions.

Course Objectives:

  1. Analyze cases. Identify issues and apply the appropriate legal rules to the fact patterns to reach defensible legal conclusions.
  2. Describe the various agency relationships and the duties and liabilities of agents and principals as the foundation of partnerships and corporations.
  3. Distinguish between contracts governed by the Uniform Commercial Code and those governed by the common law of contracts.
  4. Appraise the relationship between law and ethics.
  5. Distinguish between torts and crimes and describe the purpose of criminal and tort law.
  6. Evaluate when a promise is enforceable, the elements of a contract, performance, and remedies available in the event of breach.
  7. Describe the major federal acts that pertain to antitrust, securities regulation, employment law, and environmental law.
  8. Differentiate the relationship between state and federal systems, the jurisdiction of courts, the interaction between business managers and lawyers, and the importance of alternate dispute resolution methods.
  9. Explain a corporation’s legal structure and differentiate it from other forms of business organization, the meaning of limited liability for the owners; describe the relationship of the various stakeholders.
  10. Compare and contrast the theories of jurisprudence and the classifications of law.
  11. Compare and contrast state and federal regulation.
  12. Describe the Constitutional basis for federal governmental regulation of business, including limits of government power.

Course Textbook:

Important Notes:

Students in need of accommodations should inform the professor. Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact the Disabled Students Programs and Services early so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. All information will remain confidential.

Academic dishonesty and plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the assignment. Using someone else's ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is a serious offense known as plagiarism. Please see the College of the Desert handbook for policies regarding plagiarism, harassment, etc. College of the Desert academic honesty policies. 

Any students with housing or food insecurities or who need other support should contact the College of the Desert Basic Needs Center for assistance.

For more information on the student services provided by College of the Desert, please visit the student services website.