BUS 10 - Business Law

Instructor: Jan Novak
Email Instructor jnovak@chabotcollege.edu
Instructor website: http://www.chabotcollege.edu/faculty/jnovak

Instructor phone: 510-723-6690

Course Description

Legal setting in which business operates, with emphasis on legal reasoning and resolution, contracts, torts, intellectual property, agency and employment law, partnerships and corporations.

Check the college catalog for CSU/UC transferability and to see if this course meets AA/AS degree requirements.

This class begins June 15th and ends August 7th.

Optional On-Campus Orientations

There are no required on-campus meetings for this class. You can attend an OPTIONAL, on-campus Orientation to Online Learning that provides Blackboard log in instructions and help, an overview of the Blackboard course management system, and tips on netiquette, time management, and study skills for the online student.

Attend either of these sessions:

Monday, June 15th, 5:30-6:30 p.m., in Room 1618
Tuesday, June 16th, noon-1:00 p.m. in Room 1618

Learn more about these orientations, which are NOT course-specific.

How This Class Operates

This is not a self-paced class; there are due dates throughout the semester that you are expected to meet, just like in a traditional, face-to-face class. Each week of the class, you'll read the textbook and other handouts and web articles, participate in a discussion with your classmates and your instructor, usually take a quiz or exam, and submit other assignments. Your instructor will communicate with you via the discussion board, weekly email updates to the entire class, email responses to your questions, and written feedback on your assignments and exams. You can also call or stop by your instructor's office during her office hours.

You should plan to log in to the class at least three times each week, and to devote about 24 hours per week to the course. This is a very fast-paced course, as it condenses the 18 weeks of work done during a full semester into only 8 weeks of the summer session. Due dates are Thursday and Sunday nights each week, and late work is not accepted.

You'll find detailed information about the class, including the current syllabus, on my instructional website.

Textbook Information

West's Business Law, 10th Edition, by Clarkson, Miller, Jentz & Cross, Thomson/South-Western, 2006, Custom Edition for Chabot only, ISBN 0324386796. This custom version contains only the chapters we cover in this course. It is far less expensive and lighter weight than a new copy of the standard edition, but can only be purchased and resold at the Chabot bookstore. You can also use the standard edition, which includes 22 additional chapters that we don't study in this course (the ISBN for the standard version is 0324303904). Please do NOT purchase the 9th edition of the book, as there have been very substantial changes in the new edition.

Class Projects

There are three written projects in the class. The first is an analysis of a popular movie to analyze the legal issues depicted in the movie. The second is development of a plan to organize and secure all required legal approvals for a new business. The third is a legal research paper, researching in-depth a topic you select from a long list of options, and writing an approximately 5-page analytical paper on the topic. The legal research project can be either an individual or a team project--your choice. All of these projects enable you to apply what you're learning to real-world situations.

How Students are Graded

Grading in the course is as follows:

True/false and multiple choice quizzes ~ 25% of grade
Discussions ~ 20% of grade
Exams, which include essay questions ~ 35% of grade
Written assignments ~ 20% of grade

Succeeding in an Online Course

Students who succeed in online courses tend to be independent, self-motivated learners with good computer skills. If you are a procrastinator who relies heavily on the instructor for motivation, or can't use a computer too well, you should probably consider enrolling in a face-to-face course instead. Or, you might consider enrolling in our Introduction to Online Learning course (GNST-4910), which provides an overview of online learning and equips you to succeed in your first online class.

Don't enroll in this class if you believe the myth that learning online requires less effort than learning face-to-face. This course covers the same content and has similar activities as the face-to-face version of the course; only the method of delivery changes.

Blackboard

This course will use the Blackboard course management system as its virtual classroom. To learn how to log in to Blackboard, go to the How to Begin an Online Course page. Once you enroll, you will not be able to log in until the first day of class. Students are expected to become familiar with the use and operation of Blackboard functions and are encouraged to attend an orientation session provided by the Distance Education program at Chabot College. In addition, the professor provides a general unit on "How to Navigate in Blackboard" for students to understand how to use the major features the professor employs.

Register for this course If the course is full, please send an email to request an add number. I usually accept the first 10 add requests, and then begin a waiting list.