PELLISSIPPI STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
MASTER SYLLABUS

CONTRACTS & UCC
LAW 2300

Class Hours: 3.0

 

Credit Hours: 3.0

 

Laboratory Hours: 0.0

 

Revised: Fall 09

 

 NOTE: This course is not designed for transfer credit.

 

Catalog Course Description:

 

 

 

Fundamental principles concerning the formation, performance, and enforcement of personal and commercial contracts; sales and secured transactions under the Uniform Commercial Code; and overview of federal and state law regulating consumer credit and collection procedures. 

Entry Level Standards:

 

 

 

 College-level competencies in logic, reading, and English are required. 

Prerequisites:

 

 

LAW 1000 and  LAW 1060 for PARS majors; no prerequisite for MGT majors

 

Textbook(s) and Other Course Materials:

 

 

 Barnes, Dworkin, and Richards, Law for Business, 10th Ed. (McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2009

I. Week/Unit/Topic Basis:

 

 

 

Week 

Topic

 

1

Introduction; Law, Legal Reasoning, and the Legal Profession; Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (3 hours)

 

2

Business and the Constitution (1.5 hours); Licensing and Intellectual Property (1.5 hours)

 

3

The Nature and Origins of Contracts (1.5 hours); Creating a Contract: Offers (1.5 hours) 

 

4

Creating a Contract:  Acceptances (1.5 hours); Consideration (1.5 hours)

 

5

Capacity to Contract (1.0 hour); Voluntary Consent (1.0 hour); Illegality (1.0 hour)

 

6

Form and Meaning of Contracts (1.0 hour); Third parties’ Rights (1.0 hour); Performance and Remedies (1.0 hour)

 

7

The UCC: Formation of Sales and Lease Contracts(1.5 hours); Warranties and Product Liability (1.5 hours)

 

8

Performance (1.5 hours); Remedies for breach of sales contracts (1.5 hours)

 

9

Agency and Employment: Agency (1.0 hour); Principles and 3rd parties (1.0 hour); Employment Laws (1.0 hour)

 

10

Negotiable Instruments (1.5 hours); Negotiation, Holder in Due Course (1.5 hours)

 

11

Liability of Parties and Commercial Paper (1.5 hours); Checks and Electronic Fund Transfers (1.5 hours)

 

12

Credit Transactions (1.5 hours) and Security Interests (1.5 hours)

 

13

Antitrust Laws (1.5 hours), consumer Protection Laws (1.5 hours)

 

14

Insurance  (3.0 hours)

 

15

Final Examination

II. Course Objectives*:

 

 

 

A.

Understand legal principles governing commercial contract formation and enforcement.  I, II, III, IV, V

 

B.

Understand the basic law of commercial paper and secured transactions.  I, II, III, IV, V

 

C.

Collect relevant data and draft initial documents to assist the attorney in commercial cases.  I, II, III, IV, V

 

D.

Continue developing a legal vocabulary.  I, II, III, IV, V

*Roman numerals after course objectives reference goals of the Paralegal Studies program.

III. Instructional Processes*: 

 

 

Students will:

 

 

 

 

1.

Practice elements of the work ethic such as professionalism, preparedness, punctuality, honesty, cooperation, dependability, contribution, effectiveness, good manners, etc. Active Learning Strategy, Transitional Strategy

 

2.

Refine reading skills and expand legal vocabularies through completion of weekly guided reading exercises that allows more effective communication with lawyers and other professionals. Communication Outcome, Active Learning Strategy, Transitional Outcome

 

3.

Strengthen analytical skills by locating court cases and statutes in the Educational Resources Center and on Westlaw to determine the application of the rules of law to specific facts. Communication Outcome, Technological Literacy Outcome, Transitional Strategy, Active Learning Strategy

 

4.

Examine ethical issues related to legal representation, unauthorized practice of law, confidentiality, duty of legal professional to provide legal services, etc. Communication Outcome, Transitional Strategy, Active Learning Strategy

 

5.

Listen to guest speakers from the legal and business community to learn the demands for employees who possess basic knowledge of business law topics in the work world. Transitional Strategy

 

6.

Develop investigative skills using the Internet, library, and governmental agency resources to find relevant information. Technological Literacy Outcome, Transitional Strategy, Active Learning Strategy

*Strategies and outcomes listed after instructional processes reference TBR’s goals for strengthening general education knowledge and skills, connecting coursework to experiences beyond the classroom, and encouraging students to take active and responsible roles in the educational process.

IV. Expectations for Student Performance*: 

 

 

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

 

1.

Demonstrate a complete and thorough understanding of legal ethics.  A,B,C,D

 

2.

Identify the elements of a contract.  A,C,D

 

3.

Prepare initial drafts of contract clauses. A,C,D

 

4.

Identify UCC forms. B,C,D

 

5.

Determine when a holder is a holder in due course.  B,C,D

 

6.

Prepare a stop payment order.  B,C,D

 

7.

Recognize restrictive endorsements.  B,C,D

 

8.

Differentiate negotiable from non-negotiable commercial paper.  B,C,D

 

9.

Determine damages for breach of contract. A,D

 

10.

Determine when a contract must be in writing to be enforceable.  A,D

 

11.

Recognize when a party lacks the capacity to contract.  A,D

 

12.

Determine when purchase money security interest has been created by purchase on credit.  B,D

 

13.

Draft a simple security agreement creating a security interest.  B,C,D

 

14.
 

15.

Determine the priority of claims to a debtor's collateral which is subject to perfect or unperfected security interests.  B,C,D

Recognize and understand the creation and enforcement of sales warranties. A, C, D

*Letters after performance expectations reference the course objectives listed above.

V. Evaluation:

 

 

 

A. Testing Procedures: 

 

Students are evaluated primarily on the basis of tests. 

 

B. Laboratory Expectations:

 

 N/A 

 

C. Field Work: 

 

Students will complete several out-of-class skills projects which may include: 
               Legal writing exercises 
               Drafting initial drafts of contracts clauses 
               Developing checklist for drafting contract 
               Completing UCC forms 
               Preparing a Bill of Sale
               Drafting simple security agreement creating security interest 

 

D. Other Evaluation Methods:

 

1. Class participation, group work, and homework will also comprise the final grade for the course.  The instructor will provide full details the first week of class via a syllabus supplement.
2. All tests and papers will be graded for spelling and English usage in addition to content and format.
3. Any student encountering academic difficulty during the term is strongly encouraged to meet with the instructor to discuss options and solutions

 

E. Grading Scale:

 

A       93-100 
B+     88- 92 
B       83- 87 
C+     78- 82 
C       73- 77
D      65- 72
F       64 and below

VI. Policies:

 

 

 

A. Attendance Policy:

 

Pellissippi State Technical Community College expects students to attend all scheduled instructional activities. As a minimum, students in all courses must be present for at least 75 percent of their scheduled classes and laboratory meetings in order to receive credit for the course. (Pellissippi State Online Catalog)

 

B. Academic Dishonesty:

 

Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited. A student guilty of academic misconduct, either directly or indirectly through participation or assistance, is immediately responsible to the instructor of the class. In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed through the regular Pellissippi State procedures as a result of academic misconduct, the instructor has the authority to assign an F or a zero for the exercise or examination or to assign an F in the course. (Pellissippi State Online Catalog)

 

C. Accommodations for disabilities:

 

Students who need accommodations because of a disability, have emergency medical information to share, or need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated should inform the instructor immediately, privately after class or in her or his office. Students must present a current accommodation plan from a staff member in Services for Students with Disabilities (SSWD) in order to receive accommodations in this course. Services for Students with Disabilities may be contacted by going to Goins 134 or 126 or by phone: 694-6751(Voice/TTY) or 539-7153. More information is available at www.pstcc.edu/departments/swd/.

 

D. Other Policies:

 

Late papers will not be accepted nor will make-up tests will be given without specific approval of the instructor. 

 

Computer Usage Guidelines:
College-owned or –operated computing resources are provided for use by students of Pellissippi State. All students are responsible for the usage of Pellissippi State's computing resources in an effective, efficient, ethical and lawful manner. (Pellissippi State Online Catalog)