1.0 Course Description
1.1 Overview of content and purpose of the course.
1.2 For whom course is intended.
1.3 Prerequisites of the course.
1.4 Unusual circumstances of the course.
2.0 Objectives
2.1 List of performance objectives stated in terms of the student.
3.0 Content and Organization
3.1 List of topics to be covered in chronological sequence.
4.0 Teaching Methodology
4.1 Methods to be used.
4.2 Student role in the course.
4.3 Contact hours.
5.0 Evaluation.
5.1 Types of student projects that will be the basis for evaluating student performance, specifying the distinction between undergraduate and graduate courses, if applicable.
5.2 Basis for determining the final grade (e.g., weighting of various student projects), specifying the distinction between undergraduate and graduate-level course, if applicable.
5.3 Grading scale.
6.0 Resource Material
6.1 Textbook(s) used in course.
6.2 Other texts or suggested reading materials, if any.
6.3 Other sources for the gathering of information, if any.
6.4 Current bibliography of resources for student's information.

1.0 Course Description

1.1 Overview of content and purpose of the course.

This course is designed to inform students interested in international business transactions of the major legal principles governing international law, the major legal systems affecting the conduct of international business transactions, the domestic and foreign policies of the United States which affect business overseas and foreign business inside American borders.

1.2 For whom course is intended.

Undergraduate students interested in international business.

1.3 Prerequisites of the course.  LAWS 3910

1.4 Unusual circumstances of the course.  NONE

2.0 Objectives

2.1 List of performance objectives stated in terms of the student.

To gain a general understanding of legal and ethical issues in the conduct of international business, to achieve a common level of understanding of basic international legal concepts and to examine selected international legal and ethical issues in depth.

One of the primary objectives of this course is to develop the students' ability to dissect the issues in a law case and acquire the method of legal reasoning by which the courts reach a decision on the basis of rules of law in any controversy that comes before the court. The cases involving international commercial disputes highlight commonly-accepted principles of international business or elucidate the difficulty of apply any universal principle. The case method is suitable for the presentation of any international common law, conflicts of law among nations, treaties and conventions and statutes. A second primary objective is to encourage students to understand the interrelationship among law, logic, politics, business policy decision-making, customs, ethics, marketplace factors and environmental issues, wherever possible.

3.0 Content and Organization

3.1 List of topics to be covered in chronological sequence.

3.1.1 Torts and human rights in the international context will be examined and discussed during the first week.

3.1.2 The nature and dynamics of contracts and contracting in the global economy will be examined and discussed during the second week.

3.1.3 During the third week, the concept and nature of international law will be examined and discussed.

3.1.4 The origin and growth of international law will be the focus of discussion and its expansion during the fourth week.

3.1.5 During the fifth week, the class will explore the development of international laws dealing specifically with the commercial merchant.

3.1.6 During the sixth week, the class will discuss the philosophy and operation of the internal legal systems of the United States which enforce foreign policy.

3.1.7 During the seventh week, mechanisms by which the responsible departments, Secretaries and offices enforce foreign policies will be discussed.

3.1.8 During the eighth week, the class will examine and discuss the legalities of international trading with the United States.

3.1.9 The function, roles and relationships among the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the International Court of Justice will be discussed during the ninth week of the semester.

3.1.10 During the tenth week, the major treaties and conventions affecting the United States including GATT.

3.1.11 During the eleventh week of the semester, the major trading blocs with which the United States competes or by which America's vital interests are threatened, e.g. EEC.

3.1.12 The differences among the selected foreign legal systems as a result of the customs and societal differences of major non-western areas of the world will be discussed during the twelfth week.

3.1.13 During the thirteenth week, the major legal schemes which affect domestic and foreign policies respecting exporting and importing goods into the United States will be examined and discussed.

3.1.14 During the fourteenth week, the ethical implications in international transactions and dealings will be examined and discussed.

3.1.15 The fifteenth and final week will be considered "dead week." However, review of major themes and integration of international ethical themes.

4.0 Teaching Methodology

4.1 Methods to be used.

The primary teaching method will be lecture and discussion.

4.2 Student role in the course

The role of the student is to participate in and expedite discussion and intellectual interaction among his or her colleagues. The student must be prepared and adventuresome in exploration of topics of specific interest.

4.3 Contact hours.

Three (3) contact hours per week during a 15-week semester.

5.0 Evaluation

5.1 Types of student projects that will be the basis for evaluating student performance, specifying the distinction between undergraduate and graduate courses, if applicable.

Students will present the pertinent facts of the cases printed in the textbook, assigned readings and independent research projects followed by the questions of law involved and the principles of international business law developed in the solution of a case.

5.2 Basis for determining the final grade (e.g., weighting of various student projects), specifying the distinction between undergraduate and graduate-level course, if applicable.

The professor primarily will employ an arithmetic average of results of papers, examinations and oral presentations.

5.3 Grading scale.

A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F 59 and Below

6.0 Resource Material

6.1 Textbook(s) used in course.

Richards, E., Law for Global Business. Irwin (1994)

August, R., Public International Law. Prentice Hall (1995) (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey).

Bonsignore, J., Law and Multinationals: An Introduction to Law and Political Economy. Prentice Hall (1994) (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey).

6.2 Other texts or suggested reading materials, if any.

Litka, M. & Blodgett, M., International Dimensions of the Legal Environment of Business, 3d Ed. Southwestern College Publishing (1995) (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Litka, M., Cases in International Business Law, PWS-Kent Publishing Company (1991) (Boston).

Schaffer, R., Earle, B., Agusti, F., International Business Law and Its Environment, 3d., West Publishing Company (1996) (Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco).

6.3 Other sources for the gathering of information, if any.

LEXIS-NEXIS Electronic Data, world wide web (WWW), local and area public libraries and law libraries.

In addition to above readings, information may be obtained from local and national newspapers.

6.4 Current bibliography of resources for student's information.

Each of the texts listed in 6.1 and 6.2 contain current bibliographies.