Department Code: BSL
Introduction
Doing business – from managing people and daily operations to formulating business policy and strategy – requires critical thinking and a keen awareness of the legal and regulatory environment. Effective decision-making also requires an appreciation of the social, ethical, economic, and political bases of law as they relate to business. Business law courses provide fundamental insight into legal institutions, the role of regulation, and the nature of legal discourse, as well as an array of substantive principles of law, including contracts, corporate law, intellectual property, employment law, and other areas of government regulation of business. These courses reinforce critical thinking skills in the context of ethical and principled business decision making.
Educational Objectives
The primary goals of the Business Law Department are: (1) to contribute to business-related legal knowledge through scholarly research, (2) to educate undergraduate and graduate business students as well as our greater University, professional, and scholarly communities about business law and ethics issues, and (3) to promote students’ success by sharpening their communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
These goals both inform and drive the Department’s educational objectives, which focus on:
- instilling in students a strong sense of the legal and ethical issues permeating business;
- aiding students’ comprehension of the legal and regulatory environment as well as the ethical considerations and substantive laws that shape business practices and policies; and
- developing students’ analytical and problem-solving ability, as well as their verbal and written communication skills.
BSL 212. Introduction to Business Law and Ethics. 3 Credit Hours.
Introduction to business law and ethics for the undergraduate student. Topics include business ethics, contracts (the nature and requisites, formation, interpretation, performance and breach, and remedies), and sales (Uniform Commercial Code, Convention on the International Sale of Goods, transfer of title, warranties, and rights and remedies of buyers and sellers).
Requisite: Miami Herbert Business School.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
BSL 304. Corporate Law. 3 Credit Hours.
Introduction to the law and regulation of corporations and other business entities. Topics include: tort and other business liabilities, agency and fiduciary duty, partnerships, limited liability companies, corporations (including the legal relationships underpinning their financial structure, director and officer liability, and laws relative to change of control), securities regulation, and antitrust law.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent or BUS 202.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
BSL 305. Legal and Social Aspects of Business Regulation. 3 Credit Hours.
An introduction to the legal and ethical issues arising out of business and the regulatory environment. Topics include business ethics and subjects as enviro nmental law antitrust, securities, administrative process, consumer protection, and employment regulation.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.
BSL 306. Introduction to Corporate Sustainability. 3 Credit Hours.
This course introduces students to issues associated with business and sustainability, through the lens of corporate governance and corporate citizenship. Readings, lectures, class discussion, and student projects are designed to instill in students a practical understanding of key corporate sustainability frameworks, challenges and opportunities, institutions, and actors in the global corporate context. Students will learn to apply alternative decision making models to current business activities.
BSL 304 recommended as a prerequisite, but not required.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent or BUS 202.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
BSL 324. Negotiation. 3 Credit Hours.
This experiential course is designed to introduce undergraduate business students to the theory and practice of negotiation. The lectures and readings will discuss negotiation theory, equipping students with the concepts and terminology to prepare and execute value-creating, interest-based negotiations. Negotiation exercises will provide the student with an opportunity to apply the theoretical elements of the course in live, simulated negotiations. Extensive review of these simulated negotiations through classroom discussion and film analysis will assist students in cementing their understanding of the use of negotiation theory in practice. Although negotiation theory is applicable to a wide variety of academic contexts, this course focuses on negotiations in the practice of law and business.
Requisite: Miami Herbert Business School or Business Law minor AND Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent or BUS 202 AND Sophomore Standing or higher.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
BSL 333. Legal Aspects of Real Estate Transactions. 3 Credit Hours.
Legal principles controlling the acquisition, ownership, financing, and development of real property. Topics include nature and acquisition of rights in real property, theory of estates, co-ownership, fixtures, easements, legal descriptions, evidence of title, title insurance, deeds, mortgages, closing the sales and mortgage transactions, condominiums and cooperatives, brokers, and land use.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent or BUS 202.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
BSL 401. The Law of Financial Transactions. 3 Credit Hours.
Overview of the law of commercial finance as it relates to existing and emergent payment systems, secured credit, and bankruptcy. Topics include: negotiable instruments, bank deposits and collections, secured transactions, personal and commercial bankruptcies, and accountant liability.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent or BUS 202.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
BSL 412. International Business Law. 3 Credit Hours.
International law and organizations, international sales, credits and commercial transactions, U.S. trade law, and the regulation of the international market place are discussed.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent or BUS 202.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
BSL 420. Employment and Labor Law. 3 Credit Hours.
This course explores the legal, public policy, and ethical issues associated with the hiring, management and termination of employees, independent contractors, and other business representatives. The course will explore contractual, tort, statutory, and regulatory concepts and structures which govern the relationship between employers and employees. The course also touches on issues associated with organized labor and collective bargaining. Students will be introduced to the framework and vocabulary of employment and labor law, as well as a systematic method of legal analysis and practice in resolving employment-related dilemmas that have legal, ethical, and practical business dimensions. Specific factual employment law issues and cases, as well as hypothetical employment case scenarios are used to present the relevant substantive rules and concepts, and to sharpen the students’ problem solving and critical thinking skills.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 Or BUS 202 And Requisite: Sophomore Standing or higher.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
BSL 424. Intellectual Property Law. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is designed to acquaint the business student with the general framework of laws that regulate innovation, marketing, competition, and business development in the U.S. Special emphasis will be placed on discussion of ethical issues in information property, unfair competition, and management of intellectual property across various industries.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent or BUS 202.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
BSL 435. Law of Entrepreneurship. 3 Credit Hours.
Overview of the legal aspects of entrepreneurship and business management. Special emphasis on entity formation, intellectual property protection, capital formation, securities, tax planning, and risk management.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent or BUS 202 or Entrepreneurship Minor for Non-Business Students AND Sophomore Standing or higher.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Spring.
BSL 455. Business and Society. 3 Credit Hours.
Business and society are highly interdependent. Business activities impact not only the firm’s stakeholders but also other institutions, the environment, and society at large. At the same time, a variety of societal actors affect business and its choices both directly and indirectly. This course prepares the future business manager to navigate evolving regulation, public policy, and social and ethical concerns, equipping them to identify and address the challenges and opportunities posed by the complex relationship between business and society.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or BUS 202 AND Requisite: Sophomore status or higher.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
BSL 460. Health Care Law and Ethics. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is designed to offer students an appreciation of the legal foundations and ethical considerations in healthcare administration in the U.S. The readings and classroom discussion assist the student in (1) understanding the legal framework of relationships and institutions in healthcare, and (2) appreciating some of the particularly delicate ethical implications of decision-making in this field. Case study will promote the ability to analyze both. Special emphasis is placed on discussion of ethical issues in healthcare administration, including access to care, allocation of scarce resources and privacy.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent or BUS 202 AND Miami Herbert Business School or Business Law minor AND Sophomore Standing or higher.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Spring.
BSL 476. The Law of Risk. 3 Credit Hours.
This course offering will analyze risk in business and examine the tools that the law offers to identify danger and risk in the workplace and shift and minimize potential losses. This highly interactive course will first examine the various sources of legal risk, from criminal liability to employment discrimination to personal injury claims and toxic tort exposures. It will then examine the ways business and law pool, shift, and minimize risk. This seminar-style course will also include a significant experiential, hands-on component. Students will also practice contract construction and interpretation in a workshop environment.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent or BUS 202.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
BSL 478. The Art and Science of Corporate Compliance. 3 Credit Hours.
This course aims to integrate the legal requirements related to business regulation, the legal constraints on the conduct of domestic and international business, and the creation, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of internal business compliance with these legal regulations and constraints. This will be accomplished through a detailed study of a sample of regulations commonly impacting decision-making and operations in business and a careful analysis and deep understanding of best practices for implementation, monitoring and enforcement of these regulations. The course is workshop style, with substantial student/faculty interaction and a significant group project integrating all components of the course. This course is less structured than the typical business law class, requiring an appreciation for ambiguity, uncertainty, imperfect solutions and finesse communication. If you are looking for a class to memorize material and regurgitate it, this is not your class.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or BUS 202 AND Requisite: Sophomore status or higher.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
BSL 485. Managing the Legal Factor. 3 Credit Hours.
This course offers the business manager a frank and analytical view of law and legal practice as they affect business decision-making. It addresses both the issues of cost containment and relationships between counsel and the company with the objective of achieving a more effective management of the legal function in business.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent AND Requisite: Senior Status and Legal Studies major or Business Law minor. For Business Students only.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
BSL 496. Directed Studies in Business Law. 1-3 Credit Hours.
Supervised readings, individual research project, or independent investigation of selected non-STEM related problems in the discipline. Offered only by special arrangement with supervising faculty member, who approves topic and evaluation process at time of registration.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
BSL 497. Directed Studies in Business Law. 1-3 Credit Hours.
Supervised readings, individual research project or independent investigation of selected STEM-related problems in the discipline. Offered only by special arrangement with supervising faculty member, who approves topic and evaluation process at time of registration.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
BSL 498. Special Topics in Business Law. 3 Credit Hours.
Special topics in selected non-STEM areas of Business Law.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent or BUS 202.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
BSL 499. Special Topics in Business Law. 3 Credit Hours.
Special topics in selected STEM areas of Business Law.
Prerequisite: BSL 212 or equivalent or BUS 202.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
BSL 555. Business Law Departmental Honors Research Project.. 3 Credit Hours.
Research project to fulfill requirements for Departmental Honors in Business Law.
Components: THI.
Grading: SUS.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
