Assistant Professor. University of Wyoming College of Business.

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University of Wyoming

MGT 4350
Commercial Law
This Course will not be offered until Spring 2010


Required Text: Clarkson, Miller, Jentz, and Cross, Business Law, 11th Edition (2009); 10th Edition of West's Business Law acceptable.


Course Description: A study of the basic principles of commercial law, including property, sales, negotiable instruments, banking, secured transactions, creditors' rights, and bankruptcy.


Prerequisites: MGT 1040 (Legal Environment of Business or its equivalent) and junior standing.


Course Goals and Objectives: This course is designed to provide the student with a broad perspective of the various legal issues associated with managing a business. In particular, students will gain an understanding of the fundamental legal and managerial issues related to: uniform laws related to the sale of goods; differences between common law contracts and sales contracts; negotiable instruments and banking in the digital age; the laws defining the rights and relationships between debtors and creditors, especially bankruptcy; and general property laws. In addition to learning these fundamental legal issues, students will develop:

  • critical and analytical thinking capabilities through the analysis of fact situations;
  • the application of appropriate rules of law to the facts;
  • the formulation of reasonable conclusions based on the application of the law to the facts; and
  • ethical issues associated with managing a business in the 21st century.

It will be assumed that all students already possess a basic understanding of the classifications of law and the fundamental legal issues associated with contractual relations.


eCompanion Course Site:

This course will use eCompanion as a supplement. Course announcements, project information, and supplemental materials will be posted on eCompanion throughout the semester. Access to eCompanion is required for this course. It is the student’s responsibility to check the eCompanion site for this course on a regular basis to obtain necessary information, assignments, and materials on a timely basis. As a convenience, unofficial grades will be posted on eCompanion.

Access to eCompanion is through the following link: http://ecampus.uwyo.edu/


Grading and Course Requirements: The course grade will be based on four (4) in-class exams, a final exam given during exam week, and a team project to be completed during the semester.

The four in-class exams will be limited to assigned material as indicated in the course schedule. Each in-class exam will consist of multiple-choice (and possibly True/False) questions. Each of the three in-class exams are worth 100 points The final exam will consist of multiple choice (and possibly True/False) questions—half of which will test on class material covered since the last in-class exam; the remaining half of the questions will be cumulative from the semester. The final exam is worth 200 points.

The in-class and Final exams will be closed book, meaning that students may not bring any material with them to the exam. In addition, no electronic devices may be used or present during the exams. Students may not communicate with anyone (except the professor or proctor), in any manner, during the exams. Student conduct during the exams is subject to the Academic Integrity standards discussed in the course Syllabus.