Law (LAW) Courses

LAW2001 The Legal Environment of Business I

This course provides an overview of the legal, regulatory and ethical environment in which business decisions must be made. Students are exposed to a variety of legal topics; basic concepts, such as court procedures, contracts and torts, are followed by a selection of more advanced related fields which may include sales, intellectual property, real property law, constitutional law and alternative dispute resolution. Attention is paid to both the letter of the law and its practical effect on business decision-making. This course relies on, and develops, the student's ability to read and reason critically.
Prerequisite(s): Sophomore status.
Offered at Charlotte, Online, Providence
3 Semester Credits

LAW2005 Hospitality Law

This course provides an overview of the legal and regulatory environment in which business decisions must be made within the hospitality industry. The course exposes the student to a variety of basic legal topics such as contracts and torts which are followed by a selection of more advanced related concepts which may include service of food and alcohol, innkeeper-guest relations, liability for the personal property of others and employment relationships. Attention is paid to both the letter of the law and its practical effect on business decision-making. This course relies on, and develops, the student’s ability to read and reason critically.
Prerequisite(s): Sophomore status.
Offered at Charlotte, Online, Providence
3 Semester Credits

LAW2850 Media Law

This course introduces students to foundational legal principles that inform the work of media professionals such as entrepreneurial content creators, public relations specialists, and journalists. Students study the legal system generally and gain exposure to the constitutional, statutory and regulatory environment wherein lawful communications are distinguished from those that violate the law. To understand the judicial process, students engage with such relevant common law torts as defamation and invasion of privacy, exploring the potential for liability and the nature of court-imposed damages. In addition, an examination of the constitutional right to freedom of expression under the First Amendment offers students the framework under which governing statutory law and administrative regulations may permissibly occur. Coverage of copyrights and trademarks, journalistic privilege, obscenity, and media ownership provides the context for appreciating the tensions between government regulation of media and the First Amendment. Throughout the course, students rely heavily on their developing ability to think critically and communicate clearly about complex issues.
Prerequisite(s): ENG1021 or ENG1027.
Offered at Charlotte, Providence
3 Semester Credits

LAW3080 Cyberlaw

This upper-level course confronts students with the changes and adaptations of U.S. law resulting from the ascendancy of computers and the Internet. Fundamental common law and statutory assumptions about the nature of person, place, thing and action are called into question by data transactions between computer memories, unprecedented wealth concentrated in the development and distribution of software, widespread access to large quantities of data with minimal quality control, and the blurring of geographical boundaries. Students examine how contract formation, defamation, obscenity, copyright, trademark, privacy and other legal issues have been changed by technology and the online world.
Prerequisite(s): LAW2001.
Offered at Charlotte, Online, Providence
3 Semester Credits