Minor in Business Law

Program Overview

This Business Law program provides a comprehensive understanding of legal principles and their application in various business settings. Students develop expertise in contracts, employment law, international law, and intellectual property, preparing them for careers in compliance, contract-related fields, finance, entrepreneurship, and law. The program also offers elective courses and opportunities for internships and study tours to enhance practical experience.

Program Outline

Outline:

Core Courses

• BLAW 200: Legal Environment of Business (3 credits)
• Application of law to business settings; the American court system; alternative dispute resolution; ethics and the social responsibility of business; fundamentals of legal reasoning; sources of law; constitutional, criminal, tort, and contract law; business associations.
• BLAW 450: Contracts, Sales, and Professional Responsibility (3 credits)
• Fundamentals of contracts, the law of sales under the UCC; the legal liability of accountants to clients and third parties.
Formation of contracts; statute of frauds and parol evidence rule; contract performance; remedies for breach of contract; scope of UCC Article Two; sales warranties; remedies for breach of contracts.
• BLAW 452: Employment and Labor Law (3 credits)
• Federal employment discrimination laws; sexual harassment; first amendment rights; employee safety; workers' compensation; privacy; wrongful termination; federal laws governing the right to organize and bargain collectively; emerging issues.
• CIS 101: Introduction to Information Systems (3 credits)
• Introduction to the personal computer as a productivity tool for business majors.
Using Microsoft Office suite, students learn to be productive with document processing, spreadsheets, electronic presentations, and databases. Cannot be used toward any major or minor in Computer Information Science.

Elective Courses

(Choose 6 credits)

• BLAW 453: International Legal Environment of Business (3 credits)
• Legal aspects of United States global trade policies, regulation of imports, contracting in the global marketplace, international marketing concerns, structure of various international organizations and treaties.
Legal aspects of international licensing and technology, transfers risks of nationalization and expropriation, international dispute resolution, comity, the Act of State, and sovereign immunity doctrines.
• BLAW 455: Legal Aspects of Banking and Finance (3 credits)
• Legal aspects of checks and promissory notes, forgery and the use of counterfeit currency.
Discusses the Federal Reserve check collection process, electronic banking, the purchase and sale of commercial paper, debtor and creditor rights, securities regulation, fundamentals of collateral foreclosure, the federal bankruptcy code, and insurance law.
• BLAW 471: Technology and Intellectual Property Law (3 credits)
• This class examines major intellectual property legal issues particularly as they apply to business, technology, innovation, and digital media.
Topics covered include patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, intellectual property crime, free speech, the internet and social media, innovation, and other emerging issues.
• BLAW 474: Environmental Law (3 credits)
• The course introduces students to the legal framework for environmental protection in the United States.
Students will study the principle treaties, common law, constitutional principles, statutes, and regulations that govern environmental regulation. They will also explore issues of land use and planning, clean air and water laws, sustainability, and emerging environmental legal issues.
• BLAW 476: Construction and Design Law (3 credits)
• Legal responsibilities of architects, engineers, and contractors in dealing with each other, the project's owner, sureties, and subcontractors.
Special emphasis on performance problems, forms of business association, legal relationships with independent contractors, the AIA contract documents, mechanics liens, AAA Construction Arbitration Rules, dispute avoidance, claims management, and collection strategies.
• BLAW 477: Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (3 credits)
• This course examines the theory and practice of negotiation and trains students to be effective, strategic, and ethical negotiators.
Topics covered include theories, style, and techniques of negotiations and dispute resolution; contract negotiation and dispute resolution; alternative dispute resolution; and ethical aspects of negotiation and dispute resolution.
• BLAW 492: Study Tour (1-3 credits)
• Study tours are lead by Minnesota State University, Mankato faculty members, and provide students with opportunities to visit epicenters of international law to experience the development and implementation of international law and its effect on businesses.

Careers:

• Compliance-related fields (i.e., human resources management)
• Contract-related fields (i.e., accounting, construction, management, and agribusiness)
• Financial fields (banking and finance)
• Entrepreneurial fields
• Preparation for law or graduate school