Legal Studies (LS)

LS 6101. Introduction to Legal Studies 1: Law and Legal Reasoning. (3 Hours)

This course will provide students with an introduction to the American legal system and legal reasoning. The course materials will cover rights and obligations created by contracts, fundamental principles of property law, accident law, the regulation of criminal conduct, and the laws associated with business formation and relationships. Students will also complete writing exercises to enable them to synthesize their understanding, and to find and use legal sources in support of their work.

LS 6102. Introduction to Legal Studies 2. (3 Hours)

This course builds on LS 6101 with its emphasis on common law by introducing students to statutes and regulations. The setting involves federal administrative agencies governing employment, consumer protection, environment, labor, cyberlaw, intellectual property, and international trade. Exercises and discussions require finding, summarizing, applying and arguing about the applicability of statutes and regulations in concrete situations. The capstone of the course allows students to create a project to illustrate the lessons learned in the course.

LS 6110. Law of Information and Records. (3 Hours)

This course will present a comprehensive survey of procedural and evidentiary rules in the context of recordkeeping, document production, due diligence, and investigations. It will include an exploration of rights to privacy, issues of confidentiality and conflicts of interest, contractual and legal liability, evidentiary consequences in administrative and court settings resulting from work-place disputes, and other related areas.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6120. Law and Strategy. (3 Hours)

This course will introduce students to the implications and impact of law on strategy, with attention to applying legal knowledge and resources to strategic planning and strategy implementation. The course will use several examples of readily understood strategies to provide opportunities for students to identify the legal environment, consider the legal rights and requirements implicated by relevant law or regulation (e.g., intellectual property, contracts, administrative law) and their potential impact on management, incorporating law as a resource on the resource based view of the firm. The range of examples will include considering law and strategy implementation in multiple contexts. The focus will be on developing an appreciation of the legal environment and making effective use of legal resources and lawyers as advisors in strategic management aimed at attaining sustainable competitive advantage over rivals.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6130. Negotiation and Advocacy. (3 Hours)

Students will learn core elements of negotiations that are the precursors to any final agreement or resolutions of informal disputes: negotiation planning from opposing sides and counseling, analysis of the bargaining range and opponent’s needs, principled concession patterns, problem-solving strategies to avoid deadlock, information bargaining and authority clarification, principles of drafting, settlement, and ethics.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6140. Data Regulation and Compliance. (3 Hours)

Institutions increasingly face a host of regulatory compliance issues. This course (building on LS 6102) will cover the challenges facing organizations in building programs that ensure adherence with legal obligations, especially regarding data. We will explore statutes covering a broad range of areas, especially when it involves data protection and privacy.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6150. Law and Organizational Management. (3 Hours)

Students will learn the rules governing organizations, including corporations, partnerships, governmental organizations, and non-profits. The focus will include relationships within the organizations and powers of members of organizations. In addition, the course will cover employment issues relevant to relationships in organizations. Topics will include rights of workers to be free of discrimination in the workplace, the importance of workplace rules, and policies governing the workplace.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6155. Legal Foundations of Public Policy. (3 Hours)

Examines the legal framework for public policymaking at all levels of government. Topics include the role of law within the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government and the contributions of local, state, and federal governments in crafting and implementing public policy. Explores the history of regulation and the rise of the administrative state. Reviews the landscape of current agency activities, including investigations and the imposition of sanctions. Introduces students to legislative and regulatory drafting processes. Offers students an opportunity to draft model legislation and participate in “notice and comment” rulemaking.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6160. Regulation and Global Business Strategies. (3 Hours)

This course provides an introduction to the international legal concepts, principles and institutions that define and shape international business relations. Globalization has increased the number of economic interactions across national borders. The globalization of production and consumption takes place in the background of an international monetary system and an international legal infrastructure facilitating and regulating transnational trade, international finance and global intellectual property and investment protection. The course specifically examines case studies of global governance based on codes of practice, certification and other regulatory initiatives.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6170. Financial Transactions. (3 Hours)

In this course students will explore various aspects of corporate financial transactions, including vendor and supplier contracts, early stage financing, commercial loans, initial public offerings, mergers, and the sale of assets. Issues involving valuation of assets will be covered, and students will learn basic securities laws related to the transactions covered.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6180. Health Law Survey. (3 Hours)

This course examines legal regulations governing the provision of healthcare services. Topics include access to health insurance and healthcare, healthcare financing, the organization and responsibility of healthcare institutions (especially hospitals), healthcare cost containment policies, public and private insurance programs, and the formulation of health policy. The course will also provide an introductory overview of the major statutes, regulations, and case law related to health law, including an introduction to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6181. Healthcare Regulation and Compliance. (3 Hours)

This course covers major regulatory issues related to the healthcare field, providing an in-depth regulatory overview of health programs. Statutory schemes covered will include HIPAA/HITECH, Stark/fraud and abuse. In addition, students will learn about compliance programs, including compliance operations, and the code of conduct for particular fields.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6182. Patient Records, Privacy, and Security. (3 Hours)

This course explores the ethical and legal obligations respecting patient records, particularly electronic records. In addition to reviewing HIPAA’s privacy and security rules, the course will cover professional ethics regarding confidentiality, common law and state protections for confidentiality, GINA, and the HiTech Act.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6210. Special Topics in Employee Rights and Employer Obligations. (3 Hours)

Examines the legal relationship between employer and employee. Addresses issues and topics such as discrimination, affirmative action, the Americans with Disabilities Act, sexual harassment, health and safety, AIDS in the workplace, compliance issues, and legal issues related to downsizing and terminations. Today’s HR manager works in a highly complex environment with constantly changing laws and legislation that govern employee rights and employer obligations. Course content may vary from term to term.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6211. Antidiscrimination Law. (3 Hours)

This course will provide an overview of antidiscrimination laws governing the workplace. The focus will be on discrimination based on race and sex, but some attention will also be given to discrimination based on other characteristics, including age, sexual orientation, and disability. In addition to general issues of discrimination, the course will focus on the specific topics of retaliation, harassment, and bullying in the workplace.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6212. Wages and Benefits. (3 Hours)

This course will cover topics related to wage and hour laws (federal and state), ERISA (pensions), health insurance benefits, the Affordable Care Act, and disability insurance.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6230. Intellectual Property Survey. (3 Hours)

In our modern day “information economy,” the law of intellectual property (IP) has taken on enormous importance to both creators and users of creative works. Such IP Law is the way we provide legal protection to encourage invention and creativity by guaranteeing an opportunity for financial return to the originator of novel work. This course introduces students to the classic principles of copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secret law and explores the ways in which those principles are shifting and adapting in response to new technology.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6231. Identifying and Securing Intellectual Property Rights. (3 Hours)

This course will focus on intellectual property issues in employment, collaborative environments, and business transactions. It will cover common issues for founders and startups, employers, and contractors—including non-compete agreements, crowd-sourcing, and open innovation practices.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6232. Intellectual Property and Media. (3 Hours)

This course will cover copyrights, trademarks, and unfair competition, with a focus on media, advertising, user-generated content, and other online activities.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6235. Current Issues in Law and Public Policy. (3 Hours)

Examines the evolving roles of courts, agencies, legislatures, citizen movements, and nonprofit organizations in policymaking through case studies of current debates in law and policy. Explores how businesses and advocacy groups combine the use of legal tools and other activities to achieve policy goals. Considers how law can be used to right past wrongs and how grassroots activities and individual actions can contribute to a fight against injustice. Focuses on a range of policy issues; possible topics include but are not limited to healthcare reform, criminal justice reform, racial justice, reproductive rights, marriage equality, and environmental justice.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6101 with a minimum grade of C- or LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-

LS 6300. Experiential Learning—MLS Field Project. (3 Hours)

Offers students an opportunity to develop, refine, and practice key business/nonprofit/government communications skills, project and client management techniques, and analytic approaches and learn how to distinguish between the role of lawyers and the role of other professional staff in an entrepreneurial, compliance, regulatory, or social justice context. Course requirements include an applied research project that involves recommendations and a plan for implementation, as well as reflection assignments. The coursework is designed to prepare students to apply analytic skills to specific professional challenges within a variety of legal and regulatory frameworks. Students also develop a professional plan for advancing their own academic and career development goals.

Prerequisite(s): LS 6102 with a minimum grade of C-