PL: Review This First

Stillman’s Mission

… is to cultivate principled leaders through an educational experience that transforms concepts into business practice.

Welcome to Products Liability

Welcome to Products Liability. This is the first part of our course syllabus. We will meet face-to-face twice weekly. All required materials for this semester are described here or linked from these pages. I will update the syllabus if I add material to the course or if an unexpected event intervenes. Given the rapid evolution of digital products and platforms, as well as their legal treatment, I will update the syllabus this semester. You are responsible for remaining current with the course deliverables and schedule by regularly reviewing the entire syllabus for updates.
This course is an elective for students pursuing a Minor in Legal Studies. It serves students majoring in business, diplomacy, the humanities, and science who seek to understand how legal liability shapes business decisions in the age of digital products and platforms.
On this site, you should carefully review the entire syllabus, including “Review This First,” “Deliverables,” “Schedule,” and other materials. You will find answers to most of your questions by examining the information on this site. If you have any questions after you’ve reviewed the syllabus, you can message me on Teams.

What Should You Expect?

The Managerial Perspective

This course is built around a central insight: law is not an abstract doctrine; it shapes how companies make decisions about product design, warnings, recalls, and risk management. Products Liability is an undergraduate course serving a mixed audience of business, diplomacy, and humanities majors with minimal prior legal training. The managerial perspective is central. You will learn not just legal doctrine but how products liability exposure drives business decisions, risk management strategies, and corporate accountability.
Every concept in this course is anchored in real cases and real business consequences. We ask: Who benefits from limiting liability? Who bears the cost of a defective product? How should manufacturers balance safety, cost, and innovation?

Digital Products & Emerging Liability Questions

A defining challenge of our moment is that digital products, platforms, and networks are transforming faster than products liability law can keep pace with. Consider:

When an algorithm makes a hiring decision that harms a protected class, is the AI system a “product” subject to the products liability doctrine?
If a social media platform’s design encourages harmful user behavior, is the platform defective?
When a cloud service fails and causes business losses, does the products liability doctrine apply?
Can we define a “defect” in a system that learns, adapts, and behaves unpredictably?
Who is the “manufacturer”: the software developer, the AI trainer, the company deploying the system, the cloud provider?

These questions do not yet have clear legal answers. This course prepares you to think about them rigorously. By mastering traditional products liability doctrine, you will develop the analytical tools to evaluate how the law should extend (or not) to digital contexts. You will learn to distinguish between doctrine that adapts flexibly and doctrine that breaks under the weight of new facts.

The FAIR Framework Applied to Products Liability

This course uses the FAIR Framework, Flexibility, Adaptability, Imagination, and Resilience, as a lens for understanding both historical doctrine and emerging challenges:

Flexibility: Recognizing That Products and Risks Evolve

Flexibility in products liability requires a willingness to question assumptions about products, consumers, and responsibility.

Historically, products liability emerged in response to industrialization. Courts confronted defective automobiles, machinery, pharmaceuticals, and household products. The legal doctrines that developed reflected the technologies and risks of their time.

Today’s products are fundamentally different.

A modern automobile contains millions of lines of software code. Medical devices may rely on artificial intelligence. Smart home systems continuously collect and exchange data. Consumer products increasingly receive software updates after purchase, altering functionality long after they enter the marketplace.

Flexible legal thinkers recognize that traditional assumptions may not always fit emerging technologies.

For example:

Is a software defect equivalent to a manufacturing defect?
When an AI system learns and changes after deployment, who bears responsibility for resulting harms?
Should cybersecurity vulnerabilities be treated as product defects?
Does a product become defective when a future software update creates a hazard?

Flexibility encourages students to remain open to new legal interpretations rather than assuming existing frameworks will always provide complete answers.

A flexible products liability practitioner understands that the law must often adapt to technologies that did not exist when the governing doctrines were first developed.

Adaptability: Applying Established Principles to New Contexts

Products liability law has demonstrated remarkable adaptability throughout its history.

The law evolved from caveat emptor (“let the buyer beware”) to negligence-based liability and eventually to modern strict liability principles. Courts and legislatures repeatedly adapted legal standards to address changing technologies, manufacturing methods, and consumer expectations.

Adaptability today requires applying established legal principles to unfamiliar circumstances.

Consider several contemporary examples:

Autonomous vehicles
AI-powered medical devices
Consumer drones
Connected home technologies
Biometric systems
Advanced robotics

Each raises novel questions while still implicating familiar products liability concepts such as duty, defect, foreseeability, and causation.

Adaptable legal thinkers understand that while technologies change, many underlying legal principles remain relevant.

The challenge is determining how to interpret and apply those principles.

For example, strict liability developed in part because manufacturers are often best positioned to identify and manage product risks. As products become increasingly software-driven, courts and regulators may need to adapt traditional defect analyses to account for algorithmic design choices, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and machine-learning systems.

Adaptability enables legal professionals to bridge the gap between established doctrine and emerging realities.

Imagination: Anticipating Future Liability Challenges

Products liability has always been a reactive field. Historically, legal reforms often followed significant injuries, public outcry, or technological failures.

However, emerging technologies increasingly require proactive thinking.

Imagination enables students and practitioners to anticipate future liability challenges before they emerge as major societal problems.

Questions that require imagination include:

How should liability be allocated when autonomous systems make independent decisions?
What happens when products continuously evolve through machine learning?
How should courts evaluate injuries caused by AI-generated recommendations?
Who bears responsibility when multiple interconnected products interact to produce harm?
How should liability be assigned within complex global supply chains?

These questions have no simple answers.

Yet products liability professionals must begin considering them now.

Imagination is particularly important because products increasingly function as systems rather than standalone objects.

A smart thermostat may interact with cloud services, software platforms, mobile applications, and third-party devices. When harm occurs, identifying responsibility may require examining an entire ecosystem rather than a single product.

Imaginative thinking helps students explore plausible future scenarios and evaluate how existing legal doctrines may respond, or fail to respond, to them.

It encourages future lawyers and policymakers to move beyond precedent and consider what legal frameworks may be necessary in an increasingly complex world.

Resilience: Managing Failure, Risk, and Uncertainty

At its core, products liability law exists because products fail.

No matter how carefully products are designed, manufactured, tested, and regulated, some failures will occur. Innovation inherently involves uncertainty.

Resilience is therefore a central concept in products liability.

For manufacturers, resilience means developing systems that anticipate failures, learn from incidents, and continuously improve safety.

For legal institutions, resilience means developing doctrines that can respond to new forms of risk without undermining innovation.

For consumers, resilience means understanding that absolute safety is unattainable and that legal systems seek to balance innovation, utility, and risk.

For lawyers and policymakers, resilience means recognizing that technological progress will continually create unforeseen challenges.

The history of products liability demonstrates resilience in action.

The legal system responded to industrial accidents by expanding the negligence doctrine.

It responded to mass production by embracing strict liability.

It responded to pharmaceutical disasters by strengthening regulatory oversight.

It responded to increasingly complex products through evolving standards of warnings, design defect analysis, and post-sale duties.

Each response reflected society’s effort to learn from failure and improve future outcomes.

Resilience allows legal systems to evolve rather than collapse when confronted with new forms of risk.

These are not abstract questions. They drive real business strategy, risk management, and compliance decisions.

Why This Matters Now

The products liability doctrine emerged in the mid-20th century to address manufactured goods, automobiles, appliances, and pharmaceuticals. The doctrine has proven flexible enough to address warnings, design defects, and scope questions across many industries. But digital products present tests that push doctrine to its limits:

Fungibility: Digital products are infinitely reproducible; a defect in code can affect millions instantly
Attribution: Multiple parties (developers, deployers, platforms, data providers) contribute to harm; who is the “manufacturer”
Foreseeability: Algorithmic systems behave in ways designers didn’t anticipate; can you “warn” about emergent risks?
Causation: When an AI system contributes to harm, how do you prove but-for causation or proximate cause?

By engaging these frontier questions, you will develop judgment about how law adapts under pressure, how doctrine preserves core values while accommodating new facts, and how ethical reasoning informs legal change.

How We Will Work Together

Case-Based Learning

Our primary teaching and learning method is case-based analysis. Every doctrine is anchored in a real case. You will brief cases, identify legal issues, apply doctrine, and draw managerial implications. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter drive in-class engagement. You are expected to arrive prepared to discuss cases thoughtfully.

The PL Project: Your Capstone Work

The PL Project is the primary deliverable for this course. You will work in teams to analyze how the products liability doctrine applies (or fails to apply) to a specific digital product, platform, or network. Your project will:

Identify a real digital product or platform (e.g., a social media app, AI hiring tool, autonomous vehicle system, cloud service, cryptocurrency exchange)
Analyze how existing PL theories (negligence, strict liability, warranty, fraud) could be applied
Evaluate whether traditional doctrine is adequate or whether new legal frameworks are needed
Anticipate how manufacturers, platforms, and regulators should respond to liability exposure
Present your analysis in a multimedia WordPress portfolio that integrates text, case analysis, policy recommendations, and visual/interactive elements.

The PL Project unfolds across the semester in phases, with teamwork documented in Microsoft Teams. You will refine your thinking iteratively, respond to feedback, and publish a final multimedia portfolio.

Individual Assignments

In addition to the PL Project, you will complete individual assignments (case evaluations, reflection papers, policy memos, analysis exercises) at key points in the semester. These assignments reinforce doctrine and prepare you for the PL Project work.

Discussion & Engagement

Success in this course requires active participation in discussions. We will use case evaluations, Socratic questioning, policy debates, and scenario exercises to deepen your understanding. You are expected to come to class prepared, contribute thoughtfully, and engage respectfully with competing interpretations.

Before We Meet

Before our first class, please:

Review the entire syllabus, including Review This First, Deliverables, Schedule, and Calendar
Join our Microsoft Teams Workspace – our primary platform for course communication. All announcements, discussions, and assignment submissions will occur on Teams.
Introduce yourself – Post a brief introduction in the Teams channel: your name, major, why you’re taking this course, and one product (physical or digital) you find interesting
Learning Contract – Complete your review of the materials included in this site, including the entire course syllabus, Course Policies, Plagiarism page, AI Use Policy, and the AI Engagement Plan, then post in the Learning Contract channel in Teams that you have completed your review and have reviewed and understand the Course Policies
Prepare for the first case – Read the introduction to the textbook and brief your first assigned case using the Case Brief Template.
Consider course partnerships – The PL Project is team-based. I will form teams for the PL Project.

Required Text

Please purchase this book as soon as possible:

Products Liability: A Managerial Perspective, 2nd Edition by Richard J. Hunter Jr., John H. Shannon, Henry J. Amoroso, available from the SHU Bookstore or Amazon. All chapter readings are assigned in the course schedule.

Additional materials will be provided as linked readings, case excerpts, regulatory guidance, and contemporary examples. These are listed in the course schedule.

Technology & Platforms

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is our primary communication and collaboration platform. All course announcements, discussions, reading materials, assignment submissions, and team-based project work will occur on Teams. You are responsible for checking Teams regularly (at least daily). I will not use email for course communication; use Teams DM or channels instead.

You must download and install the Teams client (desktop and mobile) before our first class. Browser access is available, but does not include all features.

WordPress & Adobe Express

The PL Project will be developed and published on a WordPress site. Teams will use WordPress to create a multimedia portfolio documenting their analysis, research, case studies, policy recommendations, and foresight tools. You will use Adobe Express or similar tools to create visual, interactive, and multimedia elements within the WordPress site.

You will need access to Adobe Creative Cloud (available free through SHU) or equivalent design tools. Familiarity with WordPress is helpful but not required; we will provide training and support.

Canvas (Limited Use)

Canvas will be used for submission of deliverables and grade reporting. Work on the PL Project will be submitted via WordPress, not Canvas.

Course Policies & Expectations

You are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the full Course Policies, including:

Attendance and participation expectations
Preparation and engagement standards
Assignment guidelines and due dates
Academic integrity and plagiarism
Use of AI (required disclosure of AI-assisted work)
Grades and assessment

As in matters of law, ignorance of the Course Policies is not an excuse.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

This course welcomes thoughtful engagement with AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, etc.) as both a subject of study and a tool for learning and project development.

You are required to disclose any use of AI in your assignments and project work. Disclose how you used AI, what prompts you gave, and how AI-assisted work compares to your independent analysis. This transparency is an academic integrity requirement and a practical skill you’ll need as an emerging professional.

For detailed guidance, see my policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI.

Communication & Office Hours

Professor John H. Shannon

Office: 651 Jubilee Hall
Communication: Microsoft Teams DM (preferred)
Office Hours: MW, 10-11:30 a.m., or by appointment (DM me on Teams with available days/times)

I will respond to Teams messages within 24 hours. For video meetings, DM me with several day/time options, and we’ll schedule via Teams.

I maintain boundaries between professional work and personal time. Messages sent late Friday evening will receive responses Monday morning unless it’s a genuine emergency. Please plan ahead for assignment questions.

Why This Course Matters

The products liability doctrine is foundational to how capitalism works. It allocates risk, shapes incentives, and determines who pays for injuries. In an era of digital products, platforms, and algorithmic decision-making, these questions become urgent:

Do digital products need regulation, or can tort law handle it?
Who should bear liability when an AI system causes harm?
Can manufacturers “opt out” of liability through licensing terms?
What responsibility do platforms have for user-generated harms?

By mastering traditional products liability doctrine and extending it thoughtfully to digital contexts, you will develop the analytical and ethical reasoning needed to lead in an uncertain legal environment. You will learn to think like a business leader who understands legal risk, not like a lawyer applying fixed rules.

That skill, the ability to adapt legal thinking to new facts, to balance competing values, to make decisions under uncertainty, is what this course cultivates.

Ready to begin? See “Deliverables” for assignment details, “Schedule” for the week-by-week breakdown, and “Calendar” for due dates.

Some Ideas

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those that can’t read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. – ALVIN TOFFLER

Be curious. Read widely. Try new things. I think a lot of what people call intelligence just boils down to curiosity. – AARON SWARTZ

Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind. – GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM

Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them. – GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM

Work. Write. Read. Write some more. Read some more. Keep putting words on the page or screen, because that’s the only way you’ll get better. – S.J. WATSON

The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed. – WILLIAM GIBSON

Everything that can be digitized will be digitized. – KARA SWISHER

This is the 21st century. It’s not OK for politicians not to understand the internet anymore. – AARON SWARTZ

Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today. – ERNEST HEMINGWAY

There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising partly from fear of their adversaries … and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it. – NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

We only have one chance to get AI right… we are in real trouble if we miss. – JEVON MITCHELL-HAYWOOD

When you invent the ship, you also invent the shipwreck; when you invent the plane you also invent the plane crash; and when you invent electricity, you invent electrocution… Every technology carries its own negativity, which is invented at the same time as technical progress. – PAUL VIRILIO

We are surrounded by the wondrous effects of machines and are encouraged to ignore the ideas embedded in them. Once a technology is admitted it plays out its hand; it does what it is designed to do. Our task is to understand what that design is—that is to say, when we admit a new technology to the culture, we must do so with our eyes wide open. – NEIL POSTMAN, TECHNOPOLY

You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it. – ROBIN WILLIAMS

Creativity is relational. Its practice is most about casting widely and connecting disparate dots of existing knowledge in new, meaningful ways. To be creative, you’ve got to mine knowledge. You have to know your dots. – BRUCE NUSSBAUM

Those not ready to change will wake up one day to find themselves wonderfully prepared to live in a world that doesn’t exist. – ZIG ZIGLAR

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change. – CHARLES DARWIN

Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say. – EDWARD SNOWDEN

Privacy is not something that I’m merely entitled to, it’s an absolute prerequisite. – MARLON BRANDO

You invade my privacy, it’s nothing. I try to get it back, it’s a crime. You’ll never understand… it’s not that I have nothing to hide… I have nothing I want you to see. – THE GIRL, ANON

Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. – ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Be a nuisance where it counts. Do your part to inform and stimulate the public to join your action. Be depressed, discouraged and disappointed at failure and the disheartening effects of ignorance, greed, corruption and bad politics… but never give up. – MARJORIE STONEMAN DOUGLAS

First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. Then they fight you. Then you win. – MAHATMA GANDHI

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. – ALICE WATERS

Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it. – JONATHAN SWIFT

The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves—in their separate, and individual capacities. – ABRAHAM LINCOLN

To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. – THEODORE ROOSEVELT

The press was to serve the governed, not the governors. – HUGO BLACK

Just because you have no interest in politics doesn’t mean politics may not be interested in you. – PERICLES

The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge. – STEVEN HAWKING

The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. – ALBERT EINSTEIN (perhaps)

AT: Review This First

Stillman’s Mission

… is to enrich each student’s life through an ethics-centered education focusing on transforming concepts into business practice.

Welcome To The Course

Welcome to Advanced Topics. This is part of your course syllabus. I will update this syllabus if I add something to the course or if something unexpected intervenes … like a hurricane or blizzard. You’ll need to keep current on course assignments and materials by reviewing this syllabus regularly for updates.

You should carefully review the entire course syllabus, calendar, deliverables, schedule, and any other materials included in this course site. You will find answers to any questions when you review the rest of the information contained on this site. If you have any questions after you’ve reviewed this syllabus and the rest of the course site, you can DM me in Teams to contact me.

Before We Meet

We will meet for the first time on Wednesday, January 15th, at 330p in JH139. We will meet F2F unless notified otherwise. Our course may require masks in class. Before we meet, please click Before We Begin to complete some housekeeping items, including introducing yourself, agreeing to the learning contract, and finishing your O365 profile by adding a headshot as your profile picture.

Our communications will be centered in the course Teams workspace. Please visit the Teams workspace as soon as possible since all of our course communication will be via Teams, and I won’t use email for our course communication in the future.

Introduction

Managers face various legal challenges that can both help and hinder success. This course examines several advanced topics in the legal environment that will provide a foundation that will equip students to recognize the legal challenges they will encounter as managers. We will focus on issues related to information privacy law during this semester. While we will not turn students into lawyers, we will develop the legal knowledge and analytical skills that guide entrepreneurs in a complicated legal environment.

What Should You Expect?

The course’s subject matter is interesting, challenging, and timely. We will cover some very interesting topics that are particularly important in the 21st-century economy. We will use various digital platforms to interact with each other and the course materials.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to use a fundamentally different set of delivery modalities, e.g., in-person, HyFlex, hybrid, remote, synchronous, or not, or some combination of approaches to teaching and learning. We have met remotely, when necessary, to accomplish our work over these last several years. The use of remote modalities demands that we adjust our understanding of acceptable protocols for attendance and participation, whether a meeting or course attendance, engagement, and participation.

While working together using a digital platform, e.g., Teams, Zoom, Slack, etc., you must join the session with a live camera and muted mic. A live camera helps to create a sense of community and will help all of us to engage effectively during our discussions. If you only unmute your mic when speaking, we can avoid feedback, unsolicited input from family, pets, and others, and random noise. If your classmates cannot see or hear you, actively engaging in course meetings will be difficult. That will have negative implications for your grade results. Please look at the Protocols for Online Meetings and Classes for more information.

I will actively engage you using the Socratic Method in class and during our discussions outside class. You will better understand my class sessions after you read my perspective on Teaching and Learning.

Learning Objectives

This course is an elective required for those students who have decided to pursue the Minor in Legal Studies. The course will help prepare students to meet the legal and regulatory challenges and opportunities they can expect to encounter as managers of private and public businesses. The course provides a conceptual framework for understanding the various legal tools available to managers who evaluate and pursue opportunities. This course will not make you a lawyer. It will, however, help you develop insights into the law and help you handle the legal aspects of management. This includes developing legal literacy, learning what to look for when selecting an attorney, and knowing when to call one.

Course Materials

All of the course materials are available as links that you will find at ShannonWeb. I may assign additional materials for use in our course. I will post links to those materials in advance in the Course Schedule. Please check the syllabus regularly for updates.

Technology

Since you have reviewed my Course Policies, you already know my expectations about using technology in my courses. Participating in this course will require you to engage with several digital platforms. Be sure to carefully review the materials included in Writing on a Digital Platform and Writing and Research. Our communication and collaboration platform will be Teams. If you need to reach me or have questions, please DM in Teams. We use Teams video for our virtual office hours. You will prepare your writing assignments using digital platforms that will allow you to incorporate multimedia to enhance your text-based content. You will use resources as varied as a search engine (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google, DuckDuckGo, or Bing) and the resources available from our Walsh Library.

You are responsible for “figuring it out” regarding a project’s “how to” aspects. If you don’t know how to do something … “search for it”!

Many students have told me that “figuring it out” was an unexpected and beneficial experience and a critical learning outcome.

Course Policies

You are responsible for becoming familiar with my Course Policies, including in-class performance, attendance, preparation & participation, assignments, course communication, assessment, and plagiarism. Please review them carefully.

As in the law … ignorance (of the Course Policies) is not an excuse.

Contact Me

Professor John H. Shannon

Office: 651 Jubilee Hall or Teams
Communications: Teams DM (preferred)
Office Hours: Mon & Wed, 10a – 1130a and also by appt (you will find the link to join Office Hours is available in your Teams or Outlook calendar); all office hours and other meetings will be held via Teams

We can schedule an alternative meeting time if you are unavailable during my office hours. As you know, our course communications platform is Teams. Please DM me in Teams with some days/times when you are available, and we can schedule a video conference in Teams.

I can be reached via any number of platforms … Teams (preferred), email, voice, or video. As a general rule, I am available if I am online. You can DM me in Teams or post a question to the Course Questions channel in our Teams workspace. I will try to reply to any communications as soon as possible, but certainly no more than 24 hours after receipt. If you prefer a video conference (and who doesn’t?), please DM me with some convenient days/times, and we’ll set it up.

My office hours are subject to change every semester, so please check your course syllabus for my current office hours (see above). In the past, I have generally scheduled at least one hour a week using Teams video to accommodate those who have a conflict with my scheduled office hours. Since we are conducting all office hours and other meetings via Teams, and if you are unavailable to meet during my office hours, you can schedule an appointment for a video conference via Teams. I prefer video conferences because they give me more options when answering your questions.

That said, I carve out space for thoughtful consideration of life. The practical impact of that desire is to keep evenings and weekends clear for family, friends, and other forms of social interaction. If you are going to ping me late on a Friday, then I will get back to you on Monday unless it is an emergency … a REAL emergency.

When communicating with me, please include the following information: your name, the question or issue to be resolved, your course/section, and any other necessary information.

Assessment

This information is related to my undergraduate courses. I suggest you review it carefully before your course begins.

Performance

I describe my expectations for your performance in my classes in the Deliverables and Engagement pages of this section. If you have not reviewed them yet, please take a moment and review them before proceeding with this section.

I have very high expectations for performance for my students. I expect that you will bring your best efforts to all of your interactions with your classmates, our course and with me. I presume that you are attending college, and our course, because you are interested in your future success.

You are constructing the platform on which you will build your professional, and personal, lives. That should be sufficient incentive to encourage you to invest in the learning environment we are developing, and those involved in that learning environment, to the fullest extent possible.

Please approach this experience accordingly.

Deliverables

All of my deliverables have hard deadlines. If you miss a deadline you will receive no credit for that assignment. The excuse of “my dog ate my homework” or its 21^st century equivalent “my computer crashed” are not acceptable. “I forgot” or “I didn’t calendar the deliverable” or “I didn’t set a reminder” or “I had other assignments due” do not work for me … nor will they work for you.

It is important that you provide your analysis of the issues presented by any deliverable … whether that is a discussion board, journal post, blog comment or POV. Simply regurgitating the content of the question or article is not acceptable … think back to your first book report in elementary school … since I already know what happened in the book you do not really need to tell me again. It is infinitely more important that you demonstrate your understanding of the issues presented and their relevance in context.

My assessment of your submissions will also be based upon the extent to which you meet the minimum requirements of the deliverable. Most deliverables will be described with minimum word and source counts. Page counts are irrelevant when working in digital platforms so the minimum word and source counts will provide you with an expectation framework. You can improve your prospects for a strong outcome by exceeding the minimum requirements of the assignment. And remember that simply meeting the minimum requirements will result in an average grade.

OMG … Technophobia!!!

PLEASE do not tell me that you “are not a technology person” … we are clearly past the point where a lack of familiarity with technology is a good idea or at all acceptable. Since Fear of Technology
we rely on these devices and platforms you should be certain that your mobile device is connected to your SHU email and calendar accounts as well as Teams.

This site and Blackboard are not optimized to play well with Internet Explorer. I suggest that you use either Firefox or Safari as your browser.

That said, mine are not IT courses … they are courses that examine different areas of law. It happens that we will use a variety of different technology platforms to support our work … much the same as you will in your personal and professional lives.

I may be able to assist you with a hardware or software issue. However, it is your responsibility to be sure that both are in good working order. Be certain that your computer’s operating system, browser(s) and the variety of installed software is up-to-date, If something isn’t working … get it fixed … in a timely manner. That’s why we have PC Support Services and a Help Desk.

You are responsible for “figuring it out” when it comes to the “how to” aspects of a project. If you don’t know how to do something … “Google it!” … or, of you don’t want to be tracked use Duck Duck Go for search.

In fact, many of my past students have told me that mastering the art of “figuring it out” was both an unexpected and beneficial experience and a critical learning outcome in my courses.

Grading

Remember, as I noted above, that I have very high expectations for performance for my students. I expect that you will bring your best efforts to all of your interactions with your classmates, our course and with me. That will require you to do your best work in our course.

Engagement, i.e., attendance and participation during our course meetings is required. If you do not engage in the course it will have a negative impact on your grade results.

As I note in the Deliverables page, my assessment of your submissions will be based upon the extent to which you meet the deliverable’s minimum requirements as to content and form. You can improve your prospects for a strong outcome by exceeding the minimum requirements for that deliverable, i.e., expanding the scope of your content and analysis, including addressing potential ethics issues, of the question posed, broadening the scope of the sources used to support that content and analysis, and meeting the form requirements outlined above.

It is important to remember, though, that if you simply meet the minimum requirements the result will be an average grade.

If you fail to participate at all, or do not meet the deliverable’s deadline, you will receive zero points and a grade of “F” for that deliverable. If you only partially meet the deliverable’s requirements you will earn a maximum grade of “D”. If you meet the deliverable’s requirements your submission will be evaluated and assigned a grade subject to the Grade Ranges described below.

I generally do not accept late submissions for credit unless you have experienced a real emergency. I will consider your reasons for missing a deadline if you submit them for my consideration in a timely manner via a Teams DM. That said, a real emergency does not arise if you miss the assignment or deadline because you did not calendar it, or you experienced a conflict that was avoidable or you simply forgot the deadline.

Grade Ranges

This table describes the range of points assigned to a particular grade.


A	95% – 100%	C+	77% – 79.9%
A-	90% – 94.9%	C	73% – 76.9%
B+	87% – 89.9%	C-	70% – 72.9%
B	83% – 86.9%	D+	65% – 69.9%
B-	80% – 83.9%	D	60% – 64.9%
F		< 59.9%

LFB: Review This First 324

Stillman’s Mission

… is to cultivate principled leaders through an educational experience that transforms concepts into business practice.

Welcome To The Course

Welcome to the Legal Environment of Business. This page is the first section of your course syllabus. We will meet face-to-face (F2F) weekly, both in class and, when necessary, remotely via Teams. I will update this syllabus if I add something to the course or if something unexpected intervenes, such as a hurricane, blizzard, or a return to fully remote class meetings. You’ll need to keep current on course assignments and materials by reviewing this syllabus regularly for updates.

You should review the course syllabus, starting with ‘Review This First,’ and then the calendar, Deliverables, Schedule, and other materials on this course site. After reviewing the rest of the information, you will find answers to any questions you may have. If you have any questions after reviewing this syllabus and the rest of the course site, you can DM me in Teams to reach me.

Before We Meet

We will meet for the first time on Monday, August 25th, at 2:00 p.m. in JH ???. We will meet F2F unless notified otherwise. Before we meet, please click Before We Begin to complete some housekeeping items, including introducing yourself, agreeing to the learning contract, and finishing your O365 profile by adding a headshot as your profile picture.

Our communications will be centered in the course Teams workspace. Please visit the Teams workspace as soon as possible, as all course communication will be conducted via Teams, and I won’t use email for our course communication in the future.

Introduction

This course’s subject will include an introduction to the American legal system, encompassing a survey of US court systems and types of jurisprudence, as well as an introduction to the US Constitution with an analysis of fundamental constitutional concepts, constitutional amendments, and illustrative cases. We will examine ethical and international legal perspectives related to contemporary business. Areas of study will also include contract law, the law of business organizations, and the regulatory environment. Students will examine the ethical challenges that arise from the intersection of law and business.

What Should You Expect?

The course’s subject matter is interesting, challenging, and always timely. While we examine the basis and evolution of our legal system, we will continually monitor how that system affects the business environment in real-time. We will utilize various digital platforms to interact with one another and access the course materials. You will actively engage in the course, using the Socratic Method in class and during our digital discussions outside of class. You will gain a better understanding of what to expect during a class session after reviewing my perspective on Teaching and Learning.

I will actively engage you using the Socratic Method in class and during our discussions outside class. You will gain a better understanding of my class sessions after reading my perspective on Teaching and Learning.

Learning Objectives

This introductory class in the legal foundations of business is designed to help students develop critical thinking, communication, oral presentation, technology, and ethical skills. This course will help prepare students to meet the legal and regulatory challenges and opportunities they can expect to encounter as managers of private and public businesses. The course provides a conceptual framework for understanding the various legal tools available to managers who evaluate and pursue opportunities. The objective is not to teach business students how to think like lawyers but to teach them how to become more legally astute so they can confidently handle the legal aspects of management.

Required Course Text

The Legal Environment of Business: Text and Cases, 12th ed., by Cross/Miller, published by Cengage | ISBN: 9780357700006

N.B. Do not purchase, or use, Law, Business, and Regulation: A Managerial Perspective, CreateSpace (2017), or The Legal Environment of Business: A Managerial and Regulatory Perspective, 3rd Ed. CreateSpace (2011).

Additional Materials

I may assign additional materials for use in our course. I will post links to those materials in advance in the Schedule. Please check the syllabus regularly for updates.

Technology

Since you have reviewed my Course Policies, you are already familiar with my expectations regarding the use of technology in my courses. Participating in this course will require you to engage with several digital platforms. Our communication and collaboration platform will be Teams. If you need to reach me or have questions, please DM me on Teams. We use Teams video for our virtual office hours on Tuesday mornings. You will prepare your writing assignments using digital platforms that will allow you to incorporate multimedia to enhance your text-based content. You will utilize resources as varied as search engines (Google, DuckDuckGo, or Bing), resources available from our Walsh Library, and various GenAI platforms.

You are responsible for “figuring it out” regarding a project’s “how-to” aspects. If you don’t know how to do something … Google it!

Many students have told me that “figuring it out” was an unexpected, beneficial, and critical learning experience.

Remote Learning

If circumstances (such as a hurricane or a COVID-19 spike) demand it, we will be prepared to adapt and transition to a remote, synchronous learning environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to adopt a fundamentally different set of delivery modalities, such as HyFlex, hybrid, remote, synchronous, or a combination of approaches to teaching and learning. We are increasingly working remotely to accomplish our work. That remote modality requires us to adjust our understanding of acceptable protocols for attendance and participation, whether in meetings or courses, including engagement and involvement.

When working together using a digital platform, such as Teams or Canvas, it is essential to join the session with a live camera and a muted microphone. A live camera helps create a sense of community and enables all of us to engage effectively during our discussions. If you only unmute your mic when speaking, we can avoid feedback, unsolicited input from family, pets, and others, as well as random noise. If your classmates can see or hear you, it will be easier to engage actively in course meetings. That will have negative implications for your grade results. Please review the Protocols for Online Meetings and Classes for more information.

Course Policies

Please remember that you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with my Course Policies, including those regarding in-class performance, attendance, preparation and participation, assignments, course communication, assessment, and plagiarism. Please review them carefully.

As in the law … ignorance (of the Course Policies) is not an excuse.

Contact Me

Professor John H. Shannon

Office: 651 Jubilee Hall or Teams
Communications: Teams DM (preferred)
Office Hours: Mon & Wed, 10 a.m. – 1130 a.m. and also by appt (you will find the link to join Office Hours is available in your Teams or Outlook calendar); all office hours and other meetings will be held via Teams

We can schedule an alternative meeting time if you are unavailable during my office hours. As you are aware, our course communications platform is Microsoft Teams. Please DM me in Teams with some days/times when you are available, and we can schedule a video conference in Teams.

I can be reached via multiple platforms, including Teams (preferred), email, voice, and video. As a general rule, I am available if I am online. You can DM me in Teams or, if you are already enrolled in one of my courses, post a question to the #Course Questions channel in our course’s Teams workspace. I will try to reply to any communications as soon as possible, but certainly within 24 hours after receipt. If you prefer a video conference (and who doesn’t?), please DM me with some convenient days/times, and we’ll set it up.

My office hours are subject to change each semester, so please refer to your course syllabus for my current office hours (see above). In the past, I have generally scheduled at least one hour a week using Teams video to accommodate those conflicting with my scheduled office hours. Since we are conducting all office hours and other meetings via Teams, if you are unavailable to meet during my office hours, you can schedule a video conference appointment via Teams. I prefer video conferences because they give me more options when answering your questions.

That said, I make room for thoughtful consideration of life. The practical impact of that desire is to keep evenings and weekends clear for family, friends, and other forms of social interaction. If you plan to ping me late on a Friday, I will respond on Monday, unless it is an actual emergency.

When communicating with me, please include the following information: your name, the question or issue to be resolved, your course/section, and any other necessary information.