Instructor: Paul R. Zuckerman
Office: FOB N1
Office Hours:See secretary in FOB N12
Phone: (845) 257-3516
E-mail address: zuckerpr@newpaltz.edu
Web page: http://www.mcs.newpaltz.edu/~zuckerpr

In this course is about the legal and ethical problems that people encounter in professional practice. We will study legal doctrines relating to malpractice, product liability, contracts, and intellectual property. We will see examples from accounting, architecture, aviation, computer science, engineering, entertainment, law, medicine, psychology, publishing, and teaching.

Text.
Burnham, Introduction to Law and the Legal System of the United States. Third edition.

Attendance.
I will conduct much of each class as a discussion. These discussions will be opportunities for you to build and validate your understanding of the material. Therefore, your attendance and participation are major determinants of what you will learn from the course.

I will assume from your presence that you have constructed some useful understandings from the discussions. Conversely, I will infer from your absence that you have not. Accordingly, I will deduct one-half point from your course average for each absence beyond three. (I will compute your course average on a twelve-point scale on which A = 12, A- = 11, etc.) I do not intend this deduction as a penalty; I assume all absences are necessary. It is simply a method of quantifying and reporting an estimate of what you have learned from the course.

Class preparation.
For most classes I will assign readings from the text, from additional printed material that I will supply, or from material in the library. These readings will include edited versions of actual court opinions. You will study and extract certain information from these opinions. Preparing written summaries, called briefs, will be useful for you. You should discuss and compare your briefs with those of your classmates. Plan to spend at least two hours preparing for each hour of class. This amounts to at least six hours per week.

During the class discussions, I will expect people to participate voluntarily, but I will also call on people by name. Please be ready to participate.

Written assignments.
I will give written assignments that I will evaluate by their content, organization, and compliance with standards of English usage. Please submit your written work on 8½ x 11 paper, double spaced, printed on one side only, with one inch margins. You may use either a typewriter or a word processor. I do not accept late or hand-written work.

Examinations.
I will give two exams during the semester on dates that I will announce in advance. I will give you some sample exam questions before the first exam.
The time for the final exam is Monday, May 12, 8:30 - 11:30 A.M.
I will not give make-up exams you miss during the semester. I will excuse you from an in-class or final exam only if you present substantial documentation of a serious illness or personal emergency that prevented your attendance.

Grades.
I will compute your grade from a course average with the following weights:
Two in-class exams - 20% each.
Written assignments - 20%.
Final exam - 40%.
I will adjust this average according to the attendance policy. I may adjust this average upwards if you are consistently prepared when I call on you during the class.

Notice.
I do not permit my classes to be recorded.
I enforce the College policies that prohibit eating and drinking in classrooms. Please cooperate by respecting these regulations.