Course

Introductory Business Law

Faculty
Commerce & Business Administration
Department
Business Law
Course code
BLAW 1320
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
The course will conduct a general review of the meaning, sources and administration of business law, and in particular, will provide in-depth coverage of the law of contracts and the law of torts. In addition, students will gain an understanding of the key aspects of business organizations and the law of real property. The course will also consider legislation regulating business and recent and relevant changes in Canadian law that may potentially affect the business climate.

Students who have already received credit for BUSN 1320 will not get further credit for this course.
Course content
  1. Introduction to the field of law and the administration of justice
  2. Sources of Canadian and British Columbia law
    1. distinction between private and public law
    2. Acts of the Canadian Parliament and the provincial legislatures (emphasis on British Columbia)
    3. Canadian Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
    4. subordinate legislation including by-laws and government regulations
    5. the court process, case law, and judicial precedent
  3. Law of Torts
    1. general principles including liability insurance, vicarious liability and alternative compensation schemes
    2. intentional torts including assault, battery, false imprisonment, trespass, and invasion of privacy
    3. business torts including nuisance, occupier's liability, defamation, injurious falsehood, deceit, unlawful interference with economic relations, and conspiracy
    4. the tort of negligence including duty of care, breach of standard of care, causation of harm, and the available defences
  4. Law of Contracts
    1. nature of a contract
    2. elements of a contract
      1. mutual agreement (offer, acceptance, and invitation to treat)
      2. capacity of the parties
      3. legal consideration and its exceptions, including banking and negotiable interests
      4. the concept of privity of contract and its exceptions including assignments
    3. terms of a contract
      1. express terms and implied terms
      2. conditions and warranties
    4. grounds of impeachment
      1. misrepresentation
      2. incapacity
      3. illegality
      4. mistake
      5. duress, undue influence, and unconscionable transactions
    5. discharge and breach of contract
      1. discharge by performance
      2. discharge by agreement
      3. discharge by frustration
      4. discharge by breach
    6. contractual remedies
      1. damages
      2. specific performance
      3. injunctions
  5. Law of Property
    1. distinguish between various forms of property, including real property, personal property and intellectual property
  6. Business Organizations
    1. sole proprietorships
    2. partnerships and limited partnerships
    3. corporations


           

Learning activities

Lectures, videos, analysis of legal issues, discussion of legal cases, case assignments, and/or group activities.

Means of assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy.

Term Examination(s) 30 - 50%*
Final Examination 25 - 40%
Assignment(s) 10 - 30%
Participation 0 - 5%
Total:  100%

NOTES: 

  1. *No one examination may be worth more than 40%.
  2. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
  3. Students may conduct research as part of their course work in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.

 

 

 

 

Learning outcomes

The successful student will be able to:

  • describe the structure of the Canadian legal system;
  • identify the basic principles of common law and statute law that apply to most business situations. Although the course is not designed to make the student a lawyer, it will provide the student with sufficient background and sophistication to understand circumstances that require a lawyer;
  • recognize the main aspects of the Canadian judicial system including the sources of law, the levels and roles of courts in the judicial system, and the basic elements of the court process;
  • set out the difference between common law, statute law, administrative law, and criminal law;
  • explain the methods by which legal precedents are established and applied;
  • demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the law of contracts, its principles and application to various business situations;
  • describe the basic principles of tort law and identify many of the important common law torts, especially torts that arise in the business context;
  • summarize the different interests relating to property;
  • identify the different forms of business organizations and evaluate the benefits and drawbacks associated with each type;
  • relate legal principles to economic, political, and social situations that may arise in the business world; and
  • explain consumer protection and the sale of goods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Textbook materials

McInnes, Kerr, and VanDuzer, Managing the Law: The Legal Aspects of Doing Business Latest Edition, (Toronto: Pearson Education Canada), or

Other textbook(s) as agreed upon by the Business Law Department, and

Additional cases and/or readings as per the Instructor's discretion. 

Requisites

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

BUSN 1320

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for BLAW 1320
Alexander College (ALEX) ALEX COMM 1XX (3)
Athabasca University (AU) AU LGST 2XX (3)
Athabasca University (AU) DOUG BLAW 1320 (3) & DOUG BLAW 3720 (3) = AU LGST 2XX (3) & AU LGST 369 (3)
Athabasca University (AU) DOUG BLAW 1320 (3) & DOUG BLAW 3730 (3) = AU LGST 2XX (3) & AU LGST 369 (3)
Camosun College (CAMO) CAMO BUS 276 (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU BADM 107 (3)
Coast Mountain College (CMTN) DOUG BLAW 1320 (3) & DOUG BLAW 3710 (3) = CMTN BLAW 152 (3)
College of New Caledonia (CNC) CNC LAW 294 (3)
College of the Rockies (COTR) No credit
Columbia College (COLU) COLU BUSN 2nd (3)
Coquitlam College (COQU) No credit
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU BUSI 1XXX (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG BUSM 1285 (3)
North Island College (NIC) NIC BUS 221 (3)
Northern Lights College (NLC) NLC MGMT 228 (3)
Okanagan College (OC) OC BUAD 209 (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU BUS 1XX (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU BLAW 2911 (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) DOUG BLAW 1320 (3) & DOUG BLAW 3730 (3) = TRU BLAW 2910 (3) & TRU BLAW 3XXX (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU BUSI 245 (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) UBCO MGMT_O 2nd (3)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) UBCV COMM_V 2nd (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC COMM 1XX (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV BUS 261 (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC COM 302 (1.5)
Vancouver Community College (VCC) VCC MGMT 2017 (3)
Vancouver Community College (VCC) No credit
Vancouver Island University (VIU) VIU LAWW 1st (3)

Course Offerings

Fall 2025

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
34
Remaining seats:
1
On waitlist
11
Building
Anvil Office Tower
Room
609
Times:
Start Time
9:30
-
End Time
12:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
35
Remaining seats:
0
On waitlist
2
Building
Anvil Office Tower
Room
910
Times:
Start Time
11:30
-
End Time
14:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
34
Remaining seats:
1
On waitlist
9
Building
Anvil Office Tower
Room
707
Times:
Start Time
9:30
-
End Time
12:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
29
Remaining seats:
6
On waitlist
0
Building
Anvil Office Tower
Room
608
Times:
Start Time
9:30
-
End Time
12:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
35
Remaining seats:
0
On waitlist
12
Building
Anvil Office Tower
Room
708
Times:
Start Time
15:30
-
End Time
18:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
35
Remaining seats:
0
On waitlist
6
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. A
Room
A1170
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
15:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
34
Remaining seats:
1
On waitlist
12
Building
Anvil Office Tower
Room
909
Times:
Start Time
18:30
-
End Time
21:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
13
Remaining seats:
22
On waitlist
0
Building
Anvil Office Tower
Room
624
Times:
Start Time
18:30
-
End Time
21:20