LGST 369 (Commercial Law) is a three-credit, upper level business and administrative studies (legal studies) course that is designed to inform business people and those dealing with businesses of the core legal principles, laws, and institutions which govern trade and commerce in Canada. It will help business people to anticipate and, if possible, avoid legal problems and know when to seek legal advice. Furthermore, it will inform consumers and customers will learn about their legal rights. This course supports efforts to make the commercial laws of Canada understandable and responsive to the needs of ordinary citizens. LGST 369 will assist everyone to understand and make use of the law in pursuing their legitimate interests. This course has no prerequisites and has a challenge for credit option, if interested.
Commercial Law is made up of thirteen units, with five assignments weighing ten percent each, and a final examination weighing fifty percent. The thirteen units within this course cover several topics such as real property, sales, mortgages, employment law, secured transitions, creditors’ rights, special contracts, and much more. To receive credit for LGST 369, students must complete all five assignments and the examination, achieving an overall course grade of a “D” or fifty percent or better and a passing mark of fifty percent or better on the final examination.
Ryan Miller is currently enrolled in Athabasca University’s Bachelor of Management program. He enrolled into AU in December of 2018 and is almost half done. He explains that he enjoys AU for many reasons, stating “I have access to my studies anywhere, I can write online exams from the comfort of my home anytime. It is super flexible with me, being as busy as I am working full-time and involved with my family.”
When asked to explain LGST 369 to students, Ryan explains that “This course is very informative and not just for those students who plan on owning or working for a private or corporate business. Each unit focuses on different areas of commercial law.”
As for the structure of the course, he states that “This course has thirteen units, with five assignments and a final examination. The first three assignments are case studies with four to five questions. These assignments are essay style assignments that have to be between 1200-1500 words each. Assignments four and five are different than assignments one to three, as they have factual case studies where an analysis is done for different situations. The final examination has twenty-five multiple-choice questions, six short answer questions, a short essay, and a case study analysis.”
“To provide further detail, the final examination is a closed book 3-hour examination written in person on a computer at an authorized invigilation center or through ProctorU. The exam has four parts. Part A of the exam consists of 25 multiple choice and true/false questions covering the whole course—similar to those in the practice quizzes (50 marks – 2 marks each). Part B consists of six questions, each to be answered in a paragraph, that are drawn from the learning objectives listed in the Study Guide for Units 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, and 11 (30 marks – 5 marks each). Part C requires you to write a short essay of several paragraphs on a topic chosen from Units 4, 5, 6, 10, and 11. Two topics will be given, from which you will choose one. (10 marks). Part D requires you to prepare a case study analysis of several paragraphs for a case based upon Units 4, 5, 6, 10, and 11. Two cases will be given, from which you will choose one. The question is similar to Assignments 4 and 5. (10 marks).”
When asked if Ryan had any tips or tricks to completing this course, he states that for this, students should just read and follow the units like they have outlined. Make sure you also read the textbook, as reading the textbook is important to use as a reference when doing your assignments.”
Ryan would recommend this course to other students, explains that “For this course just read and follow the units like they have outlined. Reading the textbook is important to use as a reference when doing your assignments.”
As for communications with his tutor for LGST 369, he states that “The tutor gave very good feedback on my assignments, which will help me when I write my final exam. I did email the tutor about the final and he was very fast with his response and gave me some insight on what to focus on.”
If you are interested in enrolling in this course, I highly recommend reading the detailed syllabus that is linked within the LGST 369 online course page. Also, if you have any further questions regarding the content of the course or its structure, the course professor, Archie Zariski, encourages you to reach out via email at archiez@athabascau.ca.
Whether LGST 369 is a degree or program requirement of yours, or the topics discussed above are of interest to you, this course will have you learning a lot of material surrounding the topic of commercial law.