Book Description

The purchase of this ebook edition does not entitle you to receive access to the Connected eBook with Study Center on CasebookConnect. You will need to purchase a new print book to get access to the full experience, including: lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities; practice questions from your favorite study aids; an outline tool and other helpful resources. Contracts: A Modern Coursebook, Second Edition by Ben Templin is an innovative coursebook unlike any other on the market. The book takes a hybrid approach between a “traditional” casebook and a problems-based casebook, incorporating a more thorough discussion of the law followed by cases then problems. Featuring a unique design that engages the reader and incorporates professional skills and experiential-type learning, Contracts: A Modern Coursebook is a revolutionary, classroom-tested book. Rather than playing “hide the ball,” professors using this book will be able to say, “Here’s the ball. Let’s play catch.” New to the Second Edition: Now Over 500 Questions and Problems, nearly doubling the number of questions and answers for professors to use to assess students. A new section—Questions for Review—tests students’ understanding of the law before they try the more difficult analytic problems. Enhanced analytic problems—updated based on feedback from professors and students New cases with tighter editing to adjust the mix between classic and contemporary cases for greater balance, and to focus on the core lesson More flowcharts and tables, providing additional visual learning aids to help students synthesize concepts More examples and case illustrations to keep students engaged and to stimulate critical thinking Design enhancements, including a redesign of “Rule Boxes” that makes parsing the rule statements easier for students A new numbering system to more easily track “Learning Outcomes” to “Explanations” to “Case Law” to “Assessments” Professors and students will benefit from: Learning Objectives: Unlike traditional casebooks, every chapter begins with three to seven precise learning goals. Millennials respond positively when learning objectives are stated at the beginning of a lesson. The defined learning objectives for each chapter help professors comply with ABA requirements to establish learning outcomes that consist of “clear and concise statements of knowledge that students are expected to acquire.” Clear and Concise Explanations of the Law: Much like a hornbook, every chapter provides clear and concise explanations of the law. Overarching rules are identified and highlighted visually. An analytical framework is provided to help students parse the rule. Examples and Case Illustrations explain the parameters and application of the rule. Test Yourself questions are embedded exercises within the explanation section to let students assess their understanding of the rules. Case Law—Developing Critical Reasoning Skills: Since students learn the law before reading the cases, the focus of case analysis is on the reasoning that the court applies. By posing direct questions and giving students prompts to respond to as they read the case, students build critical reasoning skills, and, as a result, are better prepared for class. Problem Solving and Analysis—Built-in Formative Assessment: At the end of each chapter, the Problem Solving and Analysis section provides students the opportunity to build critical thinking skills (the highest level of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives) through a series of thought-provoking hypotheticals based on real-world scenarios. The rich set of questions builds accountability and addresses the challenge of providing in-semester formative feedback to large classes to help professors comply with ABA formative assessment standards. Contemporary Layout and Design: The contemporary book design is optimized to improve readability, heighten student engagement, and increase retention. Concise and Compact: Shorter than competing casebooks, the casebook can be used in 4-credit, 5-credit, or 6-credit courses. Classroom Tested: Contracts: A Modern Coursebook has been classroom tested over three years. More than 400 students have used the text for both the first year contracts course and as a supplement for a third year remedies course. Students have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the content, format, and approach.