Business Law and Ethics Departmental Brochure

The minor in Business Law and Ethics is an interdisciplinary program in which you will explore the legal and ethical responsibilities of business leaders and business organizations. You will learn ways to make your organization a responsible corporate citizen, and how to juggle the demands of the market with the obligations of business to all stakeholders: owners, customers, employees, the community, and the world. You will learn to make decisions that are sensitive to such issues as environmental protection, diversity, respect for all persons, and financial honesty and integrity.

As an interdisciplinary program, the minor is broad-based. You will take courses in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, in the applied ethics program, and in the College of Arts and Sciences. The program thus draws on a wide range of knowledge in business management, philosophy, law, politics, and religious studies. The minor embodies the Jesuit ideal and the mission of Fairfield University to develop in our students "ethical and religious values and a sense of social responsibility," combined with rigorous training in the disciplines necessary for successful careers.

Each year an outstanding graduating senior in the minor is selected to receive the Joshua Greenberg Memorial Award in Law and Ethics, an award that honors the memory of a young lawyer who cared deeply about issues of social justice.

Real-World Education

Companies today, more than ever, want to hire people who understand the importance of integrity. When you minor in Business Law and Ethics you can offer your future employers business skills plus the ability to navigate through the complex legal and ethical business environment where you will forge your career. The minor is part of the personal and powerful business education available at Fairfield.

Course of Study

The minor in Business Law and Ethics consists of three required courses and three electives. The required courses are:

• The Legal Environment of Business
  or
  The Legal Environment of Business for Accounting Majors
• Business Ethics
• Capstone Seminar in Business Law and Ethics

Students may then select three more courses in law and ethics, with no more than two from either field. Typical choices include:

• Employment Law and Discrimination in the Workplace
• Engineering Ethics
• Environmental Ethics
• Environmental Justice
• Environmental Law and Policy
• Ethics and Law
• Ethics and Technology
• Ethics and the Organization
• Ethics of Communication
• Ethics of Health Care
• Ethics of War and Peace
• International Law
• The Law of Contracts, Sales, and Property
• Law, Women, and Work

You need not be matriculating in the Dolan School of Business to enroll in the minor.

The Faculty

Richard Burch
M.A., Columbia University
Applied ethics

Linda Brockman
Ed.D., Harvard University
Business ethics

Joy Gordon
Ph.D., Yale University
J.D., Boston University
Philosophy

Francis T. Hannafey, S.J.
Ph.D., Loyola University of Chicago
Business ethics, religious studies

Lucy V. Katz
J.D., New York University
Business law

Bernice Marie-Daly
Ph.D., Union Institute of Cincinnati
Environmental studies

Sharlene McEvoy
Ph.D., University of California at Los Angeles
J.D., University of Connecticut
Business law

Lisa H. Newton
Ph.D., Columbia University
Applied ethics

David P. Schmidt
Ph.D., University of Chicago
Business ethics

Debra Strauss
J.D., Yale University
Business law

Janet Tanner
M.S., Yale Divinity School
Religious studies 

Internships

Students in the Dolan School of Business have the opportunity to develop internships in a variety of local and regional businesses and law firms.

Life After Fairfield

Graduates work in all areas of large and small business organizations. Many have attended law school and graduate school. All of them bring a perspective that helps their organizations prosper through understanding of the spirit and letter of the law and the connection between good ethics and good business. They have the ability to identify and think through ethical and legal dilemmas, and they can identify strategic opportunities that the legal and ethical environment presents. You can be a part of this new generation of responsible and excellent business leaders.

Profile

Christine Anglace
Business Law and Ethics minor

"I came to Fairfield University thinking I'd study psychology and art. After a few business courses, I decided I was cut out for management, since I like working with people. Business Law and Ethics goes hand-in-hand with management. An emerging field of study, it teaches how not to be tempted to fall into the traps that exist in the business world. I'm interested in the legal aspects of business. I recently took a course in which we examined how certain laws affect the public, using case studies as the basis for our discussions. It's important to make sure that whatever you decide to study, you enjoy it. Sometimes you stumble upon something you hadn't considered - like I did - and it can change your entire direction. That's the beauty of a Fairfield education."

For further information, please contact:
Dr. David P. Schmidt, program director
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195
Tel.: (203) 254-4000, ext. 2837
E-mail: dschmidt@mail.fairfield.edu