First-Day Assignments

Review Syllabus

E-Textbook, Volume Five: 

Chapters 1-9 (skim Chapters 8-9)

• Read Chapters I & II (except pp.28 – 30, 38 – 44) of Gevurtz, Business Planning (6th ed. 2024)
• Review Problem I (pp. 1149-1152)

Lowenstein/Hasen casebook:  pages 29-31, 49-50 n. 5, 54-58, 74-80

In Canvas web site modules: U.S. Constitution, Art. I, Sec. 4 and 5;

Constitution Amendments 15, 17,  24, and 26; article on Morris Kramer                   

Understanding Islamic Law (Sharī‘a):

Preface,

Notes on Manuscript Preparation,

Introduction: Ten Threshold Issues, 

and Chapters 1-3, and 4-9

Diana Wichtel, The Words of the Prophet – Islam v Terror: Islamic Law Expert on Understanding Sharia in the Modern World, The Listener (New Zealand), 17-23 June 2017, at 28-31

Watch YouTube Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy91hIavLRU

Read pages 1-17 of the casebook - Martin, Kramer, Hall, Righetti, & Schremmer, The Law of Oil and Gas (11th ed.). 

The required casebook is Land Transfer and Finance - Cases and Materials, Sixth Edition, by Curtis Berger, Quintin Johnstone, and Marshall Tracht (Aspen Casebook Series 2011)

Please read the first reading assignments, including Pages 67-73; 74-81; 1059-1066 (Appendix A) and scan Pages 1071-1078 and scan the “Residential Real Estate Contract” included in the document entitled Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors Forms.

I would also like you to locate and read an article related to some problem that is currently impacting Land Transactions.  The article you choose can be from a reputable news source, law journal, or a case study related to Land Transactions in your home state or region. Please take a few minutes to research and select an article that captures the essence of a specific land transaction problem, highlighting the legal or social aspects of the problem. Write a one-page summary of the article and turn it in to me on January 21st.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

• Schwarz, Lathrope & Hellwig, Fundamentals of Business Enterprise Taxation: Cases and Materials (7th ed. 2020)
• Current Code and Reg volume (2024-2025 ed.).  Students who took Federal Income Tax in the fall will use the Code volume purchased for that course.  
• Assignments and additional readings, which include the syllabus, will be distributed electronically.

ASSIGNMENT FOR FIRST CLASS:

• Purchase the required materials from the bookstore.   
• Print Part I of the Syllabus will posted soon to the Canvas site.  Remaining portions of the syllabus are available in Simple Syllabus.  Part II of the Syllabus, covering S Corporations and Partnerships, will be posted later in the semester.
• For the first day, after discussing administrative matters, we’ll complete Unit 1 and start Unit 2.  Unit 1 gives an overview of the three basic models of entity taxation - the C corporation, the S corporation, and the partnership.  Although we will spend some time in this unit discussing the relevant distinctions among the three models, we will wait until we have some base of knowledge concerning C corporations before we make specific comparisons.  In Unit 2, we’ll talk about the requirements associated with section 351.  We won’t get to any of the problems in Unit 2.  Please read pages 505 – 520 and the Code sections assigned to that part of the unit.  We won’t get to American Bantam Car until the next class period.

Read Chapter 1 in Mauet Text.

Required: Read Thinking Like a Writer Chapters 1-2 & Garner article on Canvas – How to frame an issue

Optional: Bouchoux Chapter 5 (Organization & the Writing Process)