Reading
Chapter 1 (full). Skim front matter.
Time budget
- Floor
- ~40 min — R2d § 1 + Hawkins. The doctrine the next class assumes you have covered.
- Target
- ~75 min — Floor + R2d § 2 + synthesis.
- Ceiling
- ~110 min — Target + Practice problems + open-discussion on the synthesis question.
By the end of this class, you can
- State the principal sources of contract law (common law, R2d, UCC Article 2) and apply the predominant-purpose test to classify a mixed goods-and-services transaction.
- Apply the objective theory of contract by deciding, on a short fact pattern, whether outward manifestations would lead a reasonable person to find a promise.
- Recall the three remedial interests (expectation, reliance, restitution) and identify which Hawkins v. McGee enforces.
This is the orientation class for Contracts I and the first half of the doctrinal year. We do two things in this meeting: walk the syllabus end to end, and use the rest of the time to land the threshold definitions that the remainder of the year depends on.
Why we are here
Contract law is the law of voluntary promises that the law will enforce. Tort tells us what we must not do to one another. Property tells us who owns what. Contract tells us what new obligations two parties may create between themselves, and what the courts will do if one party walks away.
What you should leave with
A working answer to four questions. What is a promise? When does the law enforce one? Why those particular promises and not others? Which sources of law govern the answers? You will not master these today. You should be able to repeat them by the end of the week.
Cold call
Hawkins v. McGee comes up as a teaching supplement, not assigned reading. Skim the case if you have time, but it is not on the syllabus and not on the exam. We use it to make the move from “what happened” to “what does the law require” in the most efficient way possible.
Slide deck
Spacebar / arrow keys to advance. Press F for fullscreen. Click Print / PDF for handouts. PPTX export is professor-only.
Rules
Cases
Cold call
Prepare to be called on: Hawkins v. McGee (supplement)
Notes
Syllabus mechanics first half (about 50 min). Doctrine second half. Hawkins v. McGee runs as a cold-call supplement; it is not in the assigned reading.