INTRODUCTION

The society revolves on commerce. Everyday people are engaged in different sorts of commercial activities and transactions. It is not always the case that the business relationships that people or corporations enter into, result in satisfaction of both parties to the agreements. Once aggrieved, what recourse does a person have? The Law of Contract module introduces learners to the rules governing contract relationships that people enter into. The module guides leaners on what the law of contract is, what a contract is and the elements of a contract. The module explains how contracts come about, the terms and conditions governing contractual relationships and the effects of their breach. It explains what valid contracts are and what may vitiate a contract. It looks at what void and voidable contracts are. Finally, the module examines the different remedies available in contract.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this module are:

• To explain what the law of contract is and its rationale
• To explain what a contract is and how it is created
• To identify and explain factors that make a contract valid
• To explain the meaning of terms and conditions of a contract
• To explain what a warranty is and the distinction from a term
• To explain the effects of a breach of a warranty and terms of a contract
• To explain what vitiating factors are.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module you should be able to:

• Know and explain what the law of contract is and its relevance
• Know and explain what a contract is and how it is created
• Know and explain factors that may cause a contract to be invalid
• Know what a warranty, a term and a condition in contract is
• Know explain the effects of a breach of a warranty, term and condition of a contract
• Know and explain what vitiating factors are.

UNIT 1 – OVERVIEW OF THE LAW OF CONTRACT

UNIT 2 – FORMATION OF A CONTRACT

UNIT 3 –OFFER

UNIT 4 – ACCEPTANCE

UNIT 5 – CONSIDERATION

UNIT 6 – TERMS AND CONDITIONS

UNIT 7 – WARRANTY

UNIT 8 – VOID/VOIDABLE CONTRACTS

UNIT 9 – REMEDIES

 

 RECOMMENDED READING:

Cheshire, Fifoot and Furmston. (2017)(17^th edn). Law of Contract. Oxford: Oxford University Press Stone Richard, Devenney James. (2022). Text, Cases and Materials on Contract Law. London: Routledge publishing.