When can a court refuse to enforce an agreement? What does it mean to fulfill a contractual obligation? And what is owed when one side doesn’t keep up their end of the bargain? American Contract Law II explores how courts answer these questions by guiding learners through the precedent-setting disputes and decisions that have shaped contract law in the United States. Together with its companion course, American Contract Law I, it offers a comprehensive introduction to the subject, grounded in the cases and reasoning central to a law-school classroom.

In this second course, you’ll study why an otherwise valid agreement may be unenforceable, including issues of mistake, misrepresentation, duress, unconscionability, illegality, and requirements that certain agreements be in writing. You’ll also examine what each party is obligated to do, how conditions and the duty of good faith shape those obligations, and when performance may be excused because it has become impracticable. Finally, you’ll explore the remedies available when a contract is breached, including money damages and court orders requiring or preventing particular actions. Along the way, you’ll consider why the rules take the forms they do, the interests they serve, and where reasonable people disagree. By the end, you’ll be able to analyze whether a contractual obligation can be enforced, whether it has been fulfilled or breached, and what remedies may follow.