Business Ethics and Human Rights Law

The course will explore the links between business and human rights, including questions regarding state obligations and the extent to which business entities such as multinational corporations have human rights responsibilities. It considers developments on the international and domestic level to promote accountability and to ensure compliance with emerging standards. We will discuss several areas that pose particularly difficult human rights challenges for companies (extractive industries, supply chain labor standards, operating in conflict areas), examining key issues and exploring how companies, civil society organizations, governments and other stakeholders have sought to address these.

Lecturers: Dr. Sorcha MacLeod, Dr. Rebecca DeWinter-Schmitt