Postgraduate Module Descriptor

LAWM095: Human Rights and International Business Policy

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Module Aims

Business and human rights is an emerging discipline that challenges scholars and practitioners to think outside conventional lines. This module will therefore aim to critically assess the veracity of some of the proposals for integrating human rights into business policy. You will be expected to confront conceptual issues such as the role of corporations in society and the business case for human rights. In addition, you will confront practical challenges such as the nature of human rights due diligence and the implementation of the UN Guiding principles on Business and Human Rights. This module will be especially relevant if you are taking courses in Business Law and international Human Rights. It will enrich your opportunities for employment in a variety of contexts including within companies, government departments in international organisations and with non-governmental organisations. The Guided Independent Research component of the assessment will allow you to undertake detailed research on topics of interest and allow you to enhance your research and analytical skills.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. demonstrate deep and critical awareness of a wide range of social and contextual implications of the issues raised by human rights and business;
2. compare, analyse and synthesise innovatively the principal national and international standards and initiatives relating to business and human rights;
3. identify, explain and evaluate key issues relating to business and human rights critically and comprehensively and to apply relevant rules and a range of theories systematically.
Discipline-Specific Skills4. demonstrate detailed and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of a range of actors and stakeholders as well as legal principles, institutions and procedures, and the ability to evaluate systematically the relationships among them, as well as their limits;
5. demonstrate flexible and innovative ability to analyse complex legal problems, identify the relative significance of applicable rules and principles, and select appropriate methods for investigating and critically evaluating them;
6. integrate and assess complex information from primary and secondary legal sources/ advanced legal scholarship comprehensively, using appropriate interpretative techniques;
Personal and Key Skills7. interact effectively, confidently and proactively within a team/learning group, to share information and ideas, and to manage conflict in a professional manner;
8. manage relevant learning resources/ information/ learning strategies confidently and independently, and to develop own arguments and opinions at a very high/ professional level; and
9. work independently and effectively, and to manage time efficiently in preparing for scheduled learning activities, exercises and assessments.