In the United States and around the world, the expectations and calls for corporate human rights engagement and accountability are intensifying. Can corporations be made responsible for human rights outcomes? Should they be responsible? For which harms and causes? What can future leaders in law, government, business, and advocacy do to intervene in the human rights impacts of businesses?
This survey course provides a comprehensive introduction to the rapidly expanding field of "Business and Human Rights" (BHR) - as related to and distinguished from corporate social responsibility (CSR). The class will cover the relevant international regulatory frameworks, how these are operationalized by companies, and the wide range of accountability strategies. We will focus on real-world examples from a variety of issues and contexts, including cases related to LGBTQ equality, racial justice, extractive industries, food systems, finance and banking industry, armed conflict, and human trafficking. The class will benefit from guest lecturers from expert practitioners and advocates from the US and abroad.
There are no prerequisites and students from all programs are welcome. This class counts toward the Business Law Minor and the Human Rights and Justice concentration in Global Studies.