LW946-7-AU-CO:
Human Rights for Corporate and Commercial Lawyers
2023/24
Essex Law School
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
23 October 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
HU901, LW808, LW901, LW924
(none)
LLM M22212 Corporate Responsibility and Business Law,
LLM M22224 Corporate Responsibility and Business Law
This module will help company and commercial law students to understand the demands human rights law places on companies. It will begin with an overview of the international and domestic systems for understanding and enforcing human rights responsibilities and obligations against companies.
It will then consider the specific means by which international human rights law is given its content and how that content has been interpreted by authoritative bodies. It will finish up by examining how businesses can use this content in conducting human rights due diligence.
This module aims to introduce commercial and business law students to international human rights law, its content and interpretation, and its application for businesses and business activities.
At the conclusion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the legal basis for businesses’ responsibility to respect human rights under international law, and what that means in domestic systems of enforcement;
2. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the sources, theories, and means of enforcing international human rights law generally;
3. Critically read and interpret human rights law standards and jurisprudence so as to identify the expectations on businesses;
4. Develop an ability to develop an appropriate human rights due diligence in light of the specific operations of a business or industry.
Session 1: Business and Human Rights under International Law
Session 2: Evolving domestic frameworks on human rights obligations of businesses
Session 3: Sources of defining and interpreting international human rights law
Session 4: Understanding and defining the rights to life and non-discrimination
Session 5: Understanding and defining the rights to freedom from torture and of opinion, information, and religion
Session 6: Understanding the rights to health, food, water, and a healthy environment
Session 7: Understanding the rights to education, work, an adequate standard of living, and to form trade unions
Session 8: Specific considerations in situations of armed conflict
Session 9: Designing comprehensive due diligence
There will also be a reading week, in line with the PGT Commercial Law schedule.
This module is taught through 2-hour classes, which combine lectures and interactive seminars. Students will be expected to guide the discussion by responding to questions and problem scenarios as both individuals and groups.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Exam |
Main exam: Remote, Open Book, 24hr during January
|
| Exam |
Reassessment Main exam: Remote, Open Book, 24hr during September (Reassessment Period)
|
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Lorna McGregor, email: lmcgreg@essex.ac.uk.
Law Education Office, pgtlawqueries@essex.ac.uk
No
No
Yes
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 28 hours, 20 (71.4%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
8 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
Essex Law School
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.