LW946-7-AU-CO:
Human Rights for Corporate and Commercial Lawyers
PLEASE NOTE: This module is inactive. Visit the Module Directory to view modules and variants offered during the current academic year.
2025/26
Essex Law School
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Postgraduate: Level 7
Inactive
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 12 December 2025
15
10 March 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
HU901, LW808, LW901, LW924
(none)
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
No
No
Yes
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
Essex Law School
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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