Business and Human Rights

Business has significant impacts on human rights. Companies create jobs and pay taxes that provide governments with resources to create the infrastructure needed for people to realize and assert their human rights. However, corporate conduct can also adversely affect the rights of workers, consumers and communities.

Course content

This course provides a better appreciation of the nature of human rights violations that can be linked to corporate activity, regardless of corporate intent. The course does this by examining the ethical and legal standards, duties, and expectations of companies. Focus will be on the dilemmas of operating in a space where local standards and rules may vary from and sometimes contradict global standards or policies. Furthermore, the course will explore emerging initiatives in order to deal with human rights and business, and assess the effectiveness of voluntary corporate codes of conduct.

The course will enable students to develop strategies consistent with international human rights standards and to identify policies and practices that do not undermine human rights.

The course is developed- and offered by the Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, in cooperation with the Rafto Foundation and Institute for Human Rights and Business. 

The Business and Human Rights course is an independent course, but is also one of the elective courses in UiB's part-time master's program in Democracy Studies. The other courses in this program are however taught only in Norwegian, and therefore open only for Norwegian-speaking applicants. 

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How is the course organized? 

The Business and Human Rights course is a part time masters´s course (15 ECTS). The course is taught each Autumn semester, as a part time course with four weekend gatherings throughout the semester. These will be organized either fully digital, or hybrid with physical- or digital attendance by your own choice. 

Four weekend gatherings throughout the fall semester 2024:

• Week 1: September 12th - 15th.
• Week 2: October 4th - 6th. 
• Week 3: October 25th - 27th.
• Week 4: November 22th - 24th.

Physical/hybrid means that it will be possible to choose whether you want to participate in physical weekend meetings on UiB's campus in Bergen, or participate digitally via live streaming (Zoom).

Please note that changes in dates may occur.

Assessment

Semester paper assigned at the beginning of the semester. 

It is mandatory to submit a draft of the the exam mid-semester. If you do not get a pass the first time around you will get an extension of one week to revise and submit your mandatory draft.

Admission criteria

To qualify for acceptance you must fulfil both of the following criteria:

• Hold a bachelor´s degree or equivalent education of minimum 3 years duration/180 ECTS
• Have a minimum of 2 years relevant fulltime work experience. If you have only part time work experience, this must be converted to equivalive full-time, e.g. a 50% position must have at least 4 years duration

How to apply? 

There are different procedures for application, one for Norwegian citizens and other residents i Norway Norwegian ID-number and another for Non-Norwegian citizens with no Norwegian ID-number: 

Application for Norwegian citizens/residents with Norwegian ID-number

Application for non-Norwegian citizens

Required documentation

Norwegian citizens:

• If you have prior higher education from UiB or other public universities in Norway, we will in most cases have access to your exam results and you therefore do not need to attach any documentation to your application. 
• However, if your prior education is from a private educational institution, from abroad, or if you completed your education before 1995, we must ask you to upload your diploma/transcripts as an attachment to your application.
• You will find an overview of educational institutions that share exam results automatically when you have logged in to register an application.
• You will however need to attach your CV and confirmation from current or former employer(s), showing that you meet the requirement for a minimum of two years' full-time relevant professional experience. The certificate/verification from the employer must be dated and contain the following information: Start and possible end date, employment rate, job title and signature from the employer (e-signature is approved)

Non-Norwegian citizens: 

You must attach the following documents, stating that you fulfil the admission criteria: 

1. Bachelor's degree certificate/diploma (all pages)
2. Transcript of records including a description of the grading scale used
3. CV 
4. Formal certificate of service or other confirmation from current or former employer (s) showing that you meet the requirement for a minimum of two years' full-time relevant professional experience. The certificate/verification from the employer must be dated and contain the following information:
   Start and possible end date, employment rate, job title and signature from the employer (e-signature is approved)
5. Copy of your valid passport or photo ID