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03 February 2026  |  19 May 2026

Human Rights and the Marketplace

Applications accepted until
03 February 2026
Short Course Coordinator:
Maria Matsoso
Accreditation:
Certificate of Competence and Certificate of Attendance
Course dates
03 February 2026 - 19 May 2026
Applications close
03 February 2026
Overview
This course explores the expanding field of business and human rights, examining how multinational corporations — now often more powerful than nation states — impact the advancement or violation of human rights. Students will analyse the limitations of traditional state-centred international human rights law and assess emerging legal frameworks, policy debates, and accountability mechanisms aimed at regulating corporate conduct. Through contemporary case studies and critical theory, the course interrogates corporate power, global inequality, and the potential for binding international norms to shape business practices in a globalised economy. A quality-assured certificate from the University of the Witwatersrand is issued on successful completion.
Duration
14 Weeks
Format
1.5-hour weekly lectures
Pricing
VAT Incl. = R20,100.00

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Please complete the following info:

    The course content addresses the following topics:


    • Corporate accountability for human rights violations
    • Globalisation, the marketplace, and human rights: the harm
    • Voluntarism: market-based regimes of corporate responsibility
    • An overview of business and human rights in international law
    • Critique of the status quo and movement towards a binding treaty 
    • Positive versus negative duties of corporations
    • Financial institutions and human rights
    • Natural resource exploitation and human rights
    • Gender and business and human rights
    • South Africa and domestic regimes governing corporate human rights obligations, and extra territorial obligations
    • Corporate criminal accountability
    • Companies and the business of warfare
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      Pumza Mokgehle
      MAP Part-time
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