Mind the Gap: Incorporating Human Rights into the Curricula of Undergraduate Business Programmes
Mind the Gap: Incorporating Human Rights into the Curricula of Undergraduate Business Programmes
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Date
2023
Authors
Pacheco, Sara : Retroia
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Global Campus of Human Rights
Abstract
Business and Human Rights (BHR) education in business
schools can play a crucial role in strengthening the protection of
human rights and the environment by providing future business
leaders the tools to address the adverse social and environmental
impacts of business activities. At the undergraduate level, the
lack of BHR education in business schools is a missed opportunity
to provide students with the understanding that human rights are
a transversal issue to business from the start of their business education.
This research aims to highlight the urgent need of integrating
BHR education into undergraduate business programmes, as well as
to discuss its current and ideal practice. To achieve this goal, the
author carried out 15 semi-structured interviews with BHR experts
and performed a qualitative analysis of the generated data and eight undergraduate BHR-related course syllabi. The study
found there is a consensus regarding the optimal learning outcomes,
teaching methods and content of BHR courses or modules,
as well as the need for a compulsory introduction to BHR for
all undergraduate business students as part of their degree. The
ideal incorporation of BHR in the curriculum would be a specialised
BHR stand-alone course or module combined with a curricular
emphasis on BHR, which would require concerted effort from
a multidisciplinary educational committee.
Keywords: Business and Human Rights, human rights education,
business schools, education, teaching.
Description
Second semester University: University of Seville.
Keywords
business,
human rights,
human rights education