Global Corporations & International Law (LAWS90316)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
Contact information
May
Teaching staff:
Sundhya Pahuja (Subject Coordinator)
Dan Danielson
André Dao
Adil Hasan Khan
For current student enquiries, contact the Law School Academic Support Office
Overview
| Availability(Quotas apply) | May |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
Corporations appear in an increasing number of international legal domains, from trade and investment to development, human rights and environmental law. In each of these domains, international law seeks to facilitate corporate activity or hold corporations accountable for their actions. The subject seeks to offer students the historical and theoretical foundations to understand and critically analyse the engagement between international law and the corporation.
Students will be introduced to competing theoretical accounts of the corporation and guided in developing an understanding of the way different conceptions of the corporation shape the development of international law, and the prospects for holding corporations accountable. Students will also gain a broad understanding of how different domains of international law treat and understand the corporation.
This subject will also offer a foundation in the history of international law and corporations, from the historical involvement of corporations in imperialism to the way corporations continue to be implicated in drivers of social and economic inequality both within and between nations today. Students will be given the tools to identify how corporations have sought to influence international law, and how international law – and states – have sought to engage with the corporation.
Indicative list of principal topics:
- The history of the relationship between companies and States.
- Conceptions of the Corporation.
- Corporations and Development.
- Corporations and international legal regimes, such as Trade, Investment, Human Rights and Environment.
- Corporate Influence in international institutions.
- Business Associations as International Actors.
Intended learning outcomes
A student who successfully completes this subject should be able to:
- Critically analyse the facilitative and remedial roles of international law in corporate action;
- Evaluate the influence of theoretical frameworks on action in international law;
- Synthesise historical and contemporary perspectives on the corporation's role in shaping and being shaped by international law;
- Examine the treatment and impact of corporations across various domains of international law such as trade, investment, human rights and environmental law;
- Reflect critically on the ethical, political and economic implications of the evolving relationship between corporations and states in the international legal context.
Generic skills
- Ability to engage with, think and write conceptually and critically about contemporary legal problems and contemporary issues in society.
- Ability to analyse and place laws in historical context.
- Ability to understand the relationship between theory and practice.
- Application of well-developed critical thinking and problem solving abilities to legal practice and theory.
- Capacity to communicate effectively complex ideas and theories about law, orally and in writing.
- Understanding of the significance and value of knowledge to the wider community.
Last updated: 28 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Prerequisite
Students should have successfully completed
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAWS70173 | International Law |
March (On Campus - Parkville)
August (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
OR have an educational or professional background in public international law
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 28 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Class Participation & Presentation | During the teaching period | 20% |
Writing task
| The final day of teaching | 20% |
Reflective-Research essay
| 18 June 2025 | 60% |
| Hurdle requirement: A minimum of 75% attendance is required. | N/A |
Last updated: 28 March 2025
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- May
Principal coordinator Sundhya Pahuja Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 34 Total time commitment 150 hours Pre teaching start date 9 April 2025 Pre teaching requirements Please refer to Canvas LMS to check on the pre-class readings and preparatory learning activities before the teaching period commences. Teaching period 7 May 2025 to 13 May 2025 Last self-enrol date 14 April 2025 Census date 9 May 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 20 June 2025 Assessment period ends 25 July 2025 May contact information
Teaching staff:
Sundhya Pahuja (Subject Coordinator)
Dan Danielson
André Dao
Adil Hasan Khan
For current student enquiries, contact the Law School Academic Support Office
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Additional delivery details
Please refer to the Melbourne Law Masters enrolment webpage for further information about re-enrolment, subject quotas and waitlists.
Melbourne Law School may reserve places in a subject for incoming international cohorts or where a subject is core to a specialisation with limited alternate options.
Last updated: 28 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Laws Course Graduate Diploma in International Law Course Graduate Diploma in Laws Course Master of Public and International Law Course Master of Law and Development Course Juris Doctor - Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
If subject coordinator approval is required, or for further information about Community Access Program study, please contact us (enquiries for current students | enquiries for prospective students).
Last updated: 28 March 2025