Corporate Social Responsibility

The LLM Corporate Social Responsibility provides a rigorous and intellectually challenging training at an advanced level in all related issues as preparation for, or as an enhancement to, a career in this area. The course is designed to enable both law and non- law graduates to develop a wider understanding of contemporary corporate social responsibility issues thus equipping them with skills which are required in the business world or to further their research interests in their chosen field.

The objectives are: to provide graduates with knowledge, understanding and skills at taught Master’s level, appropriate to careers specialising in areas of corporate governance or social responsibility within both the private or public sectors; to provide an advanced knowledge in the current developments of corporate social responsibility from a broad range of areas of law at a national, regional and international level: to gain an integrated understanding of the social, ethical and environmental issues faced by corporations today and an advanced knowledge on the substantive content and theoretical context of law which has accordingly developed; and to provide the academic foundation for progression to PhD-level study.  The course is distinctive in that it explores the topic of corporate social responsibility from a variety of legal and policy perspectives.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of your proficiency. For details of requirements for this course, visit: http://stir.ac.uk/3f

Funding

information on possible sources of funding

Modes of study

Full-time, over one year.

Course start date

September

Structure and content

The taught component of the course facilitates staged intellectual progress in key legal areas relevant to corporate social responsibility. This stage consists of four core or compulsory modules and two electives which are taken over two semesters (three per semester). Three of the four core modules provide an overview of current developments in corporate social responsibility in various areas of law and an in-depth knowledge and understanding of corporate governance. In addition, students are able to develop the relevant practical skills necessary for information retrieval and utilisation, and data collection and analysis in a dedicated legal research methods module. Students then choose from a range of specialised legal modules aimed at providing an in-depth knowledge in areas of their choice such as: Comparative Financial Regulation; Competition Law; Intellectual Property Law;  International Trade Law; Law of Banking and Finance; International Commercial Arbitration; Environmental Principles: Law and Policy; Alternative Dispute Resolution; International Economic Law; International Human Rights.

The culmination of the course is the 10,000-word dissertation. The students are able to choose their topic dependent on knowledge acquired and available supervision expertise from within the Stirling Law School. Although supervised, the dissertation requires students to demonstrate specialised understanding and independent research skills.

Delivery and assessment

• All modules are delivered by a small learning and teaching group which provides the opportunity for interaction with staff and to develop communication skills through discussion and presentation of key issues.
• Students are encouraged and expected to undertake independent study and to read widely from a variety of sources. The necessity of independent study culminates in the dissertation written during the summer semester. This piece of work provides students with the opportunity to produce independent research in their chosen area.
• Modules are assessed typically by a combination of coursework and examination with the weighting varying dependent on the nature of the material taught. An integrated assessment strategy is adopted.
• Students must pass all six modules and achieve a pass grade in the dissertation to be awarded the Master of Laws (LLM).

Preparation

Contact the School for information on your timetable and reading lists.

Recommended reading

Contact the School for information on your timetable and reading lists.

Module titles

Semester 1:

• LAWPRC  Regulating CSR (Part 1) (Core)
• LAWPCG  Corporate Governance  (Core)

Plus one option (see list below)

Semester 2:

• LAWPSR Regulating CSR (Part 2) (Core)
• LAWPRM Legal Research Methods (Core)

Plus one option (see list below)

Options (indicative list)

• LAWPFR Comparative Financial Regulation
• LAWPCL Competition Law
• LAWP03 Intellectual Property Law
• LAWPTL International Trade Law
• LAWPBF Law of Banking and Finance
• LAWPCA International Commercial Arbitration
• LAWPEL Environmental Principles: Law and Policy
• LAWPAD Alternative Dispute Resolution
• LAWPIE International Economic Law
• LAWPHR International Human Rights

Why study Corporate Social Responsibility at Stirling?

Course Director

Dr Rebecca L. Zahn

RAE rating

The Stirling Law School has a strong reputation for excellence in research. In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, five percent of our research was judged to be world leading, 35 percent of international excellence, 30 percent of international quality, with the remaining 30 percent of at least national quality.

Find out more

http://www.stir.ac.uk/schools/arts-and-humanities

Career opportunities

Corporate social responsibility has become one of the most topical issues within the business world with the majority of corporate organisations worldwide adopting social responsibility policies. Consequently there is a great demand for employees who have a specialised legal knowledge in corporate governance and social responsibility. Graduates will significantly enhance their employability within this growing field. Employment destinations include posts in: corporate strategy and corporate management; third sector (voluntary) organisations, NGOs,  public sector organisations and, specialised legal practice (for those already qualified as legal practitioners).