Globalization and the increasing power of private businesses vis-à-vis nation states combine to raise important and challenging new issues of business ethics, good business practices, liability, and risk management. The scope and content of transnational business responsibilities are being refined, as global legal norms evolve to take into account non-state actors of various types (not only businesses, but also nongovernmental organizations, terrorist groups, and other networks) in a climate of diminished yet still relevant state sovereignty. Transnational businesses are vital for economic growth and development, but can also be responsible for direct and indirect violations of human rights. This course examines recent and pending cases of corporate legal liability for violations of human rights and corporate social responsibility, including examples ranging from Unocal to Nike, and considers on-going efforts to more effectively tailor international legal norms to these realities (including the U.N. Global Compact, and the U.N. Norms for Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises). As such, the course exposes students to key human rights obligations relevant to businesses, international legal concepts of 'soft law' versus 'hard law,' as well as practical issues and modes of analysis relevant to problems encountered by such businesses and their various stakeholders.