(LAW 1047) Large corporations now routinely spend millions of dollars to protect human rights and the environment. Shell Nigeria builds hospitals and schools in the Niger Delta. Nike employs hundreds of inspectors to improve conditions for the factory workers who produce its shoes across Asia and Latin America. Technology companies such as Facebook have scrambled to fend off the threat of new regulation since the Cambridge Analytica revelations. Other examples abound, across industries and around the globe. "Don't be evil" (Google's former motto) may be one motivation for these companies, but something more mundane is also at work: many companies believe they will do well, financially, if they do good, ethically. This course examines questions that lawyers in large law firms, corporations, NGOs, and government agencies regularly confront: --What does it mean for a company to "do good"? Should it care? --When does it serve a company's interest to take costly action to address human rights, labor, and environmental concerns? --What tactics have activists used to shift public opinion, media frames, and the law, and thereby change companies' incentives? We will learn through seminar-style discussion, lectures, role play, and small group exercises. Several guest speakers with experience in business, advocacy, or in between will provide insights from their experiences on the ground. Special Instructions: Students have the option to write a long research paper in lieu of the final exam with consent of instructor. Elements used in grading: Class Participation, Written Assignments; Final Exam or Final Paper. Undergraduate students interested in this subject should enroll in HUMRTS INTLPOL 115 instead. Enrollment in this course is limited to graduate and professional students, who need the consent of the instructor, Jamie O'Connell (joconnell@law.stanford.edu).
3 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
(LAW 1047) Large corporations now routinely spend millions of dollars to protect human rights and the environment. Shell Nigeria builds hospitals and schools in the Niger Delta. Nike employs hundreds of inspectors to improve conditions for the factory workers who produce its shoes across Asia and Latin America. Technology companies such as Facebook have scrambled to fend off the threat of new regulation since the Cambridge Analytica revelations. Other examples abound, across industries and around the globe. "Don't be evil" (Google's former motto) may be one motivation for these companies, but something more mundane is also at work: many companies believe they will do well, financially, if they do good, ethically. This course examines questions that lawyers in large law firms, corporations, NGOs, and government agencies regularly confront: --What does it mean for a company to "do good"? Should it care? --When does it serve a company's interest to take costly action to address human rights, labor, and environmental concerns? --What tactics have activists used to shift public opinion, media frames, and the law, and thereby change companies' incentives? We will learn through seminar-style discussion, lectures, role play, and small group exercises. Several guest speakers with experience in business, advocacy, or in between will provide insights from their experiences on the ground. Special Instructions: Students have the option to write a long research paper in lieu of the final exam with consent of instructor. Elements used in grading: Class Participation, Written Assignments; Final Exam or Final Paper. Undergraduate students interested in this subject should enroll in HUMRTS 115 instead. Enrollment in this course is limited to graduate and professional students, who need the consent of the instructor, Jamie O'Connell (joconnell@law.stanford.edu).
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.