Corporate Social Responsibility in the Classroom: A Constitutional Approach

Abstract

Effective teaching of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Law, especially in contexts like Ecuador where it has been constitutionalized, requires moving beyond mere conceptual transmission to focus on practical application and critical analysis within the quintessential training space: the classroom. This article centers on the didactic operationalization of a constitutional approach to CSR, proposing a set of concrete and applicable learning activities for law professors. Based on the Ecuadorian constitutional framework, the competencies defined in programs such as UMET's Professional Ethics, and active learning principles, strategies such as the analysis of constitutional sentences on CSR, structured debates around collisions of constitutional principles in the business sphere, and workshops for drafting contractual clauses or internal policies with a constitutional foundation are detailed. The distinctive contribution lies in the detailed exemplification of these activities, showing how they materialize constitutional theory and contribute to the development of specific legal and ethical competencies. Thus, a practical pedagogical model is offered for professors to guide students in constructing a meaningful and applicable understanding of CSR as a tool for achieving "buen vivir".