Undergraduate Course: WTO Law (LAWS10169)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The aim of the course is to provide students with an advanced knowledge and critical understanding of the regulatory framework of the world trading system, covering both the institutional and substantive law of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which has played a central role in promoting and regulating international trade liberalisation since its establishment in April 1994. To this end, the course will first introduce students to the institutional structure and decision-making processes of the WTO, including its unique system for the resolution of international trade disputes. Subsequently, students will explore the key legal disciplines relating to international trade in goods, including the core principles of non-discrimination and rules on market access. In the second part of the course, students will consider instances in which WTO members may deviate from their basic obligations under WTO law, notably to deal with situations of ¿economic emergency¿ within their territory by applying safeguard measures, or to use trade-restrictive measures in order to promote and protect other (non-trade) values and interests, such as the protection of public health or the environment. Finally, students will be exposed to some of the contemporary challenges facing the WTO, including development issues and the proliferation of regional trade agreements.
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| Course description |
Indicative Teaching programme:
Seminar 1. Introduction to the course/Introduction to the WTO
Seminar 2. The World Trade Organisation: Membership, Institutional Structure and Decision-Making Procedures
Seminar 3. The WTO Dispute Settlement System (1): Principles and Process
Seminar 4. The WTO Dispute Settlement System (2): Implementation and Enforcement
Seminar 5. Trade in Goods (1): GATT Principles of Non-Discrimination
Seminar 6. Trade in Goods (2): GATT Rules on Market Access
Seminar 7. Trade in Goods (3): Economic Emergency Exceptions
Seminar 8. Trade in Goods (4): GATT General Exceptions
Seminar 9. Trade in Goods (5): GATT Regional Exceptions
Seminar 10. Trade and Development: S&D Treatment under GATT
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students would benefit from having prior knowledge of international law |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Students would benefit from having prior knowledge of international law |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 25 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Learning and Teaching Activities |
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
100 %,
Coursework
0 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% exam |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- 1. Knowledge and Sources of Law:
- An advanced knowledge and understanding of the core of WTO law, covering both institutional and substantive aspects;
- An ability to critically assess the role of the WTO in regulating international trade, and to evaluate possible reforms;
- An ability to critically analyse key WTO rules and case law, and reflect on their implications and possible avenues for legal development;
- An ability to engage with contemporary legal and policy debates on the WTO.
- 2. Subject-specific Skills:
-To enhance students¿ ability to learn independently (via the requirement to prepare in advance of the class by doing the ¿required¿ readings in seminar handouts);
-To enhance students¿ ability to locate, interpret and synthesise relevant materials from both primary and secondary sources (via the ¿required¿ and other readings in seminar handouts);
-To enhance students¿ ability to reflect critically on complex legal and institutional questions and to develop a problem-solving approach (via group class exercises and unseen examination); and
-To enhance students¿ ability to develop a legal argument in a succinct and persuasive manner (via active class participation and unseen examination).
- 3. General Transferable Intellectual Skills:
- An ability to apply knowledge of the law to complex questions;
- Evaluative and critical reasoning;
- Creative thinking;
- An ability to articulate, sustain and defend a line of argument, clearly and concisely, in both written and oral form;
- An ability to consider arguments for and against a proposition in a ¿balanced¿ manner; and
- An ability to locate and use electronic and other resources at an advanced level.
- 4. Key Personal Skills:
- Advanced written and oral communication;
- An appreciation of different dynamics within a class group and respect for the opinions of other people even if there is disagreement.
- 5. Subject-specific Legal and Ethical Values:
- Ability to exercise independent judgement and operate in relative autonomy for the purpose of seminar and exam preparation;
- Ability to work as part of a group for the purpose of class exercises and discussions.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | WTO Law |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr James Harrison
Tel: (0131 6)50 2040
Email: james.harrison@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Sara-Louise Tait
Tel: (0131 6)51 4550
Email: Sara-Louise.Tait@ed.ac.uk |
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