THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Law : Law

Postgraduate Course: The Law of International Trade (one semester) (LAWS11379)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Law CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course examines the legal aspects of international trade in a broad context. The legal framework of the course is English law as well as the relevant international conventions and standard terms. The course examines international sale of goods which are transported by sea. It investigates the trade terms used in international sale contracts (in the context of English common law and Incoterms in particular) and analyses the resulting obligations of the parties regarding payment methods (with emphasis on letters of credit and bills of exchange), transportation of the goods (focusing on bills of lading and waybills) and marine cargo insurance in the manner in which these relate to one another.
Course description A) The course analyses the different legal steps related to an international trade transaction, in particular as related to the course content (provisional) :

B) course content:
The course is divided into 4 themes:
* International sale of goods
* International Carriage of Goods
* Financing / international payment methods in overview
* Cargo Insurance in overview

C) Student Learning Experience:
The course is taught as interactive classes with most seminars related to case studies. Students are expected to prepare answers to case studies after engaging with the class reading for each session. Student are allocated into groups for some of the tasks.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  28
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2, Formative Assessment Hours 2, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 170 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) In Class Group Presentations (worth 25% of the course grade) and one essay (3500 words) (75%)
Feedback Most of the sessions use case-study questions dealing with the topic that is being studied that week. Students are split into groups to consider the questions. Each week a different spokesperson from each group reports back to the class. Feedback is provided on the content and on how the questions have been analysed to assist students for the essay questions in the assessment.

In addition, students will be given collective feedback via written answers to class exercises.

There is also the opportunity to submit a short formative assessment for feedback.

No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the legal principles of international trade transactions in general.
  2. apply their knowledge and in so doing critically evaluate and analyse the laws and rules regulating international sale of goods, carriage of goods, marine cargo insurance, documentary credits & bills of exchange, and international private law and dispute resolution. Students will be able to select and apply the appropriate legal rules to provide solutions to complex legal problems.
  3. approach complex case scenarios and separate issues in a logical and thematic way. They will be able to digest large amounts of information and select relevant information therefrom for their task in their chosen field of study. Student will be able to constructively engage with each other in group work and class discussion.
  4. make presentations to class including the use of PowerPoint. They will be able to communicate solutions to complex legal issues orally and in writing.
  5. work independently and as part of a team.
Reading List
Textbooks:
Students are expected to obtain a textbook. The following are recommended textbooks for the course and it is strongly recommended that students go to the Library to see which book suits them best. The ones in bold are highly recommended and both are very good, with lightly different emphasis and publication dates - therefore normally the most recent is listed first:

* Carr, I., International Trade Law (5th ed, Routledge, Oxon, 2014) (also available as e-book)
* Murray, Holloway, Timson-Hunt, Schmitthoff's Export Trade: The Law and Practice of International Trade (12th ed, Sweet & Maxwell, 2012)
* Chuah, J., Law of International Trade (5th ed, Sweet & Maxwell, 2013)
* Schnitzer, S., Understanding International Trade Law (LawMatters Publishing, Exeter, 2006) (good for principles and general overview, but outdated in several areas - out of print but copies in Library)

A statute book/ statute selection must be brought to every seminar.

Recommended statute books are:

* Carr, I., and Goldby, M., Statutes and Conventions on International Trade Law, 2013 - 2015 (3rd edn, Routledge: Oxon, 2014)
* Also useful, although not covering as much of the relevant texts: Rose, F., Blackstone's Statutes on Commercial & Consumer Law, 2016 - 2017 (25th ed, OUP: Oxford, 2016)

In addition to reading your textbook, each session will require preparation of answers to a case scenario and study of materials from a reading list which is distributed at least one week before the seminar via LEARN.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills 1. Generic cognitive skills: ability to exercise informed and rigorous analysis as well as critical and independent judgement of complex legal/policy issues;

2. Communication/IT skills: ability to express information and arguments in a succinct, coherent and persuasive manner, both orally and in writing (via course assessment), while remaining open to discuss and learn from other points of view (via class exercises active seminar participation). Ability to locate legal and other sources through library and IT resources, as well as to present written and oral work in an appropriate format;

3. Autonomy/accountability/working with others: ability to work autonomously in preparing for seminars and completing the course assessment, while seeking advice when appropriate and incorporating feedback received. Ability to manage time and deliver work within externally imposed deadlines. Ability to lead and participate in team work and to develop assertiveness with peers and to teaching staff in showcasing their work and views and solutions.
Keywordsinternational commercial law,private international trade law,international sale of goods
Contacts
Course organiserDr Simone Lamont-Black
Tel: (0131 6)50 2060
Email: simone.lamont-black@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Maree Hardie
Tel: (0131 6)50 9588
Email: maree.hardie@ed.ac.uk
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