Undergraduate Course: WTO and International Trade Law 2 (LAWS10299)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The aim of this course is to allow students with a particular interest in global economic governance to explore a greater diversity of topics than is possible in one term only. It will focus on more specialised - but highly significant - issues of WTO law such as subsidies, trade remedies and anti-dumping. It will also cover the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the principle of special and differential treatment of developing countries. In addition, however, there is a much greater emphasis in this course (as compared to WTO Law 1) on addressing cross-cutting and contemporary issues of contemporary trade governance. These will vary from year to year, but may include: international economic law 'after the crisis'; the 'new regionalism'; the relationship between trade, investment and finance; the emergence of new developmentalism and its prospects; and the aesthetics of expertise in international economic governance. |
| Course description |
* Rules on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures
* Rules on Dumping and Anti-Dumping Measures
* Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights TRIPS
* WTO and RTAs Regional Integration Exceptions
* Trade and Development Special & Differential Treatment
* Coherence in Global Economic Governance WTO and the Bretton Woods Institutions
* Trade and Investment
* Trade and Finance
* The Right to Regulate
Please note that classes for this course will be jointly taught with Masters level students. Although students at both levels will study the same course materials, assessments will be graded according to the relevant benchmark appropriate to the level of study.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Spaces on this course are allocated as part of the Law Honours Course Allocation process. Places are generally only available to students who must take Law courses. To request a space on this course, please email Law.courseselection@ed.ac.uk |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | This course is only open to visiting students coming through a direct exchange with the School of Law (including Erasmus students on a Law-specific Exchange). Exchange students outside of Law and independent study abroad students are not eligible to enrol in this course, with no exceptions.
**Please note that Honours Law courses are high-demand, meaning that they have a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited number of spaces.**
Priority will be given to students studying on exchange within the Law department, and it is highly unlikely that there will be additional spaces for general exchange students & independent study abroad students to enrol; we will look into this on a case-by-case basis in September/January. Visiting students are advised to bear in mind that enrolment in specific courses can never be guaranteed, and you may need to be flexible in finding alternatives in case your preferred courses have no available space. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
70 %,
Practical Exam
30 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
* Presentation(s) - 30% of overall mark«br /»
* One essay - 70% of overall mark |
| Feedback |
Students will have the opportunity to obtain formative feedback over the course of the semester. The feedback provided will assist students in their preparation for the summative assessment. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Critically analyse core WTO rules and relevant jurisprudence, evaluate their practical implications for legal strategy and compliance, and identify plausible directions for doctrinal or institutional development within established WTO approaches.
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the principal economic rationales that inform contemporary developments in the multilateral trading system, and apply that understanding to explain (and critique) observed policy choices and outcomes.
- Analyse and explain the role and significance of trade and WTO law within contemporary geopolitical and diplomatic dynamics, showing how legal rules interact with state interests, alliances, and institutional constraints.
- Critically assess the main policy choices faced by states and international organisations in regulating cross-border trade in goods and services, including the management of trade-related social externalities, and justify policy options by reference to legal constraints and evidence.
- Explain and critically evaluate the dynamics that shape trade conflict and trade cooperation (including escalation, settlement, retaliation, and negotiation), and apply these insights to structured case scenarios.
|
Reading List
Textbooks:
* P van den Bossche, The Law and Policy of the World Trade Organization (Cambridge University Press, 5th ed. 2021)
Journals:
* Journal of International Economic Law
* Journal of World Trade Law
* Global Trade and Customs Journal
* Journal of World Investment and Trade
* Legal Issues of Economic Integration
* World Trade Review
* American Journal of International Law
* British Yearbook of International Law
* European Journal of International Law
* Journal of International Dispute Settlement
* International and Comparative Law Quarterly |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical Thinking
¿ Interrogate contemporary WTO legal and policy debates by questioning assumptions, identifying biases in arguments and sources, and weighing competing viewpoints with appropriate evidence.
¿ Evaluate primary and secondary WTO and other international legal materials (treaties, case law, official documents, scholarship) by determining relevance, credibility, and significance for a given legal controversy.
Problem Solving
¿ Conceptualise trade legal problems in context by identifying the legal issue, mapping doctrinal options, and analysing political and societal implications to propose defensible approaches under uncertainty.
Curiosity
¿ Explore alternative approaches in WTO law by asking searching questions, adopting different perspectives, and pursuing independent lines of inquiry beyond the ¿standard¿ position in contested areas.
Communication
¿ Communicate complex WTO legal issues to varied audiences (specialist and non-specialist) with clarity and precision, in both written and oral formats.
¿ Build, sustain, and defend a line of argument through structured reasoning, effective advocacy, and responsive engagement with counterarguments in seminars, debates, and assessments.
Reflection
¿ Plan and improve research and advocacy performance by reviewing choices and outcomes (e.g., argument structure, source selection, drafting), identifying strengths and gaps, and setting goals for future development.
|
| Keywords | WTO Law,World Trade Organisation,TRIPS,Contemporary Trade Governance,International Economic Law |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Filippo Fontanelli
Tel: (0131 6)51 3781
Email: Filippo.Fontanelli@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
|
|
University Homepage