LAW4526 - World Trade Organisation (WTO) law - 2018

This unit will examine the main features of WTO law, situated within a broader context of international economic law. The unit will explore the WTO in its historical and legal context, its institutional structure and decision making and negotiating processes, and dispute settlement. It will examine the core obligations contained in a number of the key WTO agreements in more detail, in particular the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT 1994), the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement, the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). A particular focus of the unit will be disputes involving issues of public policy such as health and the environment.

At the successful completion of this Unit students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate comprehension of the history and objectives of the GATT and WTO and ongoing negotiations, in light of the broader context of international economic law;
2. Analyse the WTO agreements, institutions and core legal principles;
3. Critically evaluate the manner in which the WTO agreements have been treated in dispute settlement.

Examination (2 hours writing time plus 30 minutes reading time): 50%

Research essay (2000 words): 40%

Class participation: 10%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information