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Law of International Trade
This course will provide an introduction to the regulation of international trade under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). New Zealand is one of 152 State Members of the WTO, which is responsible for regulating trade in goods, services and intellectual property at the international level. Moreover, these days trade rules impact on more than just trade: they restrict (or at least impact upon) Member’s policies in connection with (but not limited to) the environment, human rights, health and culture. The WTO is comprised of three pillars as well as a sophisticated dispute settlement mechanism: the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (in goods) (GATT); the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and; the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). This course will focus on trade in goods and to a lesser extent, services, and the relationship between the WTO rules and competing social policies with special emphasis on trade and the environment. This course will also deal with trade liberalisation in the Pacific Region.
Students will be expected to gain a solid knowledge of the relevant legal framework as well as developing their capacity to critically analyse issues and developments in this field. This course will be of interest to students wanting to know more about the international trade rules and their impact on business and public policy, and to broaden their knowledge of international law. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:Assessment Task - Colloquium Learning Outcome Measured: Carry out independent research. Deliver a coherent and clear oral presentation that communicate the extent of their knowledge, understanding and critical evaluative skills to others. Understand and explain the relationship between the WTO Agreements and selected other instruments.Assessment Task - Final ExamLearning Outcome Measured: Understand, interpret, apply and critique the WTO Agreements and other relevant instruments. Identify international legal issues in factual scenarios and construct international legal responses to those issues.
Subject to approval of the Programme Director.
LAWS338, DIPL402
Lectures of two hours per week plus one-hour colloquium fortnightly.
Christian Riffel
Assessment will be confirmed in the first week of lectures. During the colloquium we will cover the leading WTO cases. Students will be asked to present a chosen case, ideally in groups of three people (one presenting the position of the complainant, one the position of the defendant and one the facts and the ruling of the Appellate Body). Afterwards, students will hand in a copy of their individual presentation.
Bossche, Peter van den , Zdouc, Werner; The law and policy of the World Trade Organization : text, cases and materials ; 3rd edition ;
Domestic fee $1,016.00
International Postgraduate fees
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Faculty of Law .