Use the Tab and Up, Down arrow keys to select menu items.
World Trade Law
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 160 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) Members’ 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.
Students will be expected to gain a solid knowledge of the relevant legal framework and to develop 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:For the Research project - Carry out independent research. Communicate the findings of their research. Understand, explain and apply the WTO agreements and other relevant instruments of international trade. Understand and explain the relationship between the WTO agreements and selected other instruments. Relate their knowledge of the above to current matters of international concern. Locate primary materials relevant to international trade. Subject those primary materials to critical analysis and use them to create an argument based on international law. Read, understand, interpret and critique treaties and the rules relating to their operation.For the Class participation - Reflect on their experience and performance and plan further development of their skills.
Subject to approval of the Programme Director.
LAWS338, DIPL402
Christian Riffel
Assessment will be by means of a research project. The research project will be on an international trade topic chosen by the student in conjunction with the lecturer. This assessment is designed to allow students to pursue their own interests within the parameters of this course. All students are encouraged to discuss their topics and research plans with the lecturer throughout the course.The maximum length of the research project is 10,000 words, including footnotes, but excluding the bibliography. All essays must be submitted electronically in order to be run through plagiarism detection software.
Peter van den Bossche and Werner Zdouc; The Law and Policy of the World Trade Organization ; 3rd ed; CUP, 2013.
Domestic fee $1,056.00
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 .