F1GD 4240 - International Trade Law & Policy and the WTO

***UPDATED for 2026/27***

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the rules that govern international trade. The course will provide an in-depth analysis of the WTO, including its Agreements, functions, decision-making procedures and processes and its dispute settlement system. The course will also address the main negotiating issues in the WTO and current discussions, as well as the main challenges and tensions confronting the multilateral trading system. This will include an examination of the policy objectives behind the rules, the compromises resulting from complex negotiating process, and the operation of the rules. Legal, economic and policy aspects of WTO rules and disciplines will be examined.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the course, students will have acquired an in-depth understanding of the WTO and its role in global governance, as well as knowledge of its Agreements, rules and procedures.

2.. The course will enhance students' understanding of WTO dispute settlement, negotiating processes and current issues under discussion.

• The course will provide students with a basic understanding of the economic and policy objectives pursued by governments in WTO's discussions and negotiations

Professional Skills

Students will have developed the knowledge and practical skills to advice governments, the private sector, NGOs – as appropriate – about WTO's work. The course will also serve as a comprehensive introduction to trade law and practice for those who may become specialists at a later stage.

None.

We will provide regular feedback during class sessions and through evaluation of written work.

Students will be assessed on the following:

• Active class participation 10%
• A dispute settlement simulation exercise (written portion and in class exercise): worth 50%
• One final exam (in the form of an essay, in class): worth 40%

• In Class Presence: 4 hours a week / 24 hours a semester – organized in 4 hours modules
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 3 to 4 hours a week
• One policy paper (1-2 pages) and one exam in the form of open questions at the end of the course (to be submitted within 24 hours); one simulation exercise on the different roles and stages in a dispute, which will include a written assignment in preparation for the exercise.
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: around 15 hours for the paper, the simulation, and the exam