Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	Law and Policy of the World Trade Organization
School	Birmingham Law School
Department	Law
Module Code	08 21940
Module Lead	Dr Luca Rubini
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	LLB (optional)
Contact Hours	Lecture-26 hours Tutorial-6 hours Guided independent study-168 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	The module propose to cover the following topics: Introduction: theory of international trade: benefits, issues and concerns of free trade and its governance legal and policy implications of trade liberalization in the context of an increasingly globalized world ( `law and policy' approach which will be followed for every topic) role of (legal) rules in the context of the governance of the world trading system brief history of the GATT and the WTO < Institutional analysis of the WTO (organizational structure, decision-making, future challenges) The system of dispute settlement, focussing in particular on the rules of interpretation (Vienna Convention of Law of Treaties) and on the most topical procedural issues (eg participation of third parties; effective implementation of recommendations; role of developing countries) Analysis, particularly through the case-law, of the substantive law, ie of the fundamental provisions regulating trade in goods and services, technical standards, health and safety, intellectual property, public subsidies, antidumping, and agriculture. Evaluation of the impact of the WTO on development issues and of the role played by human rights in the world trading system When possible, to draw brief parallels with the similar issues and solutions coming out in EC law.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module the student should be able to: To familiarize with the fundamental provisions, concepts and issues of the law of world trade, which is mainly represented by WTO law To contextualize the legal debate in the wider policy context considering the political, socio-economic, non-economic, and ethical implications of the various legal issues To critically analyse the interplay between trade liberalization and other non-economic values (eg human rights such as labour standards, environmental protection, health safety) on the one hand and development on the other To become aware that globalization can be governed by rules and analyse how this should be done To introduce a comparative perspective drawing the attention to the solutions adopted with respect to similar issues in the context of EC law (the EC and the WTO representing the two most developed examples of trade liberalization at an international level) To apply the knowledge acquired to practical problem-questions (seminars) To develop `transferable skills¿ through group-working (seminars)
Assessment	21940-01 : Essay : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessments: 1 x 6,000 word essay Reassessment: This is a final year module
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Reading List