• Offered by Law School
  • ANU College ANU College of Law
  • Classification Advanced
    Specialist
  • Course subject Laws
  • Areas of interest Law
  • Academic career PGRD
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Offered in Autumn Session 2014
    See Future Offerings

This course is a comprehensive introduction to the law of the World Trade Organization (‘WTO’) and to the context of economics and politics within which the law operates. 

It provides either a stand-alone introduction to WTO law or a solid basis for further study.  (eg, LAWS8073 Trade Remedies Law: WTO & Domestic Implementation).

The course considers the functions of the WTO through the consideration of some basic economics or trade, or public choice and game theory.  It  reviews the history of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) regulating trade in goods, and the creation of the Agreement Establishing the WTO ending with a review of the institutions of the WTO and of the framework of rules applying under the GATT. 

It also includes a detailed study of the WTO dispute settlement system under the WTO Understanding on Dispute Settlement, its concepts, procedures and enforcement. 

The course will examine the framework of rules under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and the relationship between regulation of trade in goods and regulation of trade in services; and the rules of the Agreement on Trade-Related aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS), emphasizing patents, copyright and trademarks.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

At the conclusion of this course students should have developed:

  • A reasonable level of proficiency in researching WTO law;
  • A solid knowledge of the Agreement Establishing the WTO, and the 3 main treaties binding WTO Members:
    • the General agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT);
    • the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS); and
    • the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS).
  • An ability to advise how certain parts of WTO law, including the fundamental rules of the GATT, GATS and TRIPS, apply to fact situations;
  • An understanding of the nature of the WTO system for negotiations, of the WTO legal system and of the WTO dispute settlement system, its concepts, procedures and enforcement mechanisms; and
  • An appreciation of how the law operates in a context of economics, politics and history.
  • A level of knowledge and understanding of the WTO system sufficient to enable you to undertake more advanced or more specialized study.

Indicative Assessment

Students must rely on the approved Means of Assessment which will be available on the Wattle course site approximately 4 weeks prior to the commencement of the course.

Assessment is likely to consist of:

  1. Essay (2500 words, 35%)
  2. Take-home exam (2.5 hours, 65%)
Essay topics will be released 12 March 2014
Essay submission due date 8 May 2014
Take Home exam: paper released on WATTLE at 5pm on Friday 13 June 2014 and exam answers must be submitted on WATTLE by 9am on Monday 16 June 2014.


The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Workload

26 Contact Hours (Intensive Delivery over 4 days) plus private study and reading time.

2014 Intensive course dates: 3-4  & 7-8 April

Click here for current LLM Masters Program timetable

Requisite and Incompatibility

To enrol in this course you must be studying 7305 or 7309 or 7313 or 7310 or 7317 or 7318 or 7893 or 6317 or 6305 or 6309 or 6313 or 6310 or 6318 or 6303 or 6351 and have completed LAWS8015 or LAWS8182. OR To enrol in this course you must be studying 7300 or 7312 or 7883 or 6300 and have completed LAWS8182;

Prescribed Texts

None.  A reading brick will be available for purchase.

Preliminary Reading

Readings and materials will be listed in the Course Outline which will be available on the Wattle course site approximately 4 weeks prior to the commencement of the course.

Students need to buy the reading brick and to obtain copies of certain WTO treaties from the WTO website.

Assumed Knowledge

It is not required that students have a background in economics, although some knowledge of economics will be helpful.  The economic content of this course is pitched at those having no prior knowledge and it is not examinable.

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Students continuing in their current program of study will have their tuition fees indexed annually from the year in which you commenced your program. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
3
Unit value:
6 units

If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.  Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee Description
1994-2003 $1626
2014 $2808
2013 $2808
2012 $2808
2011 $2778
2010 $2718
2009 $2670
2008 $2670
2007 $2670
2006 $2646
2005 $2298
2004 $1926
International fee paying students
Year Fee
1994-2003 $2916
2014 $3762
2013 $3756
2012 $3756
2011 $3756
2010 $3750
2009 $3426
2008 $3426
2007 $3426
2006 $3426
2005 $3234
2004 $2916
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

Autumn Session

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
4349 03 Apr 2014 03 Apr 2014 18 Apr 2014 20 May 2014 In Person N/A

Responsible Officer: Registrar, Student Administration / Page Contact: Website Administrator / Frequently Asked Questions