International Trade Law – JURI 650

Course Description

This course focuses on the study of fundamental concepts of international law and its historical origins. It considers the influence of diverse schools of thought in international law, including the post-modern, natural law, and integrative jurisprudence. The course examines the sources of international law, including international treaties, customary international law and general principles of law. It also studies the subjects of international law and international legal personality.

Rationale

In an increasingly globalized economy, specialized knowledge of public international law norms and principles in the field of international trade is very important. For a proper study of international trade law, it is essential to address, among others, issues such as the influence of economic policy on creation and implementation of international trade law norms; the WTO and its dispute settlement system; tariffs and quantitative restrictions; the National Treatment and Most Favored Nation Treatment Principle; and the trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights. Those topics are analyzed in legal cases which are part of the jurisprudence of international trade law.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be 400–500 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. For each thread, the student must support their assertions with at least 3 scholarly citations in Bluebook format. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 150–250 words and incorporate at least 1 scholarly citation in Bluebook format.

Case Brief Assignments (3)

The student will choose a case from the assigned reading and write a 3,500-word case brief in current Bluebook format.

Research Paper Assignments (3)

The student will write a research-based paper of at least 5,000 words in current Bluebook format that focuses on any of the topics addressed in this course. The paper will be completed in the following stages:

Research Paper: Thesis Statement and Outline Assignment

The student will submit a thesis statement of no more than 2 sentences that specifies the subject matter of the Research Paper. The student will also submit a 900-word outline of major points for the paper.

Research Paper: Draft Assignment

The student will submit a draft of at least 3,000 words of the Research Paper. The draft must include an introduction, thesis statement, outline, main body, and conclusion. Citations must be incorporated and follow current Bluebook format, and a bibliography must be included.

Research Paper: Final Assignment

The student will submit his/her final draft of at least 5,000 words and a minimum of 25 citations in current Bluebook format. The word count includes the citations but not the outline.

Note: Each LL.M student must add an additional 2,500 words of writing in his/her final paper. This is a Pass/Fail component of this assignment. This is not required of any JM student.

Quizzes (4)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned Module: Week. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain a combination of 10 multiple-choice, true/false, and short-answer questions, and have a 1-hour time limit.

Quiz: The WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism 

The quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned Module: Week. The quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 5 multiple-choice questions, and have a 25-minute time limit, including watching the presentation.