Glasgow School for Business & Society

Department of Economics & Law

Module Handbook

International Trade and the WTO

MMN130235

2023/2024

Trimester B

William Henderson
Contents

1 General Information..............................................................................................1

2 Module Information...............................................................................................1

3 Module Team........................................................................................................2

3.1 External Examiner..........................................................................................2

4 Module Schedule..................................................................................................3

4.1 Preparation.................................................................................................... 3

5 Assessment..........................................................................................................3

5.1 Assessment Schedule................................................................................... 3

5.2 Marking Criteria..............................................................................................4

5.3 Fit to Sit..........................................................................................................6

1 General Information

The main purpose of this module handbook is to provide you with a comprehensive
guide for the module. Within this document you will find details specific to the module
including: assigned teaching staff; module schedule; and assessment information.

This handbook should be read in conjunction with your Module Descriptor which you
can access from the online Module Catalogue1 on the GCU website, and also with
the General Information applicable to all GCU Modules and Programmes which
contains information on University Policies and Procedures, Assessment
Regulations and the support you can access as a GCU student.

You can access the General Information from the Institution Page2 on GCU Learn
and also the GCU Student Webpages3.

2 Module Information

In this handbook you will find information and advice that should prove helpful as you
progress through the module.

This module is concerned with the study of the rules and principles of the World
Trade Organization, its law-making and negotiation processes as well as the
application of that law. It examines major aspects of the regulation of the global
economy as it relates to trade through examination of the institutions and laws of the
World Trade Organization, as well as analysing connected regulatory matters
concerning the environment and sustainable development.

The module has been designed following input from business leaders and lawyers
and reflects the changing nature of the legal profession: lawyers are increasingly
expected to be pro-active in the prediction and prevention of unethical as well as
unlawful behaviour across all areas of society. The delivery of the module will embed
PRME principles including: developing graduates who care about social
responsibility; developing learning and teaching which enables graduates to become
responsible leaders and practitioners; and developing graduates who will advise
businesses and other stakeholders to explore mutually beneficial responses to social
and legal challenges.

For indicative reading you should see the Library Resource List link on GCULearn.

1
https://www.gcu.ac.uk/currentstudents/essentials/modules
2
https://blackboard.gcal.ac.uk/ultra/institution-page
3
https://www.gcu.ac.uk/currentstudents

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Please read this handbook document carefully.

3 Module Team

The University is committed to ensuring that you are supported to achieve a

successful outcome on your chosen programme and associated modules.

If you have a particular problem with the academic content of the module, please
contact the module leader in the first instance. Further module contacts are detailed
below.

Module Leader
Name Phone No. Email Working
Pattern
William 01413318571 William.Henderson@gcu.ac.uk Mon-Fri
Henderson

Module Staff
Name Email Working Pattern

Dr Anna Pielin Anna.Pielin@gcu.ac.uk Mon-Fri

Dr Indira Boutier Indira.Boutier@gcu.ac.uk Mon-Fri

Programme Co-ordinator
Name Phone No. Email Working
Pattern
Debbie Hossick 01413313411 Debbie.Hossick@gcu.ac.uk Mon-Fri

3.1 External Examiner

The University attaches great importance to the role of External Examiners as a key
means of assuring that academic standards are at an appropriate level, comparable
to those of other higher education institutions and that assessment processes are
rigorous and fair. External examiners also make a valuable contribution to the
enhancement of programmes and their associated modules.

The External Examiner for your module is Jerome Chan who holds the position of
Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Greenwich.

Please note that External Examiners have a specified term of office which means
they may be subject to change within the duration of your studies.

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The details of the External Examiner are provided for information only. It is
inappropriate for students to make direct contact with External Examiners.

4 Module Schedule

Week Topic Delivery

No.
1 Introduction On campus lecture
2 Globalisation and Trade On campus lecture & seminar
3 The World Trade Organization On campus lecture & seminar
4 WTO Agreements On campus lecture & seminar
5 Trade in Goods On campus lecture & seminar
6 Trade in Services On campus lecture & seminar
7 Intellectual Property Rights On campus lecture & seminar
8 Regional Trade Agreements On campus lecture & seminar
9 Trade Policy Review Directed learning (public holiday)
10 Trade and the Environment On campus lecture & seminar
11 WTO Dispute Settlement On campus lecture & seminar
12 WTO Dispute Settlement On campus seminar

4.1 Preparation

A single lecture or seminar on a topic cannot cover everything you ought to

know, you are expected to undertake reading both before and after lectures
and seminars etc to deepen your understanding of the topic.

In particular, in seminar groups prior reading and preparation will allow you to
contribute fully to discussions and take full advantage of the learning process.

5 Assessment

5.1 Assessment Schedule

For this module the schedule of submission of formative and summative assessment
is detailed below

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 Submission Type of Form of assessment Details Weighting
Date assessment (e.g. coursework, lab
report, class test,
etc.)
End of Tri Written Written exercise Topic 100%
A class applying WTO Law published
teaching (4000 words) during Tri A
teaching

5.2 Marking Criteria

Evaluation Percentage Description

Award Range

Demonstrates exceptional and

consistently excellent ability,
90 - 100 skills and behaviours across
specified characteristic(s) with no
weaknesses.
Exceptional
Demonstrates exceptional or
consistently excellent ability,
With Distinction 80 - 89 skills and behaviours across
specified characteristic(s) with
few weaknesses.
Demonstrates mostly excellent
Excellent 70 – 79 ability, skills and behaviours
across specified characteristics.
Demonstrates overall very good
Very Good 65 - 69 ability, skills and behaviours
With Merit
across specified characteristics.
Demonstrates overall good
Good 60 - 64 ability, skills and behaviours
across specified characteristics
Pass
Demonstrates overall
satisfactory ability, skills and
Satisfactory 50 – 59
behaviours across specified
characteristics
Demonstrates overall poor
ability, skills and behaviours
Marginal Fail 40 - 49
across specified characteristics
with some satisfactory elements
Clear Fail < 39 Demonstrates overall poor

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 ability, skills and behaviours
across specified characteristics
Not Applicable
with no satisfactory elements

Non - Non Submission

Submission

The general categories of marks, and specified characteristics, used are as follows:

Exceptional pass: 80% and above

Works in this category will be of an exceptional standard. Very few students will
obtain marks in this range, although it is by no means impossible. Works in this
category will provide an exceptionally clear, structured and consistent focus on the
question; the standard of English will be exceptional; there will be an exceptional use
of available academic literature (going well beyond the prescribed reading list), there
will be consistent and appropriate use of relevant quotes from books, journals,
statutes, judgments and other relevant legal authorities; and in particular the student
will display exceptionally acute powers of analysis, interpretation and commentary.

Excellent pass: 70-79%

Works in this category will generally be of an excellent standard. In the main they
will be confidently written and will display (at both analytical and factual levels) a
clear and consistent focus on the question in hand. In addition, they will normally
display evidence of very wide reading, through integrating this into the text, in the
form of relevant quotes from books, journals, statutes, judgments and other relevant
legal authorities. There will be room for improvement however. This may occur for a
number of reasons, but in particular there may be room for a slightly sharper
analysis.

Very Good or Good pass: 60-69%

Works in this category will generally be of a very good or good standard. They will
tend to be solid pieces of work, which answer the question, show evidence of wide
reading, provide a fairly solid discussion of issues and arguments and reach an
accurate conclusion in a generally focused, structured and well-written manner,
whilst making good use of relevant authority and academic literature. Despite such
positive attributes however there will be room for improvement - particularly in terms
of breadth of authority and academic literature cited, depth of analysis and the ability
to synthesise case law and statutes to reinforce legal points and to synthesise
different points of law when attempting to reach a reasoned conclusion.

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Satifactory pass: 50-59%

Works in this category will be of a satisfactory passable standard, but will

nevertheless exhibit a number of characteristics which - although not detracting from
the passable nature of the work - indicate that there is room for improvement. Thus,
assessments in this category will have addressed the question set, identified
accurately the relevant area of law, distinguished between important and
unimportant factual information, stated accurately and applied the relevant law and
reached a reasoned conclusion with supporting authority. They will however also
generally exhibit room for improvement in terms of e.g. standard of written English,
sharpness of focus on the question set, sharpness of analysis, use of relevant
authority, commentary on the relevant area of law with reference to academic
literature.

Marginal fail: 40-49%

Works in this category will normally display some potential to be of postgraduate

degree standard, but they will fall down in at least one of the components listed
within the general categories of marks, to the extent that the work as a whole falls
below a passable standard.

Clear fail: <39%

Works in this category will normally be very weak, and fall far short of postgraduate
degree standard. They will tend to exhibit several of the following characteristics -
failure to address properly the question set, failure to identify accurately the relevant
area of law, failure to distinguish between important and unimportant factual
information in a case study, failure to identify the evidential value of certain facts,
failure to consider the rights and obligations of all parties in a case study, failure to
state accurately and to apply the relevant law, failure to quote authority in the form of
relevant legal sources to reinforce legal points, failure to comment on relevant area
of law with reference to academic literature, failure to reach a reasoned conclusion,
badly structured, and a poor standard of sentence construction, grammar and
spelling.

5.3 Fit to Sit

GCU operates a Fit to Sit approach to student assessment. The default

assumption is: when you undertake an assessment, you are declaring that you are
fit to do so. This means that any mark and/or attempt at assessment will stand,
unless you have indicated that you were not ‘Fit to Sit/Submit’. If you declare
yourself unfit after you have already submitted or sat, your work will not be

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marked. You will receive no feedback, and a non-submission (NS) will be
recorded.

You can declare yourself unfit 5 days before the date of assessment. The latest
you can declare yourself unfit is 2 days after you sat or submitted.

Please note that some modules have an Approved Exception to the 2-day post
sit/submit period. Tutors will notify you of such exceptions before the start of
assessment(s). If you wish to declare yourself not fit to sit/attempt for these
exceptional modules, DO NOT attempt the assessment. Instead, ensure that you
submit a declaration before the end of the date of assessment. Any student who
attempts the assessment will be deemed to be fit to sit, and will receive a mark
and feedback. You must provide information when declaring yourself unfit to sit or
submit. If you fail to enter the required details in your declaration, your declaration
may not be processed.

IMPORTANT – Information that must be provided when any declaration of being

unfit to sit/submit is made. Please note that a failure to enter these details accurately
in your declaration may lead to your declaration not being processed:

Module Code: MMN130235

Module Title: International Trade and the WTO
Module Leader: William Henderson
Module Leader Email: William.Henderson@gcu.ac.uk