Semester 2 

Units of Assessment 

Weighting towards Module Mark (%) 

Coursework 

35% 

Examination 

65% 

Qualifying Condition(s) 
A weighted aggregated mark of 40% is required to pass the module.  

This module aims to provide the students with both a theoretical and practical understanding of International Trade, considered from an international political economy (IPE) perspective.  This is done through the assessment of International Trade from different angles, predominantly from the state’s perspective, from the international trade regime perspective (the GATT and WTO) but also from the perspective of the international society and the company’s perspective. 

Upon completion of this module students will: 
·               Obtain familiarity with and knowledge of various aspects of International Trade. 
·               Be able to assess International Trade from different angles including from the firm’s and the government’s perspectives. 
·               Be introduced to actors in the international arena such as international political organisations, international financial organisations and international trading blocs. 
·               Be able to understand the importance of International Trade to the firm’s strategy and operations. 
·               Become aware of the role of states in international trade. 
·               Be introduced to the developed versus developing countries’ issues of international trade. 
·               Learn the theoretical ideologies that underpin International Trade. 
·               Gain knowledge related to the European Union’s internal and external trade relations. 
·               Develop a sound understanding of the role and workings of the WTO. 

·               State / firm relations and international trade 
·               The role of governments in international trade and tools at their disposal 
·               Developed versus developing countries and aspects of trade 
·               International society and international trade 
·               Mercantilism, Liberalism and Marxism as ideologies in International Trade 
·               International Governmental Organisations (UN and specialised agencies; Bretton Woods institutions World Bank, IMF); 
·               Regional Trading Blocs including the EU and NAFTA 
·               International trading regimes: the GATT as the post-WWII regime and the WTO as the post-GATT organisation 
·               Transnational Corporations’ corporate strategy and international trade as a consequence of modes of entry 

The teaching and learning strategy is designed with the aim to provide students with the necessary tools to familiarise themselves with, as well as understand and evaluate, the forces that play a role in the field of international trade.  Rather than a pedominantly theoretical economic approach the strategy feeds into approaching the field from a more practice-oriented IPE approach. 
he teaching and learning methods to support the aforementioned strategy are woven into lectures. Depending on the size of the group the lectures will take a more (small group) or less (larger cohort) seminarial character. Due to the fact that much of the contents of this module includes actors the students have not come across during their previous modules, students are expected to do some essential and specific reading before entering the lectures. 
ULearn will be used in support of the above. 
Assessment Strategy: 
The assessment strategy is designed to encourage the student to demonstrate critical understanding of the perspectives of international trade covered in the module.  A coursework component will facilitate formative assessment and feedback. 

Essential Reading 
Hocking, Brian and McGuire, Steven (eds.) (2004) Trade Politics. Oxon: Routledge. 
Recommended Reading 
Goddard, C.R., Cronin, P. and Dash, K.C. (eds.) (2003) International Political Economy: State-Market Relations in a Changing Global Order.  Boulder, CO : Lynne Rienner Publishers. 
Gilpin, Robert (1987) The Political Economy of International Relations. Oxford: Princeton University Press. 
King, P. and King, S. (2008) International Economics and International Economic Policy.  New York : McGraw-Hill Irwin. 
Razeen, S. (2003) “Whither the WTO?  A Progress Report on the Doha Round”, Trade Policy Analysis, 3 March 2003, #23, Cato Institute. Free download. 
Young, A.R. (2004) “The Incidental fortress: the Single European Market and world trade”, Journal of Common Market Studies, 42(2), pp.393-414.
Stopford, John and Strange, Susan (1991) Rival States , Rival Firms: Competition for World Market Shares. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
Hill, Charles (2009) Global Business Today. New York : McGraw-Hill. 
Gilpin, Robert (2001) Global Political Economy: Understanding the International Economic Order. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 
Strange, Susan (1994). States and Markets. Oxford : Blackwell Publishers. 
Nye, Joseph S. (1990). Bound to lead: the Changing Nature of American Power. New York : Basic Books. 
Stiglitz, J.E. and Charlton, A. (2005) Fair trade for all: how trade can promote development.  New York: Oxford University Press. 
Background Reading 
Billiet, S. (2006) “From GATT to the WTO: the Internal struggle for external competences in the EU”, Journal of Common Market Studies, 44(5), pp.899-919. 
Lawrence , R.Z. (1991) "Emerging Regional Arrangements: Building Blocs or Stumbling Blocks?" in O’Brien, (ed.) Finance and the International Economy 5: The AMEX Bank Review Prize Essays.  New York: Oxford University Press, pp.23–35.