Course description
LLM (Master of Laws) / PGDip
International economic law is a rapidly developing area of international law concerned principally with international trade, investment, finance and banking. The course aims to provide a theoretical and practical understanding of the regulatory framework of the international trading system as well as addressing a range of other legal issues arising from different kinds of international business transactions. The course begins by providing a general understanding of international law in Semester 1. In Semester 2 you can choose to focus on more general questions of governance through study of the World Trade Organisation or to focus on a range of international business transactions, international investment, banking or arbitration.
Course content
Students studying for the LLM/PGDip in International Economic Law are required to complete the double compulsory module in International Law (40 credits) and the single compulsory module in Advanced Legal Research Methods (20 credits) during the first semester.
In semester 2 you can choose any three of the following options (20 credits each, totalling 60 master's-level credits):*
* International Trade Law
* International Banking Law
* International Investment Law
* GATT Law
* Trade, Human Rights and Labour Standards
* International Commercial Arbitration
* International Intellectual Property Law
* Independent Study Module
* International Labour Law
In addition, students studying for the LLM in International Economic Law are required to complete a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic related to any aspect of international economic law as agreed with the dissertation module leader. Full-time students will normally begin preliminary work on the dissertation in Semester 1 and formalise the topic and structure of the dissertation in Semester 2. The main work on the dissertation will normally take place from June to mid-August.
*Note that availability of options may vary from year to year.
Teaching, learning and assessment
A wide diversity of teaching methods are employed throughout the LLM programmes in order to provide a high-quality learning experience. These include lectures, seminar discussions, individual and small group tutorials, case studies, and group and individual presentations. Particular emphasis is placed on skills training, with opportunities provided to acquire and practice legal reasoning as well as research and IT skills. Opportunities are also provided for extra-curricular activities such as the LLM student conference and the annual trip arranged for students to visit a range of international tribunals in The Hague. Assessment methods include coursework assessments and individual and group presentation assessments.
Quality
The Law Department gained grade 4 rating in the last Research Assessment Exercise.
All the members of the LLM course team are active researchers and encourage students to become involved in their respective areas of research by teaching specialist modules in which they have expertise and by supervising dissertations in their specialist subjects.
