LWS075 International Business and Law
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | LWS075 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $4,056 |
| International unit fee | $5,664 |
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Gardens Point, Internal
| Unit code: | LWS075 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Coordinator: | Matthew Rimmer | matthew.rimmer@qut.edu.au |
Overview
This unit provides a comprehensive introduction to the legal framework underpinning the world trading system. It covers the law of the World Trade Organization, and also draws upon bilateral and regional instruments, and plurilateral negotiations. This unit addresses a broad range of legal problems that arise in the formation and operation of international commercial transactions. An understanding of the law regarding international commercial transactions is a prerequisite for the development of trade with Australian businesses, such activity being generally recognised as crucial to Australia's economic well-being.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the salient aspects of international trade and investment law, including dispute settlement and resolution processes.(CLO1.1)
- Analyse the role of the World Trade Organization on trade law, policy, and practice, and the significance of bilateral and regional trade agreements, and plurilateral negotiations (CLO1.5, 2.3).
- Critically evaluate contemporary developments in international economic law, especially the initiatives of inter-governmental and non-governmental trade agencies in developing a unified body of international commercial law (CLO1.5, 2.3)
- Recognise the relationship between international trade law, and other fields of regulation in respect of technology, public health, and the environment (CLO1.1, 1.3, 1.4).
- Plan, conduct and evaluate research at an advanced level and write a research paper on current topics in areas of law relating to international trade law (CLO3.3).
- Develop oral presentation and writing skills to provide public policy briefings on international trade law (CLO4.1, 4.2).
Content
Topics covered in this unit includes:
1. the impact of the World Trade Organization on business transactions
2. the importance of bilateral trade agreements involving Australia and its key trading partners
3. the significance of regional trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, PACER Plus, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
4. the nature of plurilateral trade negotiations, such as the ongoing negotiations between Australia and the European Union
5. the role of investor-state dispute settlement, and other forms of international commercial arbitration
6. the impact of e-commerce, the digital economy, artificial intelligence and other new technologies on international trade.
7. current issues arising in international trade law - including public health, tobacco control, access to essential medicines; labour rights, human rights, and inclusive trade; the environment, sustainable development, and climate change; and First Nations trade.
Learning Approaches
This unit employs an active and collaborative approach to learning. It involves online, self-led learning practice and live workshops where you will learn from experts and your peers. Prior to workshops you will be supported and engaged in this unit through the delivery of snapshots of unit material, podcasts delivered by experts, interactive quizzes or formative learning activities, and/or collaborative discussions that will introduce a range of practical and theoretical perspectives.
Your participation in the unit will include:
- Participation in live workshops
- Engagement with online materials
- Discussions on Canvas and in live workshops
- Collaboration with peers and experts to network and share your understanding
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You are provided with feedback to assist your learning throughout the semester. The feedback is provided through:
- interaction with staff and other students during discussions in the live workshops
- interactive self-paced online learning activities that enable you to self-test your understanding of the unit content and concepts
- the individual and generic feedback provided on the unit's assessment items
- the option of consultation with a member of the teaching team.
Assessment
Overview
The assessment is both formative and summative.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Policy Briefing (Oral Presentation with a Written Briefing)
Acting as a policy advocate, prepare and record a video oral presentation briefing explaining and critically evaluating a particular topic of international trade and investment law covered in the unit. You will also submit a written briefing alongside your presentation. This component is intended to evaluate your comprehension of the content studied in the first five weeks of this unit.
Assessment: Research paper
The research paper will require to you critically analyse and respond to a number of questions of current concern in areas of international trade law. You will be assessed on your demonstrated familiarity with relevant literature and its critical review together with synthesis of this material into a coherent argument/discussion. A list of research questions will be provided to you.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Resource Materials
Prescribed text(s)
David Collins, Principles of World Trade Law, Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2025, https://www.routledge.com/Principles-of-World-Trade-Law/Collins/p/book/9781032737324and QUT Library: https://qut.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61QUT_INST/1g7tbfa/alma991010950495304001
Other
Other materials and bibliographical information will be available on the unit Canvas site.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Online
| Unit code: | LWS075 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
Overview
This unit provides a comprehensive introduction to the legal framework underpinning the world trading system. It covers the law of the World Trade Organization, and also draws upon bilateral and regional instruments, and plurilateral negotiations. This unit addresses a broad range of legal problems that arise in the formation and operation of international commercial transactions. An understanding of the law regarding international commercial transactions is a prerequisite for the development of trade with Australian businesses, such activity being generally recognised as crucial to Australia's economic well-being.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the salient aspects of international trade and investment law, including dispute settlement and resolution processes.(CLO1.1)
- Analyse the role of the World Trade Organization on trade law, policy, and practice, and the significance of bilateral and regional trade agreements, and plurilateral negotiations (CLO1.5, 2.3).
- Critically evaluate contemporary developments in international economic law, especially the initiatives of inter-governmental and non-governmental trade agencies in developing a unified body of international commercial law (CLO1.5, 2.3)
- Recognise the relationship between international trade law, and other fields of regulation in respect of technology, public health, and the environment (CLO1.1, 1.3, 1.4).
- Plan, conduct and evaluate research at an advanced level and write a research paper on current topics in areas of law relating to international trade law (CLO3.3).
- Develop oral presentation and writing skills to provide public policy briefings on international trade law (CLO4.1, 4.2).
Content
Topics covered in this unit includes:
1. the impact of the World Trade Organization on business transactions
2. the importance of bilateral trade agreements involving Australia and its key trading partners
3. the significance of regional trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, PACER Plus, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
4. the nature of plurilateral trade negotiations, such as the ongoing negotiations between Australia and the European Union
5. the role of investor-state dispute settlement, and other forms of international commercial arbitration
6. the impact of e-commerce, the digital economy, artificial intelligence and other new technologies on international trade.
7. current issues arising in international trade law - including public health, tobacco control, access to essential medicines; labour rights, human rights, and inclusive trade; the environment, sustainable development, and climate change; and First Nations trade.
Learning Approaches
This unit employs an active and collaborative approach to learning. It involves online, self-led learning practice and live workshops where you will learn from experts and your peers. Prior to workshops you will be supported and engaged in this unit through the delivery of snapshots of unit material, podcasts delivered by experts, interactive quizzes or formative learning activities, and/or collaborative discussions that will introduce a range of practical and theoretical perspectives.
Your participation in the unit will include:
- Participation in live workshops
- Engagement with online materials
- Discussions on Canvas and in live workshops
- Collaboration with peers and experts to network and share your understanding
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You are provided with feedback to assist your learning throughout the semester. The feedback is provided through:
- interaction with staff and other students during discussions in the live workshops
- interactive self-paced online learning activities that enable you to self-test your understanding of the unit content and concepts
- the individual and generic feedback provided on the unit's assessment items
- the option of consultation with a member of the teaching team.
Assessment
Overview
The assessment is both formative and summative.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Policy Briefing (Oral Presentation with a Written Briefing)
Acting as a policy advocate, prepare and record a video oral presentation briefing explaining and critically evaluating a particular topic of international trade and investment law covered in the unit. You will also submit a written briefing alongside your presentation. This component is intended to evaluate your comprehension of the content studied in the first five weeks of this unit.
Assessment: Research paper
The research paper will require to you critically analyse and respond to a number of questions of current concern in areas of international trade law. You will be assessed on your demonstrated familiarity with relevant literature and its critical review together with synthesis of this material into a coherent argument/discussion. A list of research questions will be provided to you.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Resource Materials
Prescribed text(s)
David Collins, Principles of World Trade Law, Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2025, https://www.routledge.com/Principles-of-World-Trade-Law/Collins/p/book/9781032737324and QUT Library: https://qut.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61QUT_INST/1g7tbfa/alma991010950495304001
Other
Other materials and bibliographical information will be available on the unit Canvas site.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit.