Meets the following requirements: HS   

What were those protests in Seattle about anyway? The past decade has seen mass demonstrations against each of the major international economic institutions: the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the International  Monetary  Fund.  This course examines one of those institutions in detail -- the World Trade Organization -- and seeks to understand how it operates and why it generates such political controversy.  In  the  course, students will study the nuts and bolts of the WTO, starting with the agreements that established the in institution.  We will study several of the WTO agreements that have been central to controversy and conflict within the body, including the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) Agreement, the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).  We will look at the major initiatives of the current Doha Round of negotiations and the political conflicts between member states on major issues. Finally, we will study the nexus between trade and environment as it plays out within the WTO in the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) and through jurisprudence on specific complaints brought to the trade body.  Complaints examined will include the Shrimp-Turtle, Tuna-Dolphin, and Beef Hormone disputes. Through detailed study of the workings of the WTO, students will gain an increased understanding of intergovernmental negotiating processes and current North-South economic and political relations.  This is an intermediate-advanced level course for students with some familiarity with international treaties and treaty-making.  Many of our readings will be primary treaty and resolution texts.  We will also read and analyze  current critiques and proposals for reform of the WTO from southern non-governmental organizations, including the Third World Network and the Focus on the Global South.

Level: Intermediate/Advanced. Signature of Instructor. Course Fee $20.