LWMTCL-International Commercial Law

Module Provider: School of Law
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites: Pre-requisites: No prior knowledge is required but knowledge of corporate finance and corporate law will be helpful.
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2022/3

Module Convenor: Dr Bolanle Adebola
Email: b.adebola@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

Aims:
The module aims at developing the legal knowledge and skills students need to understand and deal with commercial transactions having transnational implications. The module requires students to engage in discussions and written assignments, analyse international conventions and restatements, and draft legal documents £ skills essential for a commercial lawyer. The module helps students with some background in commercial law to contextualise their knowledge and understand how domestic transactions might have international law elements. At the same time, the module aims to encourage students new to the field to analyse the political and legal framework in which states and large commercial interests negotiate political and legal commitments and the process by which these commitments are enforced at the domestic level.

Assessable learning outcomes:

On completion of the module, students will be expected to be able to:

• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the legal instruments governing different aspects of transnational commerce.


• Demonstrate ability to identify the relevant regulatory regime


• Demonstrate ability to resolve conflicts between national laws and competing jurisdictions.


• Demonstrate understanding of institutional constraints and limits of trans national law making.


• Resolve conflicts between divergent judicial decisions from different national courts.


• Demonstrate sound appreciation of interpretive methodologies.

Additional outcomes:
In addition to those listed in the School£s £core skills statement£, the module will encourage the development of:

Analytical and lawyering skills in addressing transnational legal problems. These will be measured by testing application of concepts to problems that transcend national boundaries and which potentially trigger the application of multiple legal regimes; appreciation of the limits of national regulatory approaches; application of theoretical frameworks to explain transnational commercial law instruments.

Outline content:

The module will cover topics

1. Need for harmonization of national commercial laws


2. Historical origins of the lex mercatoria


3. International institutions


4. Vehicles for harmonization


5. UN Convention on International Sales


6. UN Convention on Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitral awards


7. Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements


8. Hague Convention on certain m atters in respect of indirectly held securities


9. International Chamber of Commerce Incoterms 


10. International Chamber of Commerce UCP 600


11. International Institute for the Unification of Private Law Principles of International Commercial Contracts


12. EU contract code proposals

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Teaching in this module is designed to provide students with a range of resources on which they can draw in their learning. The main elements are: 

• A list of required and recommended readings, with notes and questions that will be used to guide class discussion and reflection.


• Ten weekly seminar classes of 2 hours each. These are discussion based classes and groups usually have between 6 and 15 students.


• Assessed and option al non-assessed work that will be used to develop students’ skills and knowledge.


• An electronic discussion board may be available for students enrolled in this module.

In addition, students who wish to may attend lectres in the LLB module Company Law (if the timetable allows). Where there are Faculty seminars relevant to the area, then students in the module will be encouraged to attend and given the opportunity to discuss the issues with vi siting academic presenters.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures	20
Guided independent study:	180
Total hours by term	200
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written assignment including essay	100

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Written assignment including essay: 100%

One assessed essay of 15 pages; formatted in accordance with the School of Law's Assessed Work Rules. Accounts for 100% of the allocated marks. 

Formative assessment methods:

1 essay of 8-pages; formatted in accordance with the School of Law's Assessed Work Rules. The assessment allows you to benefit from feedback but does not contribute to the mark for the module.

Penalties for late submission:

The below information applies to students on taught programmes except those on Postgraduate Flexible programmes. Penalties for late submission, and the associated procedures, which apply to Postgraduate Flexible programmes are specified in the policy £Penalties for late submission for Postgraduate Flexible programmes£, which can be found here: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/files/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmissionPGflexible.pdf
The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

50% overall. 

Reassessment arrangements:

See School of Law PGT Programme Handbook. 

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: 

2) Specialist equipment or materials: 

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 

4) Printing and binding: 

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: 

Last updated: 15 June 2022