North American International Trade Issues

Curriculum Guideline

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Course
ECON 3300
Discontinued
No
Course Code
ECON 3300
Descriptive
North American International Trade Issues
Department
Economics
Faculty
Commerce & Business Administration
Credits
3.00
Start Date
End Term
202220
PLAR
No
Semester Length
15 Weeks X 4 Hours per Week = 60 Hours
Max Class Size
35
Contact Hours
Lecture: 3 Hours Seminar: 1 Hour Total: 4 Hours
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Learning Activities

Lecture and Seminar.

Course Description
International Trade Issues is a post principles course examining international trade theory and policy. This course will examine a variety of trade issues including the incentives to engage in trade, the motivation for and the effects of barriers to trade, and the impact of major trade agreements. A primary objective of this course will be to examine world trade issues and policies in a global context.
Course Content
  1. International Trade Theory
    • The Theory of Comparative Advantage 
    • Intra-Industry Trade Theory
    • The Heckscher-Ohlin Model
    • Tests of Trade Models
  2. Trade Practices and Barriers to Trade
    • Motives for Protection 
    • Tariffs and Trade Theory
    • Nontariff Barriers to Trade
  3. Multilateral Trade Agreements
    • History of GATT and the WTO
    • Current Issues before the WTO
  4. Preferential Trade Arrangements, eg
    • NAFTA
    • The European Union
    • ASEAN
    • Trans Pacific Free Trade
  5. The Growing Importance of the Emerging Economies in the World Economy

 

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

  1. Utilize trade theory to explain why nations trade and the various factors that determine the amount and terms of trade
  2. Analyze the role of national governments in controlling, limiting and encouraging international trade
  3. Evaluate the implications of major trade agreements such as the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT), North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the European Union and other regional trade agreements
  4. Analyze current issues before the World Trade Organization and debate the continued movement toward free trade in the global economy
  5. Determine the effect of the growing importance of the emerging economies in the world economy
Means of Assessment
Term Tests (minimum of one) 30% - 50%
Assignments (minimum of two) 10% - 30%
Essay/Research Project   0% - 30%
Participation       0% - 10%
Final Examination 30% - 40%
Total         100%

Students may conduct research as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.

Textbook Materials

The text is to be chosen from the following, or as approved by the Economics department:

Gerber, J. International Economics, Latest Ed. Addison Wesley Pearson.

Husted, S., et al. International Economics, Latest Ed. Addison Wesley Pearson.

Krugman, P., et al. International Trade: Theory and Policy, Latest Ed. Addison Wesley Pearson.

Prerequisites

ECON 1150 and ECON 1250

Equivalencies

Courses listed here are equivalent to this course and cannot be taken for further credit:

  • No equivalency courses