International Trade & Investment (ECON7530)

Course overview

Survey of recent advances in foreign trade and investment. Topics include trade theory and policy, international factor movement, theories of international investment and contemporary trade and investment issues.

Overview

The first part of the course will review models of international trade, starting with the Ricardian model and concluding with the new trade models. The second part of the course, which builds on the concepts and insights obtained from these models, will focus on the main policy instruments that governments have used to influence trade and factor rewards. This part of the course will also consider the political economy of trade policy.

The course extensively uses Blackboard, with the weekly uploading of many learning resources: lecture recordings,ﾠslides, tutorial questionsﾠwithﾠmodel answers. In addition, the course incorporates UQ Extend with selected materials for all topics available in advance.

Blended-learning

ECON7530ﾠisﾠa blended-learning course with the following learning activities:ﾠ

1. Weeklyﾠpre-recorded online lectures (on LearnX) (note: there are 11 topics)
2. WeeklyﾠLive Online Tutorials (via Zoom) (note:ﾠtutorial starts from Thursday of week 1)
3. WeeklyﾠLive Online Workshops (via Zoom) (note:ﾠworkshop starts from Tuesday of week 1)

What is the difference between the workshop and the lecture? At the end of each week's online lecture (which takes place on an online course platform called UQ Extend), there will be a survey for you to indicate which part of that week's topic is difficult and needs more elaboration. In addition, the course coordinator/instructor will also use the workshop to do exercises relevant to the final exam and to discuss some current events relevant to the course content.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Students should have an understanding of microeconomic concepts and tools, such as indifference curves, transformation curves, demand and supply curvesﾠand the like. If this knowledge is missing, students have to fill the gaps on their own, primarily by consulting microeconomic textbooks, as no lecture time will be available to dwell on these topics. This should be accomplished before the first lecture.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

ECON2010 or 7002 or 7010 or 7011 or 7110

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Tutorials commenceﾠinﾠThursday of week 1. The timetable is published through the UQ Public Timetable found in the APPs section of myUQ.

Students should refer to the timetable prior to the commencement of classes to ensure that they have the most up to date information, as from time-to-time late room changes may occur. The timetable can be downloaded hereﾠPublic Timetable.

Public Holidays: Wednesday 25 December (Christmas Day), Thursday 26 December (Boxing Day), Wednesday 1 January (New Year's Day)

In-Semester Break: Monday 23 December - Wednesday 1 January. Classes recommence Thursday 2 January

Aims and outcomes

The course will cover topics in both the pure theory of international trade and trade policy issues that form the core of this subject. Important key concepts and core models will be studied in order to equip students to analyse controversial trade policy issues in an objective manner. The lectures will aim to highlight leading contemporary international issues that confront policy makers as their economies globalise or integrate with the world economy through trade and investment.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Tutorial Preparation

Mode

Written

Category

Tutorial/ Problem Set

Weight

10%

Due date

Week 1 Thu - Week 8 Thu

See the task description for more information on the due dates.

Task description

Submission guidelines

Only submissions via Blackboard will be accepted.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Extensions are not allowed because answers are provided to students soon after the due date.

Late submission

If the submission is 5 minutes late or less, the penalty is 20% of the maximum mark; if it is more than 5 minutes late, the penalty is 100% of the maximum mark.

Country Trade Report & Excel Data File

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

40%

Due date

14/01/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

Submission guidelines

The Country Trade Report must be submitted via the Turnitin link on Blackboard.

The Excel Data File must be submitted via another link on Blackboard (just below the Turnitin link).

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Please see the "Additional Assessment Information" section below for further information regarding extension of assessment due date (EADD) requests.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

That is:

• 10 marks penalty if submitted within 24 hours after the deadline
• 20 marks penalty if submitted between 24 to 48 hours after the deadline
• …
• 70 marks penalty if submitted between 144 to 168 hours after the deadline
• After 168 hours, a zero mark will be given.

The penalty rate is based on the submission times of the Country Trade Report and the Excel Data File, whichever is later. For example, if the Country Trade Report is 18 hours late and the Excel Data File is 25 hours late, then the penalty will be based on the submission time of the Excel Data File, i.e. 20 marks.

Exam

• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

1/02/2025 - 8/02/2025

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Please refer to the UQ's "Deferring an exam" website for the details.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

A student’s final overall end of semester percentage mark will be rounded to determine their final grade. For example, 64.5% rounds to 65%, while 64.4% rounds to 64%.

ﾠ

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

Key Points for Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) Requests:

•  Requests must be made BY THE STUDENT and submitted via my.UQ. This applies even where a student has a Student Access Plan (SAP) in place. 
• Requests must be submitted on or before the assessment item’s due date and time. Requests for extensions received after the due date and time must include evidence of the reason for the late request. 
• Acceptable reasons for an extension include medical reasons, a current SAP, or other exceptional circumstances. Detailed information and the supporting documentation required must be attached to the EADD request. 
• Unacceptable grounds for an extension include: 

o   misreading an assignment due date or time,

o   computer or internet problems

o   holiday arrangements

o   unexpected events causing the loss of a few hours of study time close to the due date

o   difficulty studying effectively or adjusting to the demands of university life

o   visa or financial problems

o   everyday levels of stress and/or anxiety associated with employment and/or studying

o   ordinary family events or commitments

o   dysfunctional group dynamics, poor performance by individual group members, or illness or other issues of a group member

Plagiarism

The School of Economics is committed to reducing the incidence of plagiarism. Further information on plagiarism and how to avoid an allegation of plagiarism is available in this course profile under Policies & Guidelines. Please refer to the Academic Integrity Module (AIM). It is strongly recommended that you complete the AIM if you have not already done so.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

If you are using an earlier edition of the textbook, e.g. the 10th or 11th edition, you will need to find out what is missing from the 12th edition by reading the 'What's new in the 12th edition' and 'What's new in the 11th edition' documents on Blackboard > Learning Resources.

To gain maximum benefit from the course, students are expected to engage fully with the course. Developing an understanding of a field extends far beyond the lecture material. For example, keeping abreast of developments in the negotiations relating to Free Trade Agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and developments in global trade policies will ensure that you will gain a deeper understanding of international trade.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.