Choose one among the following two essay questions to work on:
1. Discuss and an
Choose one among the following two essay questions to work on:
1. Discuss and analyse the effectiveness of the World Trade Organisation’s dispute resolution process. Explore the factors and mechanisms within the dispute resolution framework that have contributed to its success, and critically assess whether the absence of binding enforcement powers is a hindrance or a strategic element in fostering compliance and resolution within the GATT/WTO system.
2. Describe legal monism in the European Union and discuss its implications for the sovereign authority.
Requirements:
Be concise, stay focused on one central point in each essay, and show you know the material well.
Answer all the parts of the question. Have an organized structure with a systematic argument that centrally answers the question. Take a clear stand: it’s much better (and more fun) to come down on one side or the other, rather than sitting on the fence (boring). Set up the core claim in the intro (!!!), in a way that addresses the question. Ensure everything you say is consistent with your core claim.
Structures:
Intro: Quick context; clarification of key terms; thesis that explicitly addresses the question. What is your core claim?
Qualification of scope of argument: What conditions are you putting on the argument? What assumptions are you making? Are there important issues that you will set aside for reasons of space? Narrower claims are easier to defend. [This section is not as important, but if you can pull this off it will show you understand the nuances and complexities of what’s going on.]
Elaboration and defence of claim [If there is a position to which you’re responding, it’s particularly important to set this up at this stage. E.g. set up Paulsen’s view first before critically engaging with it.]
Objections and responses to objections
Conclusion: restatement of argument; perhaps gesture at the implications of the argument, briefly point to some outstanding issues or return to the conditions/assumptions stated earlier (“I have assumed for our purposes that X, but if this doesn’t hold, the argument might have to be revised in ABC ways, which merit further exploration.”)
In text citation, with last name, year and page number (Page Number!!! is important, please note this!!!) PLUS BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST list at the end arranged alphabetically.
There are sample essays and answer guide attached. Please read them all to have a clear sense of the requirements before writing.
No AI/chatgpt. Keep abreast of current affairs: the news can be a great source of real-world examples.
[For both questions, find additional readings are encouraged. Q2 seems clearer than Q1. But if choose Q2, there is only one related reading attached (the left are almost all for Question 1), so you have to find more relevant readings or cases to support your claim on your own. If you choose Q1, you have less work to find additional readings, but notice there are many parts in the question, answer them all clearly]
To do well, you need to not only learn the basics of the cases, treaties and concepts we discussed, but be able to engage them critically and formulate your own perspective.
Your answers should be opinionated essays with an argument and evidence. Go beyond mere summary of the readings or repeating what has been covered in lecture.
You will likely need to do some additional research to answer the questions well. This may mean reading parts of a treaty carefully, or looking into a case in more detail, and consulting some of the scholarly debates surrounding it.