University of Washington: Geography 349 objectives

University of Washington
GEOGRAPHY 349: Geography of International Trade
Spring 2003

OVERALL PURPOSE: Why have a course such as this?

Economic and political relations between countries play ever larger roles in determining the material opportunities faced by individuals. Therefore, every country needs citizens who understand and can articulate the basic patters, motivations, and effects of international trade and international investment.

We all need to be able to read arguments about trade policy, understanding the major motivations, instruments, and organizations of trade policy.

We all need to be able to identify current. and to propose alternative, institutional arrangements governing international economic interaction.

A ten-week course on the geography of international trade can help students achieve this, with the added benefit of probing the relationships among

geographic differences and distances and
international economic interaction, mediated by
political, economic, and cultural institutions.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: General

This course, among other courses, should allow students to gain:

a fuller understanding of relationships between geography and economic activity;
an improved ability to debate both sides of a public-policy issue -- including the ability to invoke theory and to point out limitations in the theory; and
the ability to use the principles of strategic decision making in a variety of circumstances, even beyond international business.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Specific to this course

By the end of this course, a successful student should:

be able to articulate basic models of international trade, to understand their bases in and implications for geographic differences and distance, and to have some sense of their empirical shortcomings
be aware of the causes and implications of a trade surplus or deficit
be able to read arguments about trade policy, understanding the major instruments and organizations that effect trade policy
be able to critically apply the concepts of comparative advantage, competitiveness, and globalization
be able to argue in favor of liberalized trade, to argue its pitfalls, and to explain who benefits and whose interests are harmed
be able to identify current, and to propose alternative, institutional arrangements for international economic integration
have a idea of the mechanics of export marketing and management
be familiar with strategic decision making, with respect to corporate decisions about international business
understand corporate choices among forms of international business