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030592 KU Transnational Commercial Law (2026W)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Mo 14.09.2026 00:01 to We 30.09.2026 23:59
- Deregistration possible until Tu 20.10.2026 23:59
Details
max. 46 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
The second half of the course on Thursday, 29 October 2026 will be reserved for the written test of the course participants. The test will cover all contents delivered up and including Wednesday, 28 October 2026.
- N Tuesday 20.10. 09:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum SEM31 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
- Wednesday 21.10. 09:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum SEM31 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
- Thursday 22.10. 09:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum SEM31 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
- Tuesday 27.10. 09:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum SEM31 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
- Wednesday 28.10. 09:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum SEM31 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
- Thursday 29.10. 09:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum SEM31 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
Evaluation of course participants will be made as a combination of a written test (40%) and performance in class, including presence (60%).The exam will be applied in presence using a printed form, with online alternative via Moodle for those students that can provide written justification for absence (illness or previously booked travel). The slides and class notes should suffice for the preparation. Consulting the CISG will be allowed, but no other materials.The exam will be a combination of simple questions and problems, all of them as multiple-choice-questions. It will contain a number of mandatory questions, as well as optional questions, which participants may choose to answer to improve their score or offset absences or lack pf active participation throughout the course.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
See above.Evaluation of course participants will be made as a combination of a written test (40%) and performance in class, including presence (60%). Course participants must obtain 65 out of a maximum 125 points. for both elements.
Examination topics
The exam will test the course participants on the content of the first five lectures only.Evaluation of course participants will not focus on linguistic ability and level of command of English, but will nevertheless take into account clarity of reasoning and argumentation.
Reading list
United Nations Conventions on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (https://uncitral.un.org/en/texts/salegoods/conventions/sale_of_goods/cisg)UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts 2016 (https://www.unidroit.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Unidroit-Principles-2016-English-i.pdf)United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea (https://uncitral.un.org/en/texts/transportgoods/conventions/rotterdam_rules)International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law relating to Bills of Lading, as Amended by the Brussels Protocol 1968 (“The Hague-Visby Rules”) (http://www.dutchcivillaw.com/legislation/haguevisbyrules.htm)United Nations Convention on Independent Guarantees and Stand-by Letters of Credit (https://uncitral.un.org/en/texts/payments/conventions/independent_guarantees)Additional recommended materialsIncoterms 2020ICC Uniform Customs and Practices for Documentary Credits (UCP 600)ICC Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees (URDG)Recommended textbookGoode/Kronke/McKendrick/Wool, Transnational Commercial Law, 2nd. Ed., Oxford: University Press, 2012.Additional recommended readingMankowski / Cuniberti / Lehmann, Commercial Law, 2nd. ed., Baden-Badne: Beck/Hart/Nomos 2025Murray/Holloway/Timson-Hunt, Schmitthoff’s The Law and Practice of International Trade, 12th ed., London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2012Schlechtriem/Schwenzer/Schroeter (eds.), Commentary on the UN Convention on the International Sale of Goods, 5th ed. Oxford: University Press, 2022Vogenauer (ed.), Commentary on the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts, 2nd ed. Oxford: University Press, 2015
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Su 04.10.2026 18:06
The course offers and overview of both the general framework, policies and problems of transnational commercial law, as well as of the main international commercial law conventions, standard terms and uniform rules, so that the student gains a perception of the way transnational law comes into being and can be used by international legal practitioners to bridge the gap between different legal systems. The course will then introduce the main instruments of transnational law, with a focus on contracts for the international sale of goods and ancillary transaction (transportation and letters of credit) and highlight the differences between the legal framework for international and domestic transactions.Structure and schedule of topics:
20.10. Transnational Commercial Law, Dispute Settlement and Party Autonomy in International Contracts (three hours)
21.10. International Sale of Goods (three hours)
22.10. International Sale of Goods (three hours)
27.10. International Sale of Goods (three hours)
28.10. Transport Contracts and Carrier Liability (three hours)
29.10. Trade Documents and Letters of Credit (one-and-a -half hours)The method of this course is both abstract and problem-oriented: at first, the background will be covered by a general introduction to the topic, explaining the legal sources and their role. Thereafter, specific problems will be discussed with the participants, often with a practical background. Students will receive original texts and documents. Powerpoint will be used.Language:
All classes will be held in English.The purpose of this course is to:
- offer students an overview of the main challenges faced by lawyers in international legal practice and familiarize them with the notion of transnational commercial law, its sources, elements and its relation to domestic law- introduce to the students the use of the comparative law to risk assessment in international commercial contracts and explain the connection between transnational commercial law, dispute settlement and private international law- enable students to understand how different transnational commercial law instruments apply and how they relate to one another and to domestic law, and offer an insight into the way these instruments are developed, what are their driving forces and how are they used in practice- provide students with basic knowledge necessary about the main sources of law governing international transactions, with a focus on the international contract for the sale of goods and ancillary transaction (transportation and letters of credit).