Research Methods
MODULE CODE
CREDIT VALUE
Module Aims
Aim 1
To explore and evaluate legal and socio-legal research methods and methodologies required to undertake a grounded piece of legal research, including practical and theoretical skills, approaches, and frameworks, thus allowing a rational selection of methodologies to frame a research question for a writing an extended piece of research.
Module Content
• Project planning, effective handling, and application of information from diverse sources including skills of gaining access to and working with various sources of legal information, especially electronic sources.
• Applying advanced reasoning skills (e.g. synthesis, evaluation) in legal research.
• Potential ethical issues raised by legal research.
• Methods of research and data analysis.
• The essential nature of different methodologies for legal research: their advantages and limitations when used in legal research.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, a student will be able to:
Teaching Methods
Campus delivery will be organised around lectures and workshops. Lectures will introduce new legal ideas and concepts and build an outline of the structure of legal rules and principles. Further reading of cases and statutes in secondary and primary legal sources will consolidate and expand the breadth of knowledge and depth of understanding. Small group workshops will allow students to test their level and range of understanding and reflect formatively on areas of strength and weakness. Workshops will also develop and support general legal techniques and skills in support of legal reading, analysis, writing, drafting and note taking, legal problem solving through IRAC type techniques, as well as test formative knowledge and understanding. Summative assessment will focus on the accuracy of synoptic knowledge across the whole syllabus and evaluate legal problem-solving skills and the ability to create structured legal arguments that draw reasoned conclusions through factual scenarios that raise key legal issues from the syllabus. Module support materials (lecture outlines lecture recordings, Office Mix presentations, Power-points slides, workshop questions, cases, case materials, technique and skills materials, exemplar assessments) will be located on a dedicated module virtual learning environment, which will also be used as the repository for assessment submission, student communication, and e-discussion boards.
Assessment Methods
This module is assessed through one Short Research Project and one Oral Presentation.
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Compulsory
Optional
