Module: LAW6010-40 Law Research Project 

Level: 6

Credit Value: 40

Module Tutor:  Jeffrey Wale

Module Tutor Contact Details: j.wale@bathspa.ac.uk

1. Brief description and aims of module:  

Doing research in the law is an exciting opportunity, with lots of variation open to you about what you’d like to explore, and how you’d like to go about that.  Ultimately, you’ll develop a plan to guide you in finding something out, and then put that plan into practice in trying to generate new knowledge.

This module’s teaching will look to provide inspiration and ideas for your project as well as introducing the main methodologies in legal research, from ‘black letter’ doctrinal approaches to socio-legal, empirical and critical approaches.  Your allocated supervisor will help you refine your planned research, encapsulated in your proposal, before guiding you through the later stage of actually doing the research, written up in your final report.

In this module, you will be able to demonstrate the following graduate attributes:

• Will be employable:  Equipped with the skills necessary to flourish in the global workplace, able to work in and lead teams;

• Will be able to understand and manage complexity, diversity and change;

• Will be digitally literate:  Able to work at the interface of creativity and technology;

• Will be critical thinkers:  Able to express their ideas in written and oral form, and possessing information literacy.

2.Outline syllabus:

You may have an idea about what you’d like to study but, in any event, this module starts with how to identify and formulate a research question.  You’ll be taught how to critically consider the relevant literature relevant to your question.  Further, we’ll explore methodologies; guiding you to choose the one most suitable to your question, as well as considering the ethical implications arising.  Having studied how to collect, analyse and synthesise data, you will be shown how to craft your findings into a report explaining and exploring what you’ve found.

3.Teaching and learning activities:

Lectures will be used to introduce and explore the main steps and considerations in legal research, including topics such as the formulation of a research proposal; methodologies and methods; ethics; data analysis and synthesis; and report-writing.

One-to-one or small group supervision sessions will help you contextualise and distil the lecture material so that it’s relevant and applied to your specific question; guiding you through the process towards your proposal first and, later, your report.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: CW

• Description: Proposal (2,000 words)

• % Weighting: 20%

Assessment Item 2:

• Assessment Type: Exam

• Description: Project (8,000 words)

• % Weighting: 80%