LAW526
Independent Research Paper
(Any full-time professor in the Faculty of Law)
Prerequisite courses: Depends on the professor
Prerequisite for: None
Instructor(s): Any full-time professor in the Faculty of Law
Course credit: 3
METHOD OF EVALUATION
The primary method of evaluation is a research paper of 8,000 to 10,000 words in length. This length is stipulated in the University Calendar.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The LAW 526 course provides selected students with the opportunity to undertake an independent research project on an approved topic under the direct supervision of a full-time member of the Faculty of Law, resulting in the submission of a research paper of 8,000 to 10,000 words in length (inclusive of footnotes or endnotes). In addition to advanced knowledge, the independent research paper course is designed to enhance problem solving skills, legal research methodologies and techniques, and legal writing and communication skills. Material submitted for assessment in another course cannot be used in an independent research project. Interested students are encouraged to review the profiles of faculty members on the Faculty’s website to learn more about their various areas of interest and expertise. Contact faculty members directly to discuss the possibility of supervising an independent research paper. The topic for the research paper must be approved by the supervising professor.
Ideas for paper topics can be generated from summer work with a law firm or government department, or from volunteer work with a non-profit or charitable organization. Some students have used their LAW 526 independent research papers to develop a writing sample to accompany a job application. Others have used the LAW 526 course as an opportunity to refresh their legal research skills in third year before entering practice, in essence, treating LAW 526 as an advanced LRW course. The LAW 526 course can also be used as an opportunity to write a legal research paper to submit to an essay writing competition, such as the Holocaust Remembrance Essay Award hosted by the Faculty of Law, the William Morrow essay competition hosted by the Alberta Law Review, the Allan Falconer Memorial Student Essay Competition in Family Law hosted by the University of British Columbia, the Law School Essay Contest in Environmental, Energy and Resources Law offered by the Canadian Bar Association, and the Sword and Scales competition offered by the military law section of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA). For those with the desire to add a publication to their résumés, there are several law journals in Canada aimed at publishing student-authored work.
Students will be registered in this course upon receipt of a signed “Research Paper Form”, found in the Academic Resources page: https://www.ualberta.ca/law/media-library/campus-life/courses-registration-and-resources/forms-cabinet/research-paper-form-editable.pdf