LAW-40052 - Module Specification
School of Law
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

This module will introduce students to a range of approaches in law and society research. These can be grouped into interdisciplinary approaches, such as Law and Ethics, Regulation Studies and Legal History, as well as methodological approaches, such as Fieldwork in Law, Archives and Documents, and Researching Elites. The module will also introduce students to a number of themes that are central to law and society research, such as law in action, resistance (e.g. political imprisonment) legal research and activism (e.g. penal abolitionism). The module will provide a space for collegial support for students as they are crafting their own socio-legal project for their dissertation, and will support them in planning and presenting their work to fellow students.

To enable students to critically engage with variety of law and society approaches, that include interdisciplinary approaches, such as (indicatively) Legal history, Law and Ethics, and Regulation studies and methodological approaches, such as (indicatively) Fieldwork in Law, Archives and Documents, Researching Elites.
To introduce students to a number of themes that are central to law and society research, namely law in action, performativity (e.g. judicial performance), resistance (e.g. political imprisonment) legal research and activism (e.g. penal abolitionism). These themes are left purposefully broad so that we can draw on current research interests of colleagues. This will give the sessions an added cutting edge and dynamism.
To raise awareness about research ethics and research governance in socio-legal studies.
To accompany students in further crafting and revising their own socio-legal project, and support them in planning and presenting their work to fellow students.

Intended Learning Outcomes

be familiar with a range of selected interdisciplinary fields and methodological approaches that inform socio-legal studies;: 1,2
assess and be able to engage critically with authors' description of their own methods and approaches within socio-legal scholarship;: 2
assess and think critically about the dividens and challenges of different disciplinary approaches to socio-legal studies. Reflect critically about the strengths and risks of socio-legal approaches;: 1,2
understand the importance of the research ethics dimensions of socio-legal projects, and develop a sensitivity of the research ethics dimensions of their own research;: 1,2
discuss, elaborate on and critically examine a number of specific pieces of scholarship to draw broader conclusions on the nature of socio-legal studies as a field;: 1
think critically whilst expressing ideas in a clear language addressing specialist and non-specialist audiences;: 1,2
display understanding of scholarly arguments and display the ability to think independently about scholarly arguments;: 1,2
synthesise findings into a logical argument that explicitly addresses the assignment question, and defend the argument against foreseeable criticism.: 1,2
be familiar with certain themes that have been part of the canon of socio-legal studies;: 1

Study hours

Interactive lectures: 22
Essay consultation: 2
Background reading: 50
Assignment research and writing: 76

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment