Foundations in Law and Society Research: Theories and Concepts:
This module will provide students with an understanding of key theoretical approaches that frame and interrogate law and legal institutions. Research in law and society has sought to understand, explain and challenge the boundaries between law and the social and cultural context in which it operates. This module will consider key themes including the meaning and complexity of legal issues, the relation between law and social relations, the impact of legal change, and the ways in which law can be deployed for change. The module will introduce students to the considerations relevant to selecting appropriate theoretical framework for their research project and explore the potential and possibilities of different approaches to the role of law in society.
Socio-legal Studies: Approaches and Themes:
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, Law and Cultural 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. 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.
Philosophy of Social Sciences:
This module provides students with an introduction to the philosophy of the social sciences and philosophical debates around methodology and methodological approaches to research. It includes a discussion of topics such as naturalism, falsification theory, paradigm shifts, the interpretive tradition, critical theory, and structuralism. Apart from an exploration of these topics, the module also covers the work of a range of key thinkers, including Durkheim, Popper, Kuhn, Weber, Adorno, and Foucault, who have informed the ways in which researchers think about social science knowledge. In introducing the module, we seek to ground discussion in first, the enlightenment idea of the search for science, and second, the ancient Greek, Platonic, theory of metaphysical truth. The module unfolds on the basis of this debate. Following the 5 taught sessions, students are required to complete a 4000 word essay on either a methodological problem in their own research or a topic relating to the material covered on the module.
Qualitative Research Methods
The aim of this module is to introduce you to the practical application of interpretative methodologies through the exploration of content, discourse and narrative analysis of interview and textual data. Students will be encouraged to develop a critical and sophisticated appreciation of qualitative data analysis. Expected Learning Outcomes: On completion of the unit, students will have improved their knowledge of methods and techniques of qualitative data analysis, and will have gained practical experience of analysing data using different electronic packages. This will have involved them in: the preparation of qualitative data for analysis, an understanding of coding procedures, a range of analytical techniques, an appreciation of the relative advantages of different computer-based programmes for analysing qualitative data, and considering different modes of data reporting.
Quantitative Research Methods
This module aims to introduce students to a variety of techniques for the quantitative analysis of empirical social data, and to the use of the main software package, SPSS, which can assist in these processes. It is designed for those without previous experience with social science data analysis, and assumes no prior mathematical and statistical skills. Learning Objectives: The focus of this module is on the purposes of data analysis. It highlights the logic behind the selection and interpretation of various analytic methods. On completion of this module, students will have improved their knowledge and had practical experience, including computer based experience, of the following: The preparation of quantitative data and a range of elementary univariate and bivariate statistical analysis techniques, up to and including ANOVA Using SPSS for the analysis of quantitative data visualisation techniques. They will also have been introduced to the most important available resources for the identification and retrieval of appropriate data sets.
Ethics in Research
This module aims to provide a critical understanding of key ethical issues in research across academic and professional disciplines in humanities, science, social science and health. The focus of the module is on ethical analysis of such issues rather than on specific regulatory and governance processes. The intended learning outcomes are: Knowledge of the philosophical basis of research ethics, informed by published work at the forefront of relevant academic and professional disciplines; an ability to critically analyse the core substantive issues in research ethics, and their application to specific academic and professional disciplines; an ability to analyse and resolve ethical conflicts in research through logical argument and original analysis of morally-relevant facts; knowledge of the role, strengths and limitations of regulatory mechanisms in research ethics; and an ability to engage effectively with research ethics approval processes.
