Postgraduate Module Descriptor

LAWM640: Dissertation

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Overview

NQF Level	7
Credits	60	ECTS Value	30
Term(s) and duration	This module ran during term 1 (12 (precise terms dependent on programme entry date) weeks), term 2 (11 (precise terms dependent on programme entry date) weeks) and term 3 (6 (precise terms dependent on programme entry date) weeks)
Academic staff	Professor Hitoshi Nasu (Convenor)
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
Available via distance learning	No

This module is compulsory for students on both the LLM programme and the MRes in Socio-Legal Research programme. It provides a valuable opportunity for you to gain experience in legal or socio-legal research, writing a dissertation of up to 15,000 words on a particular legal or socio-legal topic of interest chosen by you and approved by your programme director.

You will be assigned an academic supervisor from the expertise available in the Law School, to match the proposed dissertation topic or your areas of interest. You will be given 3 research meetings with your supervisor during which they will guide your research and writing according to an individually agreed framework, but you are largely expected to determine your own deadlines and define your own work programme in order to meet the final submission deadline set by the Law School.

The module calls for excellent legal/socio-legal writing and research skills, personal discipline, and professional communication with the academic supervisor. For those of you who have not undertaken any large-scale legal research before, an introduction to the design and methodologies of legal research will be provided in Term 2. For those of you on the MRes programme, you are expected to draw on the grounding given in your core modules and any optional module relevant to your dissertation topic.

Module created	01/10/2003	Last revised	10/09/2021