Postgraduate Module Descriptor


LAWM687: Socio-Legal Research Skills

This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
• .Research design: theory and methodology in socio-legal case studies.
• Research ethics and empirical research in law: issues, codes and implications.
• Quantitative methods in socio-legal research: techniques (e.g. structured interviews, questionnaires), validity (including sampling), presentation and case studies.
• Qualitative methods in socio-legal research: ethnographic techniques (e.g. semi-structured interviews, focus groups, participant observation, action research), validity, presentation, case studies, new developments.
• Modes of analysis, e.g. content analysis, thematic analysis, and grounded theory.
• Further methodological issues: cross-cultural and cross-jurisdictional data.
• Practical research design exercises, including qualitative analysis, and quantitative analysis using SPSS.

 

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
30 270 0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities3012 x 2.5 hour seminars
Guided independent study200Seminar preparation and independent reading
Guided independent study70Assessment preparation

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

http://www.slsa.ac.uk/

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Draft reflective log400 words1-10Individual written feedback (with oral feedback upon request)

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
3 reflective logs402,100 words in total (each approximately 700 words)1-10Individual written feedback (with oral feedback upon request)
Essay603,000 words 1-10Individual written feedback (with oral feedback upon request)

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
3 reflective logs 3 reflective logs (2,100 words in total; same as above)1-10August/September re-assessment period
EssayEssay (3,000 words) 1-10August/September re-assessment period