Postgraduate Module Descriptor

LAWM640: Dissertation

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

The aim of this module is to pursue, under the guidance of an academic supervisor, an individual programme of research on a topic within the scope of a named degree programme, approved by the programme director, applying appropriate research methodologies and drawing on appropriate materials. The module seeks to encourage and inspire deep and critical engagement with legal/socio-legal research and scholarship and the production of an original, substantial and significant contribution to legal/socio-legal knowledge as appropriate to your degree programme.

By taking this module, you will have the opportunity to develop an extensive knowledge of the law (and/or socio-legal research where appropriate) in your chosen research area, together with the skills and methodological tools to analyse, categorise and criticise the law in an extended formal piece of legal or socio-legal writing. You will also have the opportunity to gain a clear understanding of the role of research in legal education, as well as in developing the law in the UK and other countries.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Demonstrate deep and systematic knowledge and understanding of the law/ socio-legal research and methods applicable to the project that you will have selected and constructed, building on prior legal/socio-legal knowledge, and using research skills and theoretical perspectives acquired in the taught part of the programme; 2. Undertake complex critical evaluation of the main legal rules, institutions and procedure/methods relevant to the specific area of law/socio-legal study chosen for study in the dissertation, using specialist literature and current research going beyond the knowledge acquired in the taught part of the programme;
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Demonstrate detailed and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of a range of legal/socio-legal concepts, values, principles, institutions and procedures, and the ability to evaluate systematically the relationships among them, as well as their limits; 4. Show clear evidence of virtually autonomous research underpinning self-directed learning by selecting, integrating, evaluating and presenting relevant law and complex legal/socio-legal/theoretical arguments, clearly, autonomously and competently, in writing; 5. Demonstrate flexible and innovative capacity to analyse complex legal/socio-legal problems, identify the relative significance of applicable rules and principles, and select appropriate methods for investigating and critically evaluating them;
Personal and Key Skills	6. Manage relevant learning resources/ information/ learning strategies confidently and independently, and develop own arguments and opinions at a very high/ professional level; 7. Communicate and engage in written debate effectively, confidently and autonomously, in a manner appropriate to the discipline; 8. Clarify, plan and undertake tasks confidently and independently, reflect critically on the learning process and make use of feedback effectively.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Although the precise content and delivery of the module may vary, it is anticipated that the syllabus will include the following elements in the order indicated:

2x 2 hour lecture covering the following topics:
Design and structure of a dissertation
Methodology and skills
1x 2 hour lecture on good academic practice

In addition, all students will have three individual research meetings with their appointed supervisor. Although the precise content of such meetings will vary according to the particular needs of each individual student, it is expected that the meetings will cover three important steps towards a successful dissertation (see below for details). In addition, the students can of course liaise with their supervisors for ad hoc advice as and when required.

Learning and Teaching

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

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
9	591	0

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

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	6	One lecture of two hours on methodology, design and structure of a dissertation. One lecture of two hours on good academic practice. 1 x 2 hour lecture on good academic practice
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	3	3 x 1 hour research meetings. It is expected that the meetings should each last about one hour. Each meeting is designed to guide the students on 3 important steps to a successful dissertation namely, 1. Devising adequate research question(s), 2. Refining a structure and 3. Feedback on a sample chapter for advice on academic writing skills
Guided independent study	591	Independent study, with supervisors help as and when needed. Such hours will be spent in order to carry out the necessary research as well as the writing up of the dissertation, a symbiotic process, with the guidance of the supervisor. Although the precise organisation of the work will differ for each student, it is expected that a student should spend 50 hours on devising the research question, 50 hours on refining the structure and undertaking any fieldwork, and the rest divided equally among reading/analysing the material/data and writing up the dissertation.

Online Resources

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

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 assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Comments and discussion of progress with supervisor	N/A	1-8	Students will have 3 meetings with supervisors, during which, they will receive oral and written comments on the task submitted for the meeting. During each meeting, the student and the supervisor will agree on the next task to be undertaken. Written comments on a sample chapter of the dissertation will be given.

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.

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

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

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Assessment will be by way of a Masters level dissertation	100	15,000 words	1-8	Written feedback, with oral comments available on 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 assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Dissertation	Dissertation (15,000 words)	1-8	Resubmission by early January

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

Booth, Colomb and Williams, The Craft of Research (University of Chicago Press 2008)

Knowles, J & Thomas, P, Effective Legal Research (3^rded, Sweet & Maxwell 2012)

Salter, M & Mason, J, Writing Law Dissertations: An Introduction and Guide to the Conduct of Legal Research. (Pearson 2007)

Subject-specific reading will vary according to research topic.