Module LAW3176 for 2018/9
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW3176: Researching Public International Law
This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.
Module Aims
This is a research-led module where you will collectively decide, in agreement with the convener, on the substantive area for research which will broadly fall within public international law. This is likely to be in response to contemporary issues or debates in public international law. The primary aim of this module is to enable you to publish in a peer-reviewed journal, developing advanced level skills in research, writing and collaboration. It is hoped that you will consider further research and study within public international law at postgraduate level. It is anticipated that the development of research skills will be transferable to other areas of further study, or to employment where research and writing skills are required.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Identify, research and write an article in public international law, suitable for publication. 2. Demonstrate critical analysis of issues in public international law through writing and discussion. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Demonstrate capacity understand, analyse and synthesise a range of legal and non-legal sources. 4. Critically evaluate a discrete area of law, and demonstrate the ability to contribute to a field of debate. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. Develop effective and critical research and writing skills. 6. work collaboratively with others, and under supervision, towards agreed goals. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
You will attend class each week to plan and discuss your research project. In Week 1, you will meet your research collaborators, and will discuss with the convener different avenues for the research project. In subsequent weeks, you will be assigned individual and collaborative tasks by agreement, and will be accountable for that work at each subsequent meeting of the group. For example, you might be asked to research a discrete area and report back to the group the following week. Or you might be asked to write 1,000 words on an area or set of sources. Everyone in the group will, during the module, undertake both research and writing. Towards the end of the module, students will turn their focus to editing and completion of the (approx.) 12,000 word article. Discussions will then turn towards publication, and submission to a peer-reviewed journal. The summative assessment will comprise of a group element (the finished article), and an assessment of your individual contribution through your individual writing contributions and your class-based contributions.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 16.5 | 133.5 | 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 | 16.5 | 11 x 1.5hr workshops |
| Guided independent study | 133.5 | Research and writing connected to the project |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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.
Basic reading:
It is expected that the reading materials for this module will depend upon the defined research questions agreed with Professor Schmitt. For general guidance on researching and writing in law:
R Huxley-Binns et al, Unlocking legal learning, (Hodder Arnold 2005), ch.5
M Salter and J Mason, Writing Law Dissertations: an Introduction and Guide to the Conduct of Legal Research (Longman, 2007)
M McConville, Research Methods for Law (Edinburgh University Press, 2007)
R Banaker and M Travers, Theory and Method in Socio-Legal Research (Hart, 2005)
