Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW3910: Psychology and Law Research Project

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

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics.

In term 1, you will undertake an internship in a psychology and law research lab in the University of Exeter Law School. As part of this internship you will receive training in research methods, applying psychological theory and research to the law, and basic data analyses. You will be involved in a current project in the lab and will be actively involved in research work, including data collection and analysis.

In term 2, you will continue to work in the lab and will draw on your experience in order to develop and complete your own research project with support from the lab director. You will receive training in the choice of research project topic and dissertation skills. You will work on your own project throughout term 2, culminating in the production of a research report and research poster.

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
10	290	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 activity	5	2 x 2.5-hour introductory seminars on psychology and law research, with a focus on research methods and general protocols for working with data, e.g. ethics.
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	2	Introductory lecture on choosing a research topic and research skills.
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	3	Regular tutorials to guide and monitor the student's progress and offer appropriate supervisory advice where deemed necessary.
Guided Independent study	290	Work in the research lab, and developing and completing own project. To typically include: independent research and literature review (80 hours); research project design and piloting (40 hours); data collection (80 hours); and data analysis, interpretation, and communication with practitioner partners (90 hours).

Online Resources

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

Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology briefing on Improving Witness Testimony: https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/POST-PN-0607#fullreport
Fair Trials International, The Disappearing Trial: https://www.fairtrials.org/publication/disappearing-trial-report
Psychology and Law Resources: https://sites.google.com/site/teachpsychlaw/

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
Research reflection paper on term 1 work (to include introduction, methods, results, and discussion section).	1500 words	1-9	Individual written and oral feedback
Research plan	1000 words	1-4,7-9	Individual written and oral feedback

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
Research project report	75	4000 words	1-9	Written feedback
Research poster	25	1000 words equivalent	1-4,7-9	Written feedback

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
Research project report	Research project report (4000 words)	1-9	August/September Reassessment Period
Research poster	Research poster (1000 words equivalent)	1-4,7-9	August/September Reassessment Period

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.

University of Exeter, School of Law Students' Guide to Legal Writing and Dissertation Guidelines

M Salter & J Mason, 'Writing Law Dissertations' (Longman Pearson 2007)
Clinch, P, Using a law library: a student's guide to legal research skills, London: Blackstone, 2001
Cane and H. Kritzer, The Oxford Handbook of Empirical Legal Research (Oxford: OUP, 2012)
Bloch F, The Global Clinical Movement: Educating Lawyers for Social Justice (Oxford University Press, 2010)
Finch E & Fafinski S, Legal Skills (Oxford University Press, 2015)
Giddings J, Promoting Justice through Clinical Legal Education (Justice Press, 2013)
Pleasence P & Balmer NJ, ‘Mental Health and the Experience of Social Problems Involving Rights: Findings from the United Kingdom and New Zealand’ 16(1) (2009) Psychiatry, Psychology and Law.