Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW3910: Psychology and Law Research Project

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

Module Aims

The aim of the Psychology and Law Research Project is to give you the opportunity to work in a research environment and to draw on your experiences in this research environment to develop and complete a research project. This is different from a traditional doctrinal dissertation that is closely linked to the study of specific legal rules and / or principles. The aims of the project are to enable you to develop individual independent research skills, to obtain a good knowledge of the issues pertaining to your placement or experience, to develop your abilities to explore legal and/or socio-legal issues in-depth and to present legal/socio-legal arguments and opinions in relation to your chosen area of law/socio-legal study through fieldwork or other relevant study.

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 Skills1. demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the issues which form the basis of the research project subject matter;
2. demonstrate an ability to reflect on your learning from the psychology and law lab;
3. demonstrate an ability to apply skills and knowledge of the law in a research environment;
4. handle and analyse legal and/ or socio-legal research data and materials.
Discipline-Specific Skills5. demonstrate the ability to conduct effective research and to critically evaluate your internship experience
6. demonstrate knowledge of legal concepts; provide detailed knowledge of the academic background to your experiential learning.
Personal and Key Skills7. organise independent study;
8. demonstrate an ability to research;
9. digest and organise relevant materials and use these cumulatively in the preparation and presentation of a research paper.

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 ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
102900

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

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity52 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 activity2Introductory lecture on choosing a research topic and research skills.
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity3Regular tutorials to guide and monitor the student's progress and offer appropriate supervisory advice where deemed necessary.
Guided Independent study290Work 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).