How do you write effectively at postgraduate level? How do you become an independent researcher? How do you communicate complex ideas to a specialist or non-specialist audience?
You will develop the necessary critical reading skills, and advanced writing and research skills required to undertake independent research and write up academic work at postgraduate level with confidence.
You will engage with the nature of legal research and the different methodologies that can be used to critically analyse the law. You will develop your communication skills to be used in various formats, including addressing scholarly audiences according to academic conventions (e.g. legal referencing and citation skills). You will develop your research skills, including how to design a research project, refine a research question, identify sources and search for relevant materials. You will acquire and develop the skills necessary to carry out a longer-term research project such as your dissertation.
Lectures 21 hours
Seminars 9 hours
Workshops 18 hours
Independent Study 102 hours
Assessment Preparation 50 hours
Written- Portfolio -Collection of works (1,500 words). Worth 25% of the total marks for the module.
Written - Poster group preparation (no oral presentation) (1,500 words). Worth 25% of the total marks for the module.
Written- Portfolio- Collection of works (2,000 words) Worth 50% of the total marks for the module. This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.
Reassessment methods: Like-for-like, practical: composite form of reassessment for failed poster group presentation component– 1,500-word essay
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1) Formulate appropriate research questions that address current legal or policy gaps;
2) Systematically identify, evaluate and employ sources at national, regional and international levels, as relevant;
3) Undertake a critical analysis of literature relevant to a chosen research topic;
4) Systematically engage with a variety of theoretical frameworks to critically analyse complex questions;
5) Expertly communicate conclusions in varied formats to specialist and non-specialist audiences, through the use of the conventions of academic writing (style, citation, bibliography etc.) and oral presentation.
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