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LAW8001 Legal Research Methodology

Interim Trimester 2, 2023 Online
Units : 1
School or Department : School of Law and Justice
Grading basis : Graded
Course fee schedule : /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules

Staffing

Course Coordinator:

Requisites

Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following programs: DPHD, DJUR, LLBH, LLMR or LLMC

Overview

This course provides an introduction to basic research for students undertaking an LL.B. Honours year, a J.D., an LL.M., or a Ph.D. in Law. Students will discuss the philosophy of research and gain a deep understanding of theoretical perspectives and epistemological assumptions underpinning different research approaches in legal scholarship. The focus of this course is on preparing students to develop their research proposals and to ensure that they have skills which allow them to identify and formulate meaningful research problems, to plan and execute a critical literature review, and to ground their research in a theoretical perspective that will inform their methodology, research strategy and design. Students will be expected to improve their critical thinking skills and to learn to read and critique previous research published in journals associated with law. The course provides an overview of both qualitative and quantitative research methodology and associated methods. Research quality is emphasized throughout the course as students begin to make critical decisions about the formulation of their research question and the most effective research design to address that question.

Course learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

  1. understand the theoretical perspectives and epistemological assumptions underpinning different research approaches and methodologies in basic legal research;
  2. evaluate the role of theory in research and understand the importance of the selection and use of a theoretical framework in conducting basic research;
  3. develop the research skills required for planning and executing basic legal research, including conducting literature searches and reviews, formulating research questions, choosing and defending a research approach and methodology, and selecting specific methods and techniques appropriate for answering a research questions.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Introduction to legal methodology 10.00
2. Developing a research question 15.00
3. Ethics and academic misconduct 10.00
4. Doctrinal legal analysis 10.00
5. Empirical legal research 10.00
6. Law and economics 5.00
7. Socio-legal research 10.00
8. Referencing and the AGLC 5.00
9. Comparative legal research 5.00
10. Legal history 5.00
11. Advanced legal research resources 5.00
12. Literature reviews 10.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

There are no textbooks required for this course. Required readings will be available on 精东传媒appDesk.

Student workload expectations

To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.

Assessment details

Approach Type Description Group
Assessment
Weighting (%) Course learning outcomes
Assignments Written Reflection (personal/clinical) 1 No 25 1,2,3
Assignments Written Reflection (personal/clinical) 2 No 25 1,2,3
Assignments Written Reflection (personal/clinical) 3 No 25 1,2,3
Assignments Written Planning document No 25 1,2,3
Date printed 9 February 2024