Module description:
Socio-Legal Methods introduces students to the methods used in law and society research. The module will explore socio-legal methods of data generation and analysis. Alongside this practical introduction to research method will sit a critical interrogation of the theoretical underpinnings of the methodological and analytic approaches used in socio-legal research, and consideration of the need for ethical research practices.
Indicative seminar topics:
- Introduction to socio-legal methods
- Research ethics and managing data
- Research credibility and generalizability
- Archival research methods
- Qualitative research methods 1 (interviews and focus groups)
- Analytic approaches to qualitative data 1
- Qualitative research methods 2 (ethnography and observation)
- Analytic approaches to qualitative data 2
- Quantitative research methods (questionnaires and statistics)
- Analytic approaches to quantitative data
The module provides the appropriate foundations of socio-legal methodological training for students to go on to pursue empirical socio-legal research.