Admission requirements
Required course(s):
None.
Recommended course(s):
- Legal Methods Lab
Description
This course trains students in designing research on a topic that is relevant to International Justice. Courses in this major at LUC introduce a variety of concepts and theories, drawing on a range of academic studies. But how did the authors of those studies reach their conclusions? Might they have found something else had they phrased their questions differently, utilized other data and sources, or employed different methods? In short, how did the way they designed their research matter for what they found?
Such questions are central to this course, where you will learn how to design your own research project on a topic related to law, justice and society. You will learn how to identify gaps in existing knowledge, formulate research questions, and how to find the data, sources, and methods that might be needed to answer those questions. By the end of the course, students are expected to have developed a research proposal that they can, if they like, use as a basis for their Capstone.
Course Objectives
By taking successfully completing this course, students are expected to have obtained:
Greater proficiency in:
The skill of researching, specifically the skill of designing research which includes formulating a research question, justifying one’s choice of question and explaining how the research will be conducted,
Written communication skills,
Digital skills, for example by searching for and classifying literature, using online databases effectively, and distinguishing between different types of sources,
The skill of reflecting, specifically by considering others’ evaluation of their work and lessons to be learned from that,
The skill of independent learning, through developing their own project proposal, and
Particular forms of knowledge, as manifested in the ability:
to explain the distinction between doctrinal and empirical research on law,
to account for how empirical research on law and socio-legal methods can complement and strengthen doctrinal legal research, and
to discuss theories and concepts in research design, and the opportunities and limitations that come with different research strategies.
Timetable
Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2024-2025 will be published on this page of the e-Prospectus.
Mode of instruction
Taught interactively, Research Design IJ allows for ample discussion of how questions related to law, justice and society can be done research on. In class, we will debate how these ideas can be applied when designing a research project. Students will be expected to participate by raising questions and sharing ideas during class meetings, and by writing a reflection.
The core assignment is a research proposal, the aim of which is to flesh out ideas about how research can be conducted on a relevant question of your choice. The proposal outline will be due about halfway through the course. In later workshops, each student will present their outline and get feedback. In the final couple of weeks, each student will be expected to further develop their proposal in view of submitting the final, complete version by the end of the course.
Assessment Method
In-class participation, 10%
Reflection, 10%
Research proposal outline, 20%
Research proposal, 60%
Reading list
The reading list will be made available upon commencement of the course.
Registration
Courses offered at Leiden University College (LUC) are usually only open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Leiden University students who participate in one of the university’s Honours tracks or programmes may register for one LUC course, if availability permits. Registration is coordinated by the Education Coordinator, course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
Dr. Bernardo Ribeiro de Almeida, b.ribeiro.de.almeida@law.leidenuniv.nl
Dr. Ingrid Samset, i.samset@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
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