2021/22 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

LAW5662M Postgraduate Legal Research Skills

15 creditsClass Size: 300

Module manager: Dr Joshua Warburton
Email: J.Warburton1@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2021/22

Module replaces

LAW5661M

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

The aim of this module is to prepare students for studying law at Masters level, undertaking coursework assignments and writing a dissertation in law.

Objectives

The key objective is to equip students with the fundamental and advanced level academic skills needed to study law at Masters level.

Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, students should:
- know how to find and navigate a wide range of legal sources;
- know how to search law databases for appropriate sources;
- be able to find and use diverse legal sources, including primary and secondary legal sources;
- be able to conduct the legal research required to participate in seminars, complete assignments and write a dissertation;
- have a sound understanding of different legal systems;
- be able to demonstrate the critical and analytical thinking skills required at Masters level;
- be able to attribute their work correctly using an approved referencing system (e.g. OSCOLA);
- be familiar with the different conceptual approaches to legal research;
- be able to formulate a research question, to support a dissertation in Law;
- know how to present arguments in different ways, including in oral discussion, in written work, and in a more concise form (i.e. a poster);
- develop transferable skills, including critical and analytical skills and the ability to present arguments in different formats.

Syllabus

Introduction to the module
Introduction to law and databases
Understanding and Using Diverse Legal Sources
Understanding Plagiarism
Understanding Assessment and Processes
Critical and Analytical Thinking at Masters Level
Writing for Postgraduates
Planning Dissertations
Writing Dissertations
Understanding and Writing Literature Reviews
Creating Presentations
Workshop: Poster Presentations
Drop in Session Referencing/Plagiarism and Finding Sources

NB: The module will be front-loaded, so that students develop the requisite skills before they need to complete assessments in any of their LLM modules. The ordering of the different lectures is flexible – they may be reordered if necessary, to facilitate the requisite skills and knowledge in advance of assessments.

Teaching methods

Private study hours			150.00
Total Contact hours			0.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

The School is committed to providing an excellent student education and experience. This will involve a variety of teaching methods and follow a blended learning model, including meaningful on-campus in-person teaching for all students. Further information regarding teaching delivery will follow.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students' progress in developing academic legal skills will be monitored informally through workshops, and formally through summative assessment.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Written Work	Workbook	80.00
Poster Presentation	Poster	20.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 02/09/2021 17:02:41

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