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Law and Social InquiryÌýoffers you the opportunity to explore the intersection between law and the social sciences and – with expert support and supervision – design and conduct your own empirical research project. Your project will give you new insight and a new perspective on a topic of your choice.

Your project will start with defining an empirical research question. Such empirical questions are the substance of the social sciences, and answering such questions requires the application of social science research methods. These have evolved within various disciplines – including anthropology, criminology, epidemiology, political science, psychology and sociology – and provide a diverse range of approaches to social inquiry in the field of law. Empirical legal questions can be as varied as asking whether the public understand the laws they live by, how legal disputes are resolved in the real world, how reliable witness testimony is, what modern day slavery looks like, whether the judiciary will ever be representative of the population, or if juries are biased.

This diversity is reflected in past student projects, which have explored subjects including:

• the legal and social limits of freedom of expression in social media;
• graffiti and rule following;
• the association between the ethical codes revealed within the television drama ‘Suits’ and those subscribed to by viewers;
• public understanding of and trust in the banking regulatory system;
• student understanding of consent in sexual relationships;
• online data privacy;
• the representation of drug use in the media;
• the impact of equalities legislation;
• attitudes towards standing only areas for top flight football;
• cohabitation across three European countries.

As well as seminars providing introduction and instruction on the principles, practice and ethics of the diverse array of social science research methods,ÌýLaw and Social InquiryÌýalso includes tuition to guide individual projects and a series of student-led workshops in which students have an opportunity to present work in progress for discussion. Further inspiration is provided by seminars in which different empirical researchers present and discuss empirical approaches to subjects of particular interest to themselves. The subjects vary, but have in the past focused on, for example, the place of law in everyday life, law and technology, the reliability of testimony from memory, judicial decision-making and therapeutic approaches to imprisonment.

Law and Social InquiryÌýis examined through a long essay (or ‘project report’) on a topic of your own choosing. The essay is made up of:

• a literature review, setting out the background and context to your study, along with your empirical research question(s);
• a technical account of your project design, setting out the choices for the approach that you have decided will best enable you to answer your research question(s);
• your findings, conclusions and lessons learned for the future.

In summary,ÌýLaw and Social InquiryÌýprovides a unique opportunity to engage with and produce empirical evidence that will inform your future law and practice.

No previous experience of the social sciences is necessary.

Reading lists and other materials will be provided for students registered on the module via online Moodle information pages.

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