Overview
This culminating research course requires students to design, execute, and present an independent legal dissertation addressing a significant and manageable problem within law or an interdisciplinary legal field. Students develop research questions, establish the scope and limits of their inquiry, and construct a coherent analytical framework supported by a critical review of relevant authorities and scholarship.
The course examines doctrinal, socio-legal, comparative, interdisciplinary, and empirical research methodologies; the use of legislation, case law, regulation, policy materials, academic literature, and other evidence; citation and referencing; research ethics; academic integrity; data management; and responsible use of digital research tools. Through staged milestones, supervisor consultations, drafting, revision, and presentation, students produce an original, logically sustained, and professionally communicated dissertation.
Learning Outcomes
- Design a rigorous and appropriately scoped legal research project addressing a significant research problem.
- Formulate precise research questions and develop a coherent analytical framework for investigating them.
- Evaluate primary and secondary legal authorities, scholarship, policy materials, and empirical evidence for relevance, reliability, and persuasive value.
- Select and justify an appropriate doctrinal, socio-legal, comparative, interdisciplinary, or empirical methodology.
- Synthesize competing arguments and interpret legal principles in relation to institutions, society, technology, and public policy.
- Construct an original, logically sustained, and critically supported legal argument.
- Apply ethical, scholarly, citation, referencing, data-management, and academic-integrity standards throughout an extended research project.
- Produce precise, well-organized legal writing suitable for an academic or professional audience.
- Manage an independent research project through proposal development, staged drafting, consultation, revision, and final submission.
- Communicate research findings clearly in written and oral forms and reflect critically on the research process.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar | 2 hours | Weekly | First term |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Weekly | First term |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Fortnightly | All semester |
| Supervision | 1 hour | Weekly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Weekly | Second term |
| Seminar | 2 hours | Fortnightly | Second term |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Research proposal and approval dossier | 10.00% |
| Assignment | Annotated bibliography and methodology statement | 15.00% |
| Deliverable | Chapter plan and progress report | 10.00% |
| Assignment | Draft chapter submission | 15.00% |
| Tutorial | Research presentation | 10.00% |
| Capstone | Final dissertation with abstract | 35.00% |
| Assignment | Reflective research account | 5.00% |
Prerequisites
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.
