Course descriptionLegal processes shape all of our lives, from the level of intimate relationships, through to governmental policy, and on to international relations. However, the law is not simply a neutral or technical practice, but is shot through with political, cultural and economic processes. As such, Socio-legal research uses the theories and methods of social science to explore the operation of law, legal processes and legal institutions.
Learning Outcomes
This programme provides research training in socio-legal studies for students with backgrounds in law and/or the social sciences, who wish subsequently to proceed to a PhD, to undertake socio-legal research or to pursue careers that call for familiarity with such research. The programme aims to give students:
* an advanced training in methods of socio-legal research;
* a thorough grounding in generic methods of social research;
* a detailed knowledge of at least one substantive area of law;
* an awareness of what is distinctive about a socio-legal approach to law, its processes and legal institutions, and its relationship to other types of legal research;
* an understanding of the possibilities and limits of socio-legal research within broader debates about law and justice.
This degree is recognised for the ESRC 1+3 studentships.