LW254-5-PS-:
Legal Research Skills

The details
2024/25
Essex Law School
Spring & Summer
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Monday 13 January 2025
Friday 27 June 2025
15
03 April 2024

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

LLB M10ECM Law,
LLB M10ECO Law,
LLB M10ELK Law,
LLB M10ELM Law

Module description

This compulsory second year module, taught in the Spring term, aims to build upon the legal skills which students encounter in the first year module LW105 Legal Skills.

Students will develop a range of skills relating to legal research and project planning, which will both support their learning in the final year of their degree, and constitute valuable transferable skills in their own right.

In particular, LW254 Legal Research Skills will act as a foundation for LW304 Final Year Research Project and students will develop a research proposal for LW304 as part of their assessment for LW254.

Module aims

The aims of the module are:

• To develop students’ legal research skills, building upon the techniques introduced in in LW105 Legal Skills,

• To introduce students to a range of different methodological approaches to legal research

• To develop students’ skills in oral presentation of their ideas

• To introduce students to a range of considerations in relation to planning legal research

• To prepare students to undertake their independent research project in LW304 Final Year Research Project, including developing a proposal for that project

Module learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the module students will be able to:

1. Independently locate a range of legal sources within familiar databases and evaluate the suitability of these for a particular research purpose

2. Locate non-legal sources within a limited range of familiar databases and other resources and evaluate the suitability of these for a particular research purpose

3. Understand a range of different methodological approaches to understanding a legal issue, and evaluate their relevance for a research project/task?

4. Consider the implications of proposed research, including ethical, confidentiality and data security angles; and evaluating one’s own suitability as a researcher

5. Plan a research project and present this as a written proposal

6. Make a formal oral presentation of research findings

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

The module is taught through a combination of lectures and fortnightly two hour tutorials.

Bibliography*

This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Stephen Turner, Ting Xu, Ms. Ai Gooch, Dr. Erin Pobjie, Dr. Sahar Maranlou, Dr. Ewa Kruszewska,
Law UG Education Administrators - schooloflawug@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
No
No
No

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.
Resources
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.

 

Further information
Essex Law School

* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.

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