Advanced Research Seminar 1 (398-1-20)

Instructors

Abigail Rose Barefoot
847/467-0259

Meeting Info

620 Lincoln St #218: Mon, Wed 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

Legal Studies 398-1,2 is a two-quarter sequence required for all Legal Studies majors. This seminar exposes students to a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to law and legal institutions; over two quarters, students will develop their own research paper on a topic of interest.

Registration Requirements

Legal Studies Majors only

Learning Objectives

Once you complete the Advanced Research Seminar, you should be able to:
o Read and analyze diverse primary legal and political sources carefully and accurately, with attention to the author's perspective, position, and credibility, and to the source's general context.
o Be familiar with research methods and best practices regarding qualitative and quantitative data, written materials, and electronic databases.
o Read, evaluate, summarize, and engage with scholarly works by others, and be able to analyze authors' arguments for evidence, context, strength, and credibility.
o Understand how to work with and situate one's own work within existing scholarship and how to properly cite facts, ideas, and scholarship.
o Generate original research questions regarding the relationship of law and society and devise research strategies for answering research questions.
o Make clearly written and organized arguments that are well supported by primary sources.
o Design and execute an original research project.

Teaching Method

Seminar-style discussion

Evaluation Method

research and writing assignments, class participation

Class Materials (Required)

All material will be posted on Canvas or available through the library at no cost.

Class Notes

Attendance at first class required, no P/NP option