Legal Studies Research Methods (207-0-20)

Instructors

Jesse Yeh
620 Lincoln Street

Meeting Info

University Hall 122: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

Instructor: Jesse Yeh Spring 2026

What constitutes evidence? How is it created? What makes it relevant and reliable? The interdisciplinary field of legal studies has a diverse range of answers to these questions. In this class, we will focus on jurisprudence and legal reasoning, qualitative and quantitative social science methods, and historical and textual analysis. Through engaging with these interdisciplinary methods, we will develop your ability to both productively evaluate scholarly research on law and legal processes, as well as conduct your own research on legal institutions. This course is intended to build your skills to conduct your own original research for the legal studies thesis (Legal Studies 398); as such, it is recommended for students to take this course in their junior or sophomore years.

Learning Objectives

The primary objectives for this class are for you to develop your ability to:
1) pose your own empirical questions about law and the social world;
2) conceptualize appropriate strategies to answer these questions;
3) evaluate the production and interpretation of empirical evidence in scholarly research;
4) utilize and integrate primary and secondary evidence into your argumentation;
5) assess how courts and other legal institutions deploys social science evidence.

Teaching Method

Seminar discussion with some lecture

Evaluation Method

Active participation, short assignments, and final paper

Class Materials (Required)

All required readings will be posted on Canvas.

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Prerequisite: LEGAL_ST 206-0 or SOCIOL 206-0.