PrF:DAL2EL01 Empirical Legal Studies I - Course Information

DAL2EL01 Empirical Legal Studies I - data collecting

Extent and Intensity

0/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching

Teacher(s)

doc. JUDr. Mgr. Martin Škop, Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

doc. JUDr. Tomáš Sobek, Ph.D.
Contact Person: Tereza Buchalová

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

• Legal theory and Public Affairs (programme PrF, LTPA_) (2)

Course objectives

The Empirical Legal Studies I – Data Collection is focused on methods of data collection when research question and hypotheses are posted. The course is focused mostly on methods relating to the doctoral thesis and their relation to general legal and empirical legal methodology. The course will predominantly focus on methods of data collection, data sources in law and legal science, possibilities of quantitative and qualitative approach to empirical studies in law, measurement of data in empirical legal studies, content coding (coding generally), Alternatively, the student can attend other methodological seminars at university (after prior agreement of the guarantor of this course) whose goals respond to the methods of thesis of the student.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing course, student is able to:
- Compare specific methods of law analysis and understand their use;
- Propose independent legal research and use different scientific disciplines in studying law;
- Analyze current trends in empirical legal methodology;
- Understand theoretical questions of data collection in law;
- Compare doctrinal and empirical approaches

Syllabus

• 1. Empirical Legal Studies – introduction in data collection in law.
• 2. Data sources.
• 3. Levels of measurement of data in empirical legal studies.
• 4. Content coding of natural language and natural language text. Systematic content analysis.
• 5. Routine analysis.
• 6. Qualitative Methods in law and legal science.

Literature

required literature
• The Oxford handbook of empirical legal research. Edited by Peter Cane - Herbert M. Kritzer. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010, xv, 1094. ISBN 9780199659944. info
• WEISS, Robert Stuart. Learning from strangers : the art and method of qualitative interview studies. New York: Free Press ;, 1994, ix, 246. ISBN 9780684823126. info

recommended literature
• Research methods for law. Edited by Michael McConville - Wing Hong Chui. Second edition. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2017, xi, 316. ISBN 9781474403214. info
• LAWLESS, Robert M., Jennifer K. ROBBENNOLT and Thomas ULEN. Empirical methods in law. Second edition. New York: Wolters Kluwer, 2016, xviii, 364. ISBN 9781454875802. info
• EPSTEIN, Lee and Andrew D. MARTIN. An introduction to empirical legal research. 1st ed. pub. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014, xiv, 324. ISBN 9780199669066. info
• MAXWELL, Joseph Alex. Qualitative research design : an interactive approach. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2013, xi, 218. ISBN 9781412981194. info
• HALLIDAY, Simon and Patrick D. SCHMIDT. Conducting law and society research : reflections on methods and practices. Second edition. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012, xiv, 288. ISBN 9780521720427. info
• Organizational routines : advancing empirical research. Edited by Markus C. Becker - Nathalie Lazaric. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2009, ix, 291. ISBN 9781847201942. info
• ZEISEL, Hans and D. H. KAYE. Prove it with figures : empirical methods in law and litigation. New York: Springer, 1997, xxiii, 353. ISBN 0387948929. info

Teaching methods

class discussion, model cases, research review, reading

Assessment methods

discussion on prepared model research related to dissertation thesis. Discussion on pilot data collecting (preparatory study).

Language of instruction

English

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