LAW601:RESEARCH METHODS AND LEGAL WRITING

L:4 T:0 P:0 Credits:4

Course Outcomes: Through this course students should be able to

• provide an understanding of various perspectives, methods and tools in social and legal
research

• equip students with tools for data collection

• enable students to undertake independent legal research

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Unit I
Foundations of Social Research : understanding the basis of research and
methodological options, science of research and scientific methodology, interrelation
between speculation, fact and theory building, fallacies of scientific methodology with
reference to socio legal research
Unit II
Scientific Methodology with Socio Legal Research : inter-disciplinary research
and legal research models, arm chair research vis-a-vis empirical research, legal
research-common law and civil law legal systems, ethical concerns of research
Unit III
Designing Research : defining the research problem and objectives, literature
review (both theoretical and empirical) and gap identification, hypothesis & types of
hypotheses, developing research questions, research design, sampling
Unit IV
Research Methods and Tools : quantitative and empirical legal research, inter-
disciplinary and comparative legal research, ethnographic and participatory approach,
fieldwork and participant observation, interview, survey and questionnaire, focus
group discussion and case study method
Unit V
Data Analysis : data presentation, univariate analysis - frequency table, pie charts,
bar charts and percentages, data processing (deductions and Inductions) analysis,
mean, median and mode, bivariate analysis – chi-square test and ANOVA, use of
SPSS, interpretation of data
Unit VI
Legal Writing : elements of legal writing, use of definitions, maxims, concepts,
principles, doctrines in legal research, plagiarism and its consequences, citation
methodology, book review and case comments

Text Books:

1. SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS by ALAN BRYMAN, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

References:

1. DOING DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH by VANDANA DESAI AND ROB POTTER, SAGA

PUBLICATIONS

2. THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF EMPIRICAL LEGAL RESEARCH by PETER CANE AND

HERBERT KRITZER, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: METHODS AND TECHNIQUES by C R KOTHARI, NEW

AGE INTERNATIONAL

4. QUANTITATIVE TECHNIQUES by C R KOTHARI, VIKAS PUBLISHING HOUSE

5. LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY by S.R. MYNENI, ALLAHABAD LAW AGENCY

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