LAWS353

This course introduces students to socio-legal research and writing skills. The course seeks to help
students understand key elements of socio-legal reasoning, research, writing, and interpretation and
provide them with methodological and conceptual tools to study law in action. From the former
perspective, this course will help students to see a legal argument as a "roadmap" that guides jury,
jurist, and lawyer to certain "destinations" or conclusions. From the latter perspective, the course
focuses on qualitative methods in socio-legal research. Students will learn how to assess the
sufficiency of quantitative and qualitative socio-legal arguments and formulate arguments of their
own--two foundational skills for the development of their Law and Society capstone project or
thesis. The ultimate goal of this course is to provide students with the tools to design an
interdisciplinary research project using legal and social science research methods, which they will
further develop and implement in their senior capstone course.