PhD seminar on qualitative research methods in legal studies

The Center of Excellence for Global Mobility Law (MOBILE) and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Law (CIS) invite all PhD students within law and related disciplines to a course on

Qualitative Research Methods for Legal Research

The purpose of this course is to provide students with insight into the design, practical preparation for, and implementation of qualitative research methods in the field of legal studies, with a focus on interview and participatory observation techniques. Due to what has been labelled an ‘empirical turn in legal scholarship,’ students and researchers within law are increasingly drawing on both quantitative and qualitative research methods in their research. In this wider context, qualitative research methods, such as interviews and ethnographic observation, have played a pivotal role for new and emerging scholarship of a number of different legal fields, ranging from international law to mediation. Such research methods are used to provide an empirically based understanding of the social fabric in which legal practices are embedded, and thereby the impact of the law in local contexts.

PhD students and early career researchers in law increasingly have to compete on an international market in which empirical methods have become prevalent. As such, it is important to equip students with the necessary theoretical and practical tools in order to facilitate effective and coherent approaches to conducting interviews and observation studies in the field. At the same time, this will enable students to conduct original studies that situate their research in current international scholarly advances and to address ongoing debates about the role of empirical work in legal science. The implementation and use of qualitative research approaches also necessitates an understanding of ethical questions and considerations of the ways in which data can be used in writing articles and reports.

The course is designed to provide students with hands-on opportunities to develop their own research questions, and to plan and execute an original project using qualitative methods. Students will receive detailed feedback on their own methodological approaches and work on developing them. To receive such feedback, students are expected to prepare an outline of the methodological aspects of their research projects – including, for example, interview questions – as the basis for further discussion during the course.

Date and time

2 May 2024 from 10:00 - 17:30 and 3 May 2024 from 9:00 - 17:00

Academic Aim

Identify research situations in which qualitative methods are useful;
Develop an interview or observation framework that best responds to the theoretical questions students are interested in;
Understand ethical considerations in generating and using qualitative data;
Develop strategies for analysing the collected empirical material.

Target group

PhD students from either law or a related discipline, who are planning and/or considering using interviews or participant observation to research legal phenomena.

Objectives of the course

After the course, students will be able to:
Identify in which research situations qualitative methods are useful.
Formulate a strategy selecting and contacting potential interviewees.
Develop an interview or observation framework that best responds to the theoretical questions students are interested in.
Formulate an observation strategy.
Understand and identify ethical considerations in generating and using qualitative data.
Identify and analyse key themes within the generated empirical material.
Be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their research method and material.

Course organizers

Nora Stappert (n.stappert@jur.ku.dk), Lin Adrian (lin.adrian@jur.ku.dk), Louise Victoria Johansen (louise.victoria.johansen@jur.ku.dk) and Sarah Scott Ford (sarah.scott.ford@jur.ku.dk).

Practical information

Language: English

ECTS: 2.5

Max. numbers of participants: 15

Preparation

Brief overview of the research design (by 25 April 2024)
Please submit a brief overview of the research design, chosen methods and how they contribute to the overall research project, and a draft interview and/or observation framework (max. 2 pages). Please submit the paper to the PhD Administration (phd@hrsc.ku.dk) by 25 April 2024.

Presentation of the research design and chosen methods (by 3 May 2024)
Please prepare a presentation of the research design and chosen methods as the basis for the discussion during the feedback sessions. You are encouraged to highlight issues that you have found challenging. Presentations should be concise (up to 5 minutes) and build on the previously submitted written overview. Using PowerPoint will be an option.

Registration: Please register via this registration form no later than 8 April 2024.

Further information: Any questions about the course may be directed to Nora Stappert (nora.stappert@jur.ku.dk), Louise Victoria Johansen (louise.victoria.johansen@jur.ku.dk) & Lin Adrian (lin.adrian@jur.ku.dk).

Literature
Webley, L (2010) Qualitative Approaches to Empirical Legal Research. The Oxford Handbook of Empirical Legal Research.

O’Reilly, K. (2012) Ethnographic Methods, 2nd ed. Routledge. Ch. 5.

Kritzer, H.M. (2002) Stories from the field: Collecting data outside over there. In J. Starr & M. Goodale (eds.) Practicing ethnography in law: New dialogues, enduring methods. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 143-159.

Dezalay, Y and Garth, V, Dealing in Virtue: Conducting Law and Society Research.

Marshall, C and Rossman, GB (1995) Designing Qualitative Research, 2nd ed., ch 5.

The PhD programme