module
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW3047A: Comparative Law Dissertation
This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
You will choose your research area at the end of your second year and fill in the form that is sent to you by email. You are expected to use the summer months to do some background reading, but no written work is expected of you. No supervision takes place over the summer.
You will confirm the research question at the start of term 1 of your final year. The allocation of supervisors is confirmed by the module convenor at the start of term. As this is a Comparative Law Dissertation, your topic and research must involve a comparative dimension and comparative methodology.
The module is essentially facilitated through individual supervision. From September to submission in March, you will have a number of meetings with your supervisor, following a schedule set out in the module handbook.
ELE is used to provide you with materials and to enable the module convenor to communicate with you throughout the duration of the module.
You will have to keep a ‘learning log’ to reflect on your research as it progresses. This is a formative part of the module (i.e. non-assessed) and you are encouraged to write regular entries in your journal each week to monitor and reflect on how your research is developing. As a rough guide you may wish to write 200 words in your reflective learning log per week. You and your supervisor may wish to discuss this during supervision meetings.
NOTE: If you think that as part of your research you will need to carry out interviews, issue questionnaires or undertake any other form of interaction with people, you MUST discuss this with your supervisor and ensure ethical compliance. Any such research may only proceed once ethics clearance has been acquired.
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | 276 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 3 | Individual Supervision meetings; a minimum of three hours contact is expected over the year. |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 21 | Six 1.5 hour training sessions on research preparation, skills and legal academic writing and six 2 hour facilitated peer support sessions. |
| Guided Independent study | 12 | Learning log |
| Guided independent study | 30 | Identifying and locating research materials |
| Guided independent study | 117 | Carrying out research, reading and taking notes |
| Guided Independent study | 117 | Drafting and writing up |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
There will one joint ELE page with Dissertation LAW3047
Other Learning Resources
ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/