| Unit name | Supervised Individual Study (MA) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWDM0184 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Phillipson |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None. |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
The Supervised Individual Study (MA) is a second year MA option, which offers the opportunity to do an in-depth piece of legal research with individual, one-to-one supervision on a topic of your choice. It’s an opportunity to both showcase and further develop the skills you’ve built up throughout your degree: independent research; critical analysis; working up a sustained argument. Such Units are highly valued by employers, and many students find them their most rewarding academic experiences, as their ideas develop, their interest deepens, and they build confidence in working independently. It’s a different experience of teaching and learning: you build up your project, but get individual feedback at every stage – on reading, your initial thoughts on scope and structure; a detailed written plan and finally a draft chapter. This structured support helps many students produce their very best work.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This is an optional unit on the MA programme which is available in the final year of your programme. As such, it gives you the opportunity to go into real depth in an area you’ve discovered earlier in the course or haven’t yet had the opportunity to explore. As this unit comes towards the end of the course, it will enable you to pull together into one piece of work all the legal skills, know-how and experience you’ve gained. Writing a more substantial paper will enable you to demonstrate everything you’ve learned during your studies about legal research, analysis, critical thinking, clear writing and well-structured argument.
An overview of content
Through recorded lectures on designing and undertaking a research project, including research methodologies, tips on advanced writing and referencing skills you will further hone the abilities required to produce a sustained piece of legal research. Lectures will be supplemented with small-group, supervisor-led sessions, in which you will refine and test your ideas and plans. You will also get individual feedback on your research and writing, which you will discuss, one-to-one with your supervisor.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
This unit will develop your academic freedom and confidence within a focused area of law, inducting you further into the community of practice shared by academic and practicing lawyers. As appropriate for a second year unit, students must take greater independence and responsibility for their learning, and it will help you enhance your time management, self-motivation and legal writing skills. Students find a sense of pride and greater self-confidence from building up their ability to work independently and explore a topic in real depth.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, a successful student will be able to:
You will learn through a combination of recorded lectures which will outline how to approach a research project. These will focus on subjects such as advanced legal research skills, different research methodologies, advanced writing and referencing skills and time management. You will also have four individual meetings with your supervisor (each of 20 minutes) which will give you the opportunity to discuss the project, present your plan, and discuss individual written feedback on your work.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
You will have four individual meetings with your supervisors, see further below. In one of these, you will present your initial plan and receive feedback from your supervisor. You will also submit a written plan (500 words) on which you will receive individual feedback from your supervisor. You will submit a draft of a chapter or other excerpt of your draft (2,000 words) on which you will receive individual written feedback, and a session in which to discuss it. Students will also have the ability to discuss their work in their supervisor’s office hours.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
1 x 6,000 word coursework essay (100%, assesses all ILO).
When assessment does not go to plan:
When a student fails the Supervised Individual Study and is eligible to resubmit, ordinarily, a revised version of the original Supervised Individual Study will be submitted. Where the student is required to take a supplementary year, a new topic and title must be chosen.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. LAWDM0184).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
