| Unit name | Supervised Individual Study (Socio-legal Studies) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWDM0109 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Katie Cruz |
| 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) |
LAWDM0084 and LAWDM0083 |
| 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 Unit (Socio-legal Studies) is part of the optional component of the MSc in Socio-legal Studies. The Unit allows you to deepen their understanding of a field of your own choosing by selecting one of the available LLM options, participate to their activities, and write a research coursework in its subject area. The students will thus have the opportunity either to engage with the specific topic they will address in their dissertation or simply to explore a field of study that they will elect as a complement to their MSc programme. As such, the Supervised Individual Study Unit grants the students the chance to tailor their MSc in line with their interests and inspiration, providing them with an individualised space dedicated to research freedom and curiosity. Please note that this Unit is specifically designed for students enrolled on the MSc in Socio-legal Studies and can only be taken by students enrolled on this programme.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The Supervised Individual Unit, being an optional Unit within the MSc in Socio-legal studies, is conceived to give you the faculty of designing your programme experience in light of your specific academic journey. As such, the unit gives you the responsibility, but, crucially, also the freedom, to choose an optional unit you believe will fit within your personal research interests. This unit represents an opportunity to deploy and refine your recently acquired research skills.
An overview of content
The aim of this Unit is to allow students to tailor their MSc programme to their academic and intellectual needs, making possible for them to choose from the wide array of LLM Units that the School of Law offers. As such, the content of the Supervised Individual Study Unit is not pre-ordained but depends on the choice of the student, who will have to consult the Specification for the elected Unit for further information.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
This unit will enable you to conduct individual study in a subject of your own choosing. More precisely, and independently from the selected option, by requiring the submission of a research coursework as summative, the unit will challenge you to engage with some of the methodological approaches you have studied in previous units, strengthening your research skills in view of the MSc Dissertation. Moreover, you, by selecting your own subject will shape the course of your own programme and address an areas of study that fits your intellectual and academic interests, a valuable experience for any future researcher.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the unit, a successful student will be able to:
The Unit will be delivered in accordance with the Unit Specification of the selected option with additional individual supervision with academic staff.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
The formative assessment will require the student to develop a summative question in partnership with the relevant LLM UC and the MSc Director, and to submit a 1,000 words narrative outline on the selected topic. Students will receive individual written feedback on their work. Additional formative opportunities will be available within the chosen unit, please see relevant unit specification for more information.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The summative assessment will consist of a coursework submission (4,000 words) which focuses on a topic developed by the student, with appropriate supervision, and in which the student deploys socio-legal research skills. This assessment covers all Intended Learning Outcomes for this unit.
When assessment does not go to plan:
Where a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, failed components will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis, with the student ordinarily permitted to submit revised work.
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. LAWDM0109).
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.
