POL S 565: Special Topics: Researching Comparative & International Legal Institutions
This is a PhD level course and can be applied to the course requirements for the following fields in the Political Science Department: comparative politics and public law. It also fulfills course requirements for the LSJ Grad Certificate Program.
This course provides an advanced exploration of the theory, methods and empirical innovations in the study of comparative and international legal institutions. The course is both comparative and international in its scope. The course also places an emphasis on research and grant writing skills through a hands-on examination of doctoral dissertation research grants funded through the National Science Foundation.
The course is open to graduate students at all stages of the program. It is never to early to start thinking about dissertation grants.
Examining and researching comparative and international legal institutions: The interaction between law, courts and politics is increasingly gaining attention amongst comparative politics and international relations scholars. Similarly, public law scholars are beginning to open their eyes to the world beyond the United States and the U.S. Supreme Court. Drawing from public law, comparative politics, international relations and law & society scholarship, we will critically examine the alleged utility of various theories and methodology for conducting research and collecting data on comparative and international legal systems and institutions. We will also explore the growing number of databases and datasets available. The course will discuss research drawing from a wide array of geographical settings and substantive areas of law including human rights, environmental protection and trade to name a few.
Acquiring grant writing skills: The course also places a strong emphasis on research and grant writing skills. Students will have the opportunity to read and examine successful NSF Doctoral Dissertation grants and receive instruction and feedback on all parts of the grant writing process. The final project in the course is a 10 page single spaced grant proposal based on student’s current or future doctoral research interests.