A Master’s thesis is a scientific research project of limited scale that is intended to exhibit the student’s capacity to work independently and carry out research. The intension of the thesis is to make a genuine contribution of new knowledge, written in the genre of scientific research.

The course involves students independently designing and completing a research project within the discipline of sociology of law. The student is to identify a relevant issue from within the discipline, select methods, collect and process empirical material, select theoretical points of departure, analyze this material and present findings in both written and oral form.

The degree project is carried out under the supervision of a tutor who is assigned to the student by the Sociology of Law Department. The supervisor advises the student and gives his/her viewpoints on the planning of the project, its execution and the presentation of its findings. At the same time, however, the work is an independent project and the student is responsible for the completion of the project. The completed degree project is reviewed and discussed at a seminar.

On completion of the course students should be able to

• demonstrate specialised knowledge of foundations in the theory of science, and research issues, theories and methods in the sociology of law
• demonstrate a critical and scholarly approach to knowledge, learning and the coreareas of the sociology of law: the norms and legal regulation of society
• independently formulate and investigate issues in the sociology of law and address them by means of theory and abstract reasoning
• be able to summarise, critically review, assess and provide constructive feedback onthe research processes and completed investigations of othersbe
• reflect on the research process

Entry requirements

To be eligible for the course the student must have at least a Bachelor’s degree including three semesters (90 credits) of studies in sociology of law or another subject of relevance to the course, e.g. sociology, law, political science, social work, or the equivalent. The students must also have at least 30 second-cycle credit in sociology of law theory or the equivalent and at least 15 second-cycle credits in social science methodology and/or in the theory of science.

Syllabus for Master's (One Year) Thesis (pdf, new tab)