Tamy Al Saad
Graduated from the master's programme in 2021. Interviewed during her third semester of the master's programme.
What is your academic background?
I studied International Politics and Economics at the University West, in Trollhättan (Sweden).
What made you choose the Master’s Programme in Sociology of Law?
I have always been interested in studying law however I did not want to do a pure law degree so when I came across the Master’s Programme in Sociology of Law, it caught my interest since it looked at how law is applied, its effects, as well as how law interacts in different social contexts.
What do you think about the programme so far?
Coming from a background in political science, the field of sociology of law was new to me since I had not done sociology or law before. But I think that is what attracted me to this program, the fact that it is different and interdisciplinary.
Generally, the programme puts a lot of responsibility on the individual to complete different assignments but provides the materials needed to do so. Most of the skills you gain are theoretical, so it is what you make of it, but we have the third semester to choose what we want to do. One could gain practical skills through for example doing an internship.
I would say that sociology of law is still a very broad education, just like political science. In that way, it does give you a lot of options for the future.
What did you choose to do for the third semester?
I am doing an internship at the Department of Sociology of Law with senior lecturer Anna Sonander. We are working on a project concerning crime prevention and safety in schools in Sweden. I am very excited to work on this project and interested in doing a PhD after. With this internship, I hope to see what it’s like to do research, see if I like it, and from there decide if I want to pursue a PhD or not.
What would you be interested in researching?
For my bachelor thesis, I studied racism and alt-right media. I enjoyed doing research for my bachelor on that topic and I could consider doing research on racism from a legal perspective for my master thesis however, I have not yet found my research area of interest. As I am reading more and more on the topic of crime prevention and safety in schools I am finding it to be a very interesting area of research that I could consider for the future.
Why should one study the Master’s Programme in Sociology of Law?
The programme is very focused on research. For example, we’ve done peer review and many small research projects. In that way, it is good if you are interested in research.