Research and Thesis Law and Technology in Europe

Course goals

After the Research and Thesis Trajectory:

• the student has in-depth knowledge and understanding of a subject of choice in the area of law covered by the programme Law and Technology in Europe;
• the student can independently acquire existing academic knowledge in a sound ethical and methodological manner, can value them, to critically reflect on them, and to systematically process and organise them, regardless of whether the sources of that knowledge are available in Dutch or in English;
• the student is able, independently, to critically analyse and value written or verbal arguments of others, among other things by examining the arguments in relation to the generally accepted knowledge and understanding of the issue in question;
• the student can adopt a substantiated position in the ongoing public debate about the development of a subject of choice in the area of law covered by the programme European Law  and in that respect, demonstrates that they are aware of the effect and the limits of the law and of multidimensional and international aspects that play a role in the formation of laws and law enforcement;
• the student can communicate knowledge, ideas, solutions and conclusions, as well as the arguments, motives and considerations underlying them, to a public of specialists and non-specialists in an understandable, structured, correct and convincing manner in a written thesis;
• the student can reflect on his/her own (professional) performance.

Content

The thesis crowns the master program. It is an individual legal  research project carried out under the supervision of a lecturer. The thesis is evaluated by this supervisor and a second reader.
While the actual thesis is normally written at the end of the master programme (period 4), preparatory work has to be done from the very start of the programme, so as to maximize the chances of a successful outcome. To this effect, a research-based masters thesis trajectory (OST) will be organized from period 1 onwards.  This OST involves the organization of classes on methodology and writing, and the forming of peer groups that allow students to fine-tune their problem statement, research question(s), and approach (periods 1-2). The OST is partly integrated as a module in the capita selecta course; in this  module, the student has to produce a research proposal for which (s)he receives a pass/fail grade (period 3). 
The thesis must be written in English. The thesis should be between 12.500 and 20.000 words.
The thesis will be assessed and graded on the basis of its contents (research question, argumentation, structure, legal content) and lay-out (style and general presentation, including clarity of the text, language and grammar). The assessment also takes dedication and independence into consideration. The final version of the thesis will also be assessed by a second lecturer. The supervisor will determine the final grade after consulting the second lecturer.