The Research Methods Workshop is a mandatory course for SPILS Fellows as part of the program's core curriculum. Its main offers students an interdisciplinary perspective about socio-legal research, and a general introduction to different research tools for designing and implementing their individual thesis projects.
During the semester, students work toward the completion of a detailed research plan intended to serve as a framework for their thesis. As a requirement for this course, students are expected to prepare and submit several assignments on the different stages of their research projects, from the selection of their topic and formulation of the research questions, to the description of specify key aspects of the research design, including the research population, research and analytic approach, data sources, and for primary research, data collection strategies. The course is graded on a mandatory 3K basis.