MPhil in Socio-Legal Research

University of Oxford

The MPhil in Socio-Legal Research is a one-year research master’s degree offered by the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS). It can either serve as a qualification in its own right or as a route into the Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree, including the DPhil in Socio-Legal Studies.

The course normally takes place over a full academic year (October to September). You will attend weekly seminars convened by senior members of staff at the CSLS on ‘Theory and Methods in Socio-Legal Research’, mainly during your first two terms. This is intended to develop your appreciation of law as a social phenomenon, to introduce various theoretical perspectives and to consider the variety of empirical techniques by which research questions may be addressed.

You will be able to take part in an extensive range of seminar programmes and discussion groups, affording plentiful opportunities for interaction both with your peers and with academics working in the same or similar research areas. But you can expect to spend the majority of your time working on your own research project.

The CSLS community is vibrant. Members convene research seminars, workshops, book colloquia, and an annual Socio- Legal Lecture. In addition to participating in these academic events, our students have initiated and run their own Socio-Legal Discussion Group, along with other, more specialist events. All these events bring staff and students together to exchange ideas, to meet visiting speakers and to engage in discussion of a variety of socio-legal issues. You will receive multiple opportunities to gain experience of presenting and discussing your work in progress.