Course summary

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2023). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas. The Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree entails the carrying out of a research project and writing a thesis of between 75,000 and 100,000 words. The thesis must make a significant and substantial contribution to the field of socio-legal studies. You will be expected to develop a topic that contributes to an understanding of law in society, drawing on empirical data, to a greater or lesser degree, and adopting theoretical and analytic perspectives from any social science discipline, or a combination of disciplinary perspectives. During the first year you will attend weekly seminars convened by members of staff at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS) on ‘Theory and Methods in Socio-Legal Research’. Part-time students will be able to tailor their study and methods training in liaison with their supervisor, and may attend the seminars over a two-year period. The seminars are intended to develop an appreciation of law as a social phenomenon, to introduce various theoretical perspectives and to consider the variety of practical empirical techniques by which research questions may be addressed. Throughout the course, 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. Part-time attendance details 1. As a part-time student you will be required to attend 18 two-hour seminars in Theory and Methods, each followed by a 90 minute research seminar, in Oxford over the course of two years. There is some flexibility in the pattern of attendance, which will be determined by mutual agreement with your supervisor. 2. You should expect to attend regular supervision sessions in Oxford throughout the first two years of the DPhil and thereafter in person or online as agreed with your supervisor. 3. You should expect to spend, on average, the equivalent of 50% of a working week on your doctoral studies over the course of at least six years.