LAW 1099: Empirical Analysis and The Law
Spring 2021 • Section 21 • CRN 45621

Course Description

In many areas of law and law-making, attorneys are increasingly called upon to evaluate and present empirical evidence to support their claims. Fortunately, the majority of empirical research today uses only a handful of research methods. In this seminar, you will learn about these methods and the types of legal questions that they can address. The goal of this seminar is not to equip students to become producers of empirical research, but rather, to help students become better consumers of empirical research and in so doing, build an important set of skills for legal practice. There is no special preparation or background in empirical methods is necessary for this course.

This course will not require you to produce your own empirical research. For example, we will not cover methods of collecting data or coding. Rather, class time and assignments will be primarily devoted to: (1) understanding the intuitions behind the most widely-used empirical methods in law, and (2) giving you the tools you need to be able to read empirical work with a critical eye, including basic literacy in statistics.

Book List/Materials