Perhaps you would like to conduct empirical legal research yourself. Or perhaps you're a PhD supervisor who wants to improve supervision of a thesis that is based (partly) on empirical research. Or you might be a lecturer who wants to incorporate empirical evidence and skills in your course. In all these cases, the ELS Atelier can offer insights and tools necessary to achieve your goals.

The empirical legal research cycle starts by formulating a research question. After designing the research and collecting data, you then proceed to writing an empirical legal article. By participating in the ELS Atelier you will learn how to go through this process under the supervision of a lecturer who is an expert in the field of the method you have chosen to use.

We offer a trajectory for qualitative methods (interviews) and a trajectory for quantitative methods (survey and experiment). The qualitative methods are taught by Jessie Pool and the quantitative methods are taught by Helen Pluut. The sessions will be held throughout the academic year 2023-2024, which allows you to make progress in your research in between sessions. All sessions will be held onsite (no hybrid option) and in English. There will be a weekly consultation hour for participants in the ELS Atelier to ask questions about their empirical research.

Program

	Qualitative methods			Quantitative methods
Session 1: Formulating empirical questions and/or hypotheses	Tue Oct 24, 2023	11:15-13:00	KOG, B0.35	Mon Oct 30, 2023	13:15-15:00	KOG, B0.20
Session 2: Research design  - Part I	Mon Dec 11, 2023	13:15-15:00	KOG, B0.32	Mon Dec 4, 2023	13:15-15:00	KOG, B0.20
Session 3: Research design  - Part II	Tue Jan 16, 2024	11:15-13:00	KOG, B0.32	Mon Jan 15, 2024	13:15-15:00	KOG, B0.20
Session 4: Workshop to design your own research (active skills track only)	Tue Feb 13, 2024	13:15-17:00	KOG, C0.22	Mon Feb 19, 2024	13:15-17:00	KOG, C.022
Session 5: Data collection	Mon Mar 4, 2024	13:15-15:00	KOG, C0.22	Tue Mar 12, 2024	11.15-13:00	KOG, C0.22
Session 6: Data analysis and reporting results	Tue Apr 9, 2024	11:15-13:00	KOG, C0.22	Tue Apr 23, 2024	11:15-13:00	KOG, C0.22
Session 7: Workshop to analyse your own data (active skills track only)	Mon Apr 29, 2024	13:15-17:00	KOG, C0.22	Tue May 14, 2024	13:15-17:00	KOG, B0.36
Session 8: Writing and publishing an empirical-legal paper	Thu Jun 13, 2024	15:15-17:00	KOG, C0.22	Tue Jun 11, 2024	15:15-17:00	KOG, C0.22

The ELS Atelier is particularly suitable for acquiring skills to help set up and conduct your own research project. The course comprises lectures and workshops – in the real sense of the word – where, in small groups with fellow legal scholars, you will actively set to work with your own research project. It is also possible to attend only the lectures. We call this the ‘passive skills’ track, which is essentially a light version of the full-blown ELS Atelier. This could be a good option if you don’t have your own research project, but are keen to gain basic knowledge about empirical research.