Course Level

intermediate - advanced / 3rd - 4th year

Course Language

English

Course Classification

This is not a Themis course. However, it can still be taken by Themis students under the general course-selection rule that one of the courses can be chosen from the general course offer outside the Themis course programme.

Teaching Mode

face-to-face teaching

ECTS-credits

5 (if course has been attended regularly and exam has been passed)

Frequency

The course will take place in the winter semester 2026-27.

Time Schedule and Course Venue

please see our electronic course catalogue

Course Content

Empirical legal studies (ELS) has become an established part of legal scholarship. Legal scholarship often involves explicit or implicit empirical assumptions about human behavior, social reality, or the working of the legal system. ELS investigates such claims, complementing and supporting doctrinal and comparative scholarship, legal policy, and critical engagement with law. Using empirical methods can help scholars evaluate the empirical premises of their research through a shared toolbox and vocabulary.

ELS is highly versatile. It can analyze the causal influence of legal norms on human behavior to evaluate them against their purpose or a broader social objective. It can assess how “law in action” differs from “law on the books” or how the legal system interacts with structures of power and social inequality. The methods adopted in ELS differ, among other things, in whether they adopt quantitative, qualitative, or mixed approaches. Quantitative methods involve statistical analysis of existing or self-collected, well-defined data. Qualitative methods such as structured interviews or text analysis often require a more interpretive approach to gathering and evaluating data.

The seminar offers a hands-on introduction to ELS through the discussion of current empirical research papers presented by guest speakers. For each paper, the seminar features two sessions. In the first, the instructors introduce the background, motivation, and methodology of the paper. In the second, the author presents her work and “meets her critics.”

Restricted Enrollment

no (that means that everyone who signs up for this course in time can take part in this course)

Course Registration

It is not possible to sign up for this course via Campus Management.. Please send an email to Ms. Jenichen, sekrengert@zedat.fu-berlin.de, stating your full name, student ID number, and stating your student status "exchange student"

De-Registration from this Course

via e-mail to Ms. Jenichen, sekrengert@zedat.fu-berlin.de AND to the International Office at the Law Department

regular drop period: 1 October 2026, 9 a.m. - 30 October 2026 (midnight)

After the regular drop period you can only drop this course with a valid cause until 14 days prior to the exam. Please contact the International Office at the Law Department if you have to use this option.

Type of Exam

For the preparatory sessions and the presentations, students must read the corresponding research papers. For each paper, three students will be assigned to prepare short comments in English. Comments will be delivered in the preparatory session and subsequently—in light of the discussion—after the presentation by the guest speaker.

Grades are based on a 15-page academic essay elaborating on the student’s comment, possibly extending it to other aspects of the paper. Students may also choose to cover up to two additional papers from the course in their essay. The essay may be written in German or English; it must be in English.

Registration for the Exam

Students will automatically be registered for the exam when they sign up for this course.

De-Registration from the Exam

Students who drop this course via Campus Management are automatically de-registered from the exam. Students who do not drop this course via Campus Management and do not take the exam, are going to finish this course with a non-passing grade (0 points).

Grade Release

via Campus Management