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Pursuing a Doctorate: From Application to Publication

Pursuing a Doctorate: From Application to Publication

A Day-Long Workshop Sponsored by the
Hauser Global Law School Program at New York University School of Law

Friday, November 4, 2005
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Lester Pollack Colloquium Room, Furman Hall, 9th Floor, 245 Sullivan Street, New York, NY

Program Information

Unlike graduate programs in the humanities and social sciences, law schools do not prepare students for the process of conducting systematic research and writing a dissertation. The question of legal methodology is barely raised; most of the time, the only method even implicitly learned is that which is designed to answer the practical question, "What is the law?" It is not surprising that the casualty rate—completing a dissertation the quality of which is well below the potential of the student, or failure to complete the dissertation altogether—is very high both in Europe and the U.S.

This workshop focuses mainly on the process of writing a successful legal dissertation but includes such topics as defining valid research questions, understanding the difference between a work plan and an outline, examining the relationship between research questions and methodology, and the like.

The workshop also addresses more pragmatic issues for future applications to doctoral programs, such as: the decision to pursue doctoral studies; how one prepares a dissertation proposal for the application to a doctoral program; how much one needs to read before beginning to write; possible remedies for writers' block; different models of supervision and the ups and downs of the relationship with the supervisor; editing a dissertation; the transformation of dissertation to book; and the job market. Lunch is provided as well as light refreshments throughout the day. The following is the schedule of the event's sessions:

Session 1: Concepts

  • Doctoral Casualties: A Taxonomy
  • The Purposes of a Doctoral Dissertation: Why do it? Who should do it? Who should not do it? When to quit?
  • Finding a Subject: The Issue of Valid Research Questions.
  • Understanding the Methodology Issue in a Legal Doctoral Program
  • Law Books and Books about the Law
  • Law Books: An Original Doctrinal Study – Is It Possible?
  • Books about the Law: The Variety of Scholarship in Contemporary Legal Science: Law and Economics; Law and Culture; Legal Sociology and Sociology of Law; Legal History and Historiography; Legal Theory; Impact Studies; Feminist, Marxist, Liberal Interpretations et cetera
  • Comparative Law – Approaches and Pitfalls

Session 2: Methods

  • Research Questions and Methodology in Practice
  • The Difference between a Work Plan and an Outline
  • How Much Do I Need to Read? When to Stop: Broad Reading and Focused Reading
  • Writers' Block and How to Overcome It
  • Taking Notes and Bibliographies
  • Good Working Habits: How much to work? Other Commitments; Keeping up with the Rest of the Field; Part Time Doctoral Work
  • From Outline to Text: Time Planning and Editing
  • The Psychology of Writing a Doctoral Dissertation: Typical Crises: Self-Doubt; Second Year Blues; "Someone else has just published a book on my topic!" 
  • Relationship with Supervisor: How much supervision? Problems of Indifference; Problems of Ideological Coercion; Sexual Harassment; Changing a Supervisor.
  • Defense
  • Publication

Session 3: Selecting a Program

  • European National Universities; The European University in Florence
  • Studying in the United States – Why, Where and How
  • Preparing an Application

Session 4: The Job Market

The sessions are conducted by Professor Joseph Weiler, University Professor, New York University and Joseph Straus Professor of Law and European Union Jean Monnet Chair at NYU School of Law. Other faculty, administrators, and J.S.D. graduates also provided information and perspectives.

Professor Weiler is the Chair and Faculty Director of the Hauser Global Law School Program and Director of the Jean Monnet Center for International and Regional Economic Law & Justice at NYU, as well as Faculty Director of the J.S.D. Program at NYU School of Law. He served as Head of the Law Department at the European University Institute in Florence, a department focused entirely on research and doctoral studies, from which he received his Ph.D. Professor Weiler also served as Chair of the Graduate Program at the University of Michigan Law School and as Co-Chair of the Graduate Program at Harvard Law School.

A registration fee per participant is charged.