Third Annual Qualitative And Mixed-Methods Workshop at AALS 2015
(January 4-5, Washington, DC)

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Workshop Speakers:

John M. Conley, University of North Carolina School of Law
Bryant G. Garth, University of California, Irvine School of Law
Richard O. Lempert, The University of Michigan Law School
Ajay K. Mehrotra, Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Carole Silver, Northwestern University School of Law
Joyce S. Sterling, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
Tom Tyler, Yale Law School

The workshop provides an overview of qualitative and mixed research methods. Within “mixed” we include research that combines qualitative, quantitative and/or experimental methods to study law. No background in social science is required. The goals of the workshop are: 1) To provide guidance for law professors interested in drawing on qualitative, survey research and/or experimental social science studies pertinent to their research on law; and 2) To support law professors who seek to augment their scholarship by using interviews, observation, historical data, language analysis, or mixed methods. This year’s workshop will have a particular emphasis on designing and performing interview studies.The workshop is divided into four sessions: (1) an introductory session that covers how to define a research question and how to match a research question to an appropriate set of methods (this includes quantitative and experimental methods as well as qualitative methods) (3 hours); (2) a working lunch session during which speakers will address specific methodological issues that arise in ethnography, survey design, language analysis, and historical research (1 hour); (3) a session explaining how to design and carry out interview studies, with some accompanying discussion of case studies and ethnographic research (3 hours); and (4) a final session during which workshop faculty will discuss issues involved in analysis and write-up of qualitative research, along with time devoted to questions raised by this year’s workshop participants (3 hours). Participants are not required to have any specific equipment or preparation.