Skip Navigation
Site Search

SEARCH  |  ADVANCED  |  A-Z

ABOUT PENN LAW   |   PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS   |   ACADEMICS   |   FACULTY   |   CROSS-DISCIPLINARY FOCUS   |   INTERNATIONAL   |   DEPARTMENTS & SERVICES   |   EVENTS   |   NEWSROOM

Empirical Research Workshop: Program

(Tentative Schedule)

INTRODUCTION TO EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
University of Pennsylvania Law School
Gittis Center for Clinical Legal Studies
and
The Association of American Law Schools, Bellow Scholars Group*

October 2 & 3, 2009
Levy Conference Center
Penn Law
Philadelphia, PA.

Friday, October 2
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. REGISTRATION AND BREAKFAST
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTION

Greetings – Michael A. Fitts, Dean, and Bernard G. Segal Professor of Law, Penn Law

Workshop Outline –Alan M. Lerner, Practice Professor of Law, Penn Law
9:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. INTRODUCTION TO EMPIRICAL RESEARCH METHODS

Moderator: Becky Sandefur, PhD, Assistant Professor of Sociology and (by courtesy) Law, and Director of the Co-terminal Master’s Program in Sociology at Stanford University.

Quantitative research – David S. Abrams, PhD, Assistant Professor of Law, Business, and Public Policy, Penn Law and Wharton, University of Pennsylvania Law School

Qualitative and Participatory Action research – Corey Shdaimah, LLM, PhD, Assistant Professor and Academic Coordinator, Joint MSW/JD Program, University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Mixed Methods in Empirical Research – Susan Kinnevy, PhD, Deputy Commissioner, Performance Management and Accountability, Philadelphia Department of Human Services.

Randomized Trials in the Context of Law Clinics and Legal Services – James Greiner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Law, Harvard Law School, Department Affiliate, Harvard Department of Statistics
11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Break
11:15 a.m. – 12:30 P.M. GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR EMPIRICAL RESEARCH PROJECT
Moderator – Rose Corrigan, PhD, Assistant Professor of Politics and Law, Earle Mack School of Law, Drexel University
12:30 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. LUNCH
1:45 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS (small groups of 10-15 participants)
Each workshop will be led by two “faculty” / “leaders”, one experienced researcher from the social sciences, and one clinical law professor or public interest lawyer, with experience in doing empirical research.
1:45 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. WORKSHOP A
3:00 P.M. – 3:15 P.M. Break
3:15 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. WORKSHOP B
DINNER – on your own

Saturday, October 3
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. BREAKFAST
9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. THE REAL PAYOFF: From Your Research Intuition to Scholarship and Policy Change
Moderator – Louis S. Rulli, Practice Professor of Law and Director of Clinical Programs, Penn Law
(The remainder of the morning will be devoted to small group workshops intended to have participants bring questions concerning their own empirical research projects, or ideas about research projects for discussion with faculty leaders and other participants. Questions might include, but not be limited to, How to frame the question that I want to ask, or hypothesis I want to test? What empirical method is best for my problem? What is an appropriate sample on which to conduct the research? How do I know if my results are meaningful? What “partners” will I need to complete this project, and where can I find them? What are the costs involved in doing this research, and where can I find the money? Etc.)
9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. WORKSHOP C
10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Break
10:45 a.m. – 12:30 P.M. WORKSHOP D
12:30 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. Closing Lunch

*This conference is made possible in part through the support of the AALS Section on Clinical Legal Education.