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4. LLM SEMINAR COURSESLL.M. HANDBOOK 2011-2012Seminar thesis word limit: 18,000 wordsDeadline for seminar thesis submission: 12 noon on Tuesday 1 May2012IntroductionCertain LLM courses operate in a seminar format. The objective in such courses is to offerstudents the opportunity to undertake a substantial research and writing project under thepersonal guidance of a supervisor but within the framework of a structured course. Someformal instruction will be provided, especially at the start of each course. However, withinthe framework of the published syllabus the research projects of the participating studentswill be the focus of each course, with special emphasis on presentations made byparticipants, and on discussion by the group.Writing a thesis as part of a seminar course offers many of the same opportunities andadvantages as writing a thesis in lieu of a lecture course.However, the seminar format makes this option especially appropriate for:• Those with less prior knowledge of the topics being covered in a particular course• Those who prefer a more structured format when working on a major researchprojectThe key elements of the LLM seminar courses are:‣ That students have the opportunity to undertake independent but structured research‣ That they may learn from each other, by mutual discussion of presentations made byeach student‣ That they will receive guidance in their research from the course lecturers (includingfeedback on their presentation) throughout the year‣ That they will be guided in their work by a designated supervisorStructure of Seminar CoursesThe seminar options allow students to produce a self-standing piece of research within thecontext of the seminar paper, presenting their work to the class. An important feature of theseminar courses is their flexibility. For administrative reasons all seminar courses share acommon timetable and basic structure. They are also subject to the same rules concerningthe assessment of candidates, but seminar leaders are encouraged to adapt their coursesto suit the subject matter of their course and the size of the class.It is possible that a class may not meet each week in Michaelmas Term, especially early inthe term, but lecturers may choose to allow students time for personal research, and usethe class time to meet with students individually.41