Disserted

The Secrets of Writing a First-Class LL.B Dissertation

Dunia Zongwe

• Publisher: Langaa RPCIG
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN:
  9789956553891
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9789956553181
• Topic: Law
• Subtopic: Education General
• Index: Law

Disserted is a groundbreaking, comprehensive book that guides LL.B students on how to craft a first-class dissertation. It tackles head-on the triple crisis faced by law students in developing nations - a crisis of doubting, thinking, and writing This crisis manifests itself in the form of poorly written dissertations.
This is the first book to show how to practically assemble a dissertation from the perspective of decoloniality. This makes Disserted uniquely suited to students from the Global South, considering that decoloniality empowers them to overcome the triple crisis. Indeed, its originality in presenting practical advice and decolonial theory sets this book apart from the handful of guides on LL.B dissertations. Existing resources and manuals are filled with generalities and lack in practicality.
Written in student-friendly prose, its 23 chapters cover a wide range of topics. including research proposals, topic selection, purpose and problem statements. literature reviews, digital tools and models powered by artificial intelligence (AI), the basics of legal prompt engineering, plagiarism, grammar, and research methods. Each chapter offers secrets and deep insights, drawing from the author's extensive experience in supervising LL.B dissertations and research papers, notably in Southern Africa and India.
Though primarily targeting LL.B students, Disserted also serves as an essential companion and indispensable resource for supervisors, law professors, jurists, and anyone interested in unraveling the complexities of writing dissertations. Overall, Disserted underscores the importance of structured dissertation writing coupled with a decolonized research approach that subverts dominant perspectives, exposes the role of Al and technology in entrenching the coloniality of knowledge, and fosters a broader understanding of law.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• About the Author
• Contents
• Before I start…
• Chapter 1 - Let’s get started!
• Chapter 2 - The obstacles you’ll face at your university
• Chapter 3 - Your research proposal: your dissertation roadmap
• Chapter 4 - Find a topic
• Chapter 5 - What you should expect from your supervisor
• Chapter 6 - Formulate the general purpose and design your dissertation
• Chapter 7 - What problems does your dissertation address?
• Chapter 8 - Which theory informs your approach to the main problem?
• Chapter 9 - Survey the literature
• Chapter 10 - Use the Internet and digital tools
• Chapter 11 - Chat out your research (prompt engineering)
• Chapter 12 - Decolonize your mind
• Chapter 13 - Put forth strong arguments or hypotheses
• Chapter 14 - Tell me what makes your research significant
• Chapter 15 - Which methods will you use?
• Chapter 16 - Structure your dissertation
• Chapter 17 - Your chapters
• Chapter 18 - Write clearly
• Chapter 19 - Follow the rules of grammar
• Chapter 20 - Cite, cite, cite… and avoid plagiarism
• Chapter 21 - Format the text and set the layout
• Chapter 22 - Manage your time effectively
• Chapter 23 - And before you go…
• Back cover