The science of law, wrote Hans Kelsen, "is a science that has existed, as a historical fact, for more than two thousand years" and it is no coincidence that legal studies were at the origin of some of the oldest universities in the world.

Strengthened by a series of principles that have been consolidated over the course of this millennial history, the science of law must nevertheless be able to evolve together with its object of study—the law—in response to changing cultural, economic, material, technological and social contexts in which human communities live and develop.

Today more than ever, in a world where many of these changes have accelerated at a pace unknown to past generations, those who undertake research in the legal field must be able, on the one hand, to recognise the fundamental and essential methodological assumptions of legal science in its various forms and, on the other hand, to adapt, where necessary, their working methods to changing circumstances and the availability of new technologies, without ever losing sight, however, of the primarily human dimension of both legal phenomena and the reasoning and argumentation skills that are required in this field even more than in other fields of study.

The common teaching course on Legal Research Method aims to provide doctoral students with an overview of legal science that also takes into account the specificities of different areas of legal research, not least with the aim of facilitating informed interdisciplinary dialogue, the fundamental concepts for developing a critical awareness of the epistemological status of their own research, a series of practical guidelines, including in relation to the critical use of AI tools for research, which can help them to initiate and develop their own research in ways that combine methodological rigorousness with the ability to use advanced research tools and to propose original and innovative perspectives and contributions in their field of study.
The course includes a first lecture dedicated to reflecting on the epistemological status and methodological specificities of legal science, including a brief comparison of the different research perspectives that can be adopted in legal studies. This will be followed by two practical lectures on how to initiate and write a doctoral thesis in law and a lecture specifically dedicated to the use of AI tools in law. In the remaining lectures, expert lecturers from the main areas of legal research will illustrate the specific features that characterise the research method in their respective fields of study, not only to better guide doctoral students in each field, but also and primarily to encourage dialogue and possible interdisciplinary interactions in the development of research paths.