Social Science and Legal Research: What Mixed Methods Approaches Suggest For the Future of Media Law & Health Policy

Date/Time
Date(s) - 02/19/2016
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm

Does hateful speech on the Internet necessarily result in harmful action? Do First Amendment allowances for pornography encourage risky sexual behavior?

On Friday, Feb. 19, the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy will host an interdisciplinary lunch open to faculty and graduate students from across the UNC system. Dr. Francesca Dillman Carpentier and Ph.D. students Brooks Fuller and Kyla Garrett from the UNC School of Media and Journalism will discuss  mixed methods approaches to studying the intersection of First Amendment law, media effects and health policy.

Together, social science and legal research have a long but complicated history. The use and persuasive power of social science research has met with mixed results in the courtroom, particularly as judges attempt to resolve cases using purportedly generalizable scientific findings. Social science research has also shaped media law policy. This talk will explore the complicated relationship between social science research and law, review its origins and share future research opportunities, especially those that draw on mixed methodologies. Dr. Dillman Carpentier will lead the talk on mixed methods research in this area, followed by discussion about legal and health policy research from Brooks Fuller and Kyla Garrett.

Examples of mixed method media law research in recent years:

• David Ardia & Anne Klinefelter, Privacy and Court Records: An Empirical Study
• Clay Calvert, Matthew D. Bunker & Kimberly Bissell, Social Science, Media Effects & The Supreme Court: Is Communication Research Relevant After Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association?

RSVP