Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy
Environmental law may be the one institution standing between us and planetary exhaustion. It is also an institution that needs to be reconciled with human liberty and economic aspirations. This course considers these issues and provides a tour though existing legal regimes governing pollution, water law, endangered species, toxic substances, environmental impact analyses, and environmental risk.Note: The Environmental Law & Policy Course will close for new learner enrollment on February 22, 2019. Learners who have already enrolled will continue to see it on their Coursera Dashboard as long as they remain enrolled in the course. If you are currently enrolled in this course, please see the announcement sent on February 19, 2019, for additional details.
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Syllabus
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week 1
Common-Law Approaches to Environmental Problems
Week 2
Property and the Environment
Week 3
Two Famous Statutory Programs: Environmental Impact Analysis and Endangered-Species Protection
Week 4
Risk Analysis and Toxic Substances: Pesticides, Trade Disputes over Synthetic Hormones, and the Cleanup of Contaminated Sites
Week 5
Environmental Justice, Water Pollution, Claims to a Human Right to Drinking Water, Fracking, and Insights from an Economic Model of Regulatory Cost-Effectiveness
Week 6
Pollution, Climate Change and Course Conclusion
(Optional) Research Exercise
FAQ
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Reviews
This course was well organized and highlighted the most influential environmental law cases in the US. It would be great if the course could be updated to reflect the recent COP21-Paris Agreement
Very informative course! I had fun learning the subject due to the teacher being so fun! Highly recommend this course if you're interested in learning about environmental law from the very basics!
This course is a great introduction to positive environmental law. The only area that I think that there could be room for improvement on is that I wish that there were more written assignments.
This course had me glued, the material and cases were very intertesting. If youre looking to get into law and want an introduction this is perfect! I feel like i am ready for the courtroom already
