NRE3245

Environmental Law

Online Version

Syllabus – Summer Session 12016

Excluding materials for purchase, syllabus information may be subject to change. The most up-to-date syllabus is located within the course in HuskyCT.

Program Information

Open to juniors or higher

Course and Instructor Information

Course Title: Environmental Law

Credits: 3

Format: online

Prerequisites: none

Professor: Dr. Jason Vokoun

Email:

Telephone: 860-486-0141

Office Hours/Availability: Wednesdays 1-4pm I will be generally available for phone calls, emails will be responded to by 5pm the next weekday, if not sooner.

Course Materials

Required course materials should be obtained before the first day of class.

Texts are available through a local or online bookstore. The UConn Co-op carries many materials that can be shipped via its online Textbooks To Go service. For more information, see Textbooks and Materials on ourEnrolled Studentspage.

Required Materials:

ISBN 978-0-13-307528-1

Kubasek, N.K., and G.S. Silverman. 2014. Environmental Law, 8th Edition. Pearson Education, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts.

Additional course readings and media are available within HuskyCT, through either an Internet link or Library Resources

Course Description

This course provides an overview of environmental law, appropriate for diverse undergraduate majors in which understanding how the United States of America attempts to protect and manage its environment is beneficial. It will also serve well those undergraduates thinking about law school. The course requires no pre-existing legal training or knowledge and early topics in the course are aimed at developing legal understanding and vocabulary. Emphasis will be on federal, state, and municipal programs addressing clear air, clean water, hazardous waste, public lands, inland wetlands, coastal zone management, forests, fisheries and wildlife including endangered species, and soil and aquifer protection.

Course Objectives

By the end of the session, students should be able to:

  1. Identify the purpose, intent and administrative execution of the major federal environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, NEPA, CERCLA (Superfund), and the Endangered Species Act, among others.
  2. Discuss how federal, state and municipal governments generate and enforce environmental laws.
  3. Analyze significant cases in environmental law.
  4. Deconstruct complex environmental disputes to rationalize a legal opinion.
  5. Attribute proper legal precedents and principles to environmental disputes.

Course Outline (and Calendar if Applicable)

The course is delivered in weekly modules for each of the 5 weeks of the summer session.

Module (week) 1: American Legal System; The Litigation Process; Administrative Law

Module (week) 2: Environmental Law and Policy; Air Quality Control; Water Quality Control

Module (week) 3: Toxic Substances; Waste Management, Hazardous Releases; Energy

Module (week) 4: Natural Resources; International Law

Module (week) 5: Case Briefs and Final Exam

Course Requirements and Grading

Summary of Course Grading:

Course Components / Weight
Quizzes (4) / 40%(10% each)
Online Discussions / 10%
Assignments (activities/briefs) / 10%
Case Decision/Opinion (2) / 20%(10% each)
Final Exam / 20%

Quizzes

Quizzes are directly related to the assigned chapters in the textbook for each of the first four modules. Quizzes consist of multiple choice, true or false, and fill-in-the blank questions and are intended to document student learning of course-related vocabulary, usages of the US legal system in environmental disputes, knowledge of the major US environmental laws, and the administrative execution of environmental regulation by levels of government. Quiz attempts are time-limited to 35 minutes and you are given the option to retake each quiz once prior to the due date to improve your grade.

Online Discussions

The online discussions provide opportunities for students to interact and expand their thinking based on peer contributions. WANT TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT GOOD POSTINGS AND MAYBE LINK TO A RUBRIC.

Assignments

Within the modules are various assignments that range from building a flow chart, to developing case briefs for prominent, precedent-setting environmental course cases. These require uploading the assignment to an assignment link found within the module and under the assignments label in the course menu.

Case Decision/Legal Opinion

Students will assume the role of judge and compose decisions in the general style of a legal opinion. Students will be given a hypothetical case related to real contemporary legal issue, and will work through provided related materials prior to rendering a written decision.

Final Exam

The final exam will utilize the class set of case briefs developed by you and your classmates. From the legal precedents and principles evoked in the cases briefed, students will answer in short essay format, questions centered on four hypothetical scenarios using the briefed cases as warranted. Students will discern the permissible, legal courses of action for each dispute.

Grading Scale:

Undergrad

Grade / Letter Grade / GPA
93-100 / A / 4.0
90-92 / A- / 3.7
87-89 / B+ / 3.3
83-86 / B / 3.0
80-82 / B- / 2.7
77-79 / C+ / 2.3
73-76 / C / 2.0
70-72 / C- / 1.7
67-69 / D+ / 1.3
63-66 / D / 1.0
60-62 / D- / 0.7
<60 / F / 0.0

Due Dates and Late Policy

All course due dates are identified in the course schedule. Deadlines are based on Eastern Standard Time; if you are in a different time zone, please adjust your submittal times accordingly. The instructor reserves the right to change dates accordingly as the semester progresses. All changes will be communicated in an appropriate manner.

Because the summer session is short (only 5 weeks in length) and courses move fast, late assignments are particularly troublesome. Late submissions essentially steal time from the next assignment and can create a stressful session. Acknowledging this, the late assignment policy in this course is also short: assignments received within 24 hrs following the stated due date and time will be docked 10% from the earned grade and assignments received beyond 24 hrs after the stated due date and time will receive an F (i.e., a perfect 100% score will be docked down to 59%, a 90% to a 53%, etc.)

Feedback and Grades

I will make every effort to provide feedback and grades in a timely manner, and expect to be able to post grades by 5:00 on the Tuesday of the following week. To keep track of your performance in the course, refer to My Grades in HuskyCT.

Student Responsibilities and Resources

As a member of the University of Connecticut student community, you are held to certain standards and academic policies. In addition, there are numerous resources available to help you succeed in your academic work. Review these important standards, policies and resources, which include:

  • The Student Code
  • Academic Integrity
  • Resources on Avoiding Cheating and Plagiarism
  • Copyrighted Materials
  • Netiquette and Communication
  • Adding or Dropping a Course
  • Academic Calendar
  • Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment and Inappropriate Romantic Relationships
  • Sexual Assault Reporting Policy

Students with Disabilities

Students needing special accommodations should work with the University's Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD). You may contact CSD by calling (860) 486-2020 or by emailing . If your request for accommodation is approved, CSD will send an accommodation letter directly to your instructor(s) so that special arrangements can be made. (Note: Student requests for accommodation must be filed each semester.)

Blackboard measures and evaluates accessibility using two sets of standards: the WCAG 2.0 standards issued by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act issued in the United States federal government.” (Retrieved March 24, 2013 from Blackboard's website)

Software Requirements

The technical requirements for this course include:

  • Word processing software
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader
  • Reliable internet access

Help

Technical and Academic Help provides a guide to technical and academic assistance.

This course is completely facilitated online using the learning management platform, HuskyCT. If you have difficulty accessing HuskyCT, you have access to the in person/live person support options available during regular business hours through HuskyTech. You also have 24x7 Course Support including access to live chat, phone, and support documents.

Minimum Technical Skills

To be successful in this course, you will need the following technical skills:

  • Use electronic mail with attachments.
  • Save files in commonly used word processing program formats.
  • Copy and paste text, graphics or hyperlinks.
  • Work within two or more browser windows simultaneously.
  • Open and access PDF files.

University students are expected to demonstrate competency in Computer Technology. Explore the Computer Technology Competencies page for more information.

Evaluation of the Course

Students will be provided an opportunity to evaluate instruction in this course using the University's standard procedures, which are administered by theOffice of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (OIRE).

Additional informal formative surveys may also be administered within the course as an optional evaluation tool.