2013 Course Descriptions and Schedule

10:00 to 12:30 PM
Tu., May 28 - Th., May 30
Mon., June 3 - Th., June 6
Mon., June 10 - Th. June 13
(3 week course)

International Institutions and Environmental Protection (2 credits)
Professors David Hunter

This course surveys international institutions, such as the World Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme, and how their policies and activities promote or impede environmental protection and sustainable development.

Exam: It is a take-home exam that consists of specific short-answer essay questions.

6:00 to 9:00 PM
Mon., June 3 - Th, June 6
(1 week course)

Development Finance and the Environment (1 credit)
Professor Charles Di Leva

This course will examine the roles and responsibilities of international financial institutions toward the environment. Examination will begin by identifying different types of financial institutions and the types of financial instruments and flows that can impact on the environment, both positively and, if not done properly, negatively. Examination will focus on the types of policies and procedures that these institutions use to address environmental and social issues, and how they relate to compliance and accountability. Review will also include discussion of how institutions support the aims of multilateral environmental agreements. The principal focus will be the institutions of the World Bank Group, but will also include consideration of private sector financial institutions and other multilateral and bilateral organizations. The class will work through a practical example of how and what types of environmental and social policies should be applied to a large scale infrastructure project.

2:00 to 5:00 PM
Tu., May 28 - Fri., May 31
(1 week course)

This course explores Congress's impact on U.S. environmental laws, with an emphasis on the law-making processes and practices relating to the enactment of federal environmental law, and Congress's response to current substantive issues related to the environment.

Exam: Take Home

6:00 to 9:00 PM
Mon., May 28 - Fri., May 31
(1 week course)

International Business and Environment (1 credit)
Professor Jackson Morrill & Russ LaMotte

This course surveys the current treaties, standards, and institutions that affect the environmental aspects of international business.

2:00 to 4:30 PM
Mon., June 10 - Fri., June 14
(1 week course)

European Union and Climate Change (1 credit)
Professor Nuno Lacasta

This course surveys key elements and recent developments in the European Union’s treatment of climate change.

2:00 to 5:00 PM
Mon., May 28 - Fri., May 31
(1 week course)

Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (1 credit)
Professor Kenneth Markowitz

Reviews the principles and practice of making environmental laws work on the ground through stronger enforcement and compliance.

Exam: Take home paper.

6:30 to 9:00 PM
Mon., June 3 - Fri., June 7
(1 week course)

State Clean Energy Law (in place of Climate Change and Emissions Trading) (1 credit)
Professor Kyle Danish

This course investigates the legal and policy framework and practical considerations involved in states developing clean energy law and policy to help them address climate change.

6:30 to 9:00 PM
Mon., June 10 - Fri., June 14
(1 week course)

Reviews the major principles of international law for the conservation of biological diversity and wildlife.  We will discuss international agreements on subjects such as biological diversity, oceans fisheries, migratory species, and wildlife trade, with a problem-solving perspective that takes account of the nature of biodiversity and the range of policy and management tools that can promote conservation.

2:00 to 5:00 PM
Mon., June 3 - Th., June 6
(1 week course)

Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) Law & Policy (1 credit)
Professor Amanda Cohen Leiter

This course will explore the law and policy related to hydraulic fracturing (fracking). In this course students will learn about the complex science and unsettled law of hydraulic fracturing and met with experts from industry, local government, and an environmental NGO to hear various perspectives about this timely topic.  The course will have guest speakers and will give students a broad overview of the fracking issue and a range of perspectives to consider when thinking about the costs and benefits of the ongoing natural gas boom. Local, state, and national governments in the U.S. and abroad are currently wrestling with fracking law and policy.  To learn more about this topic, click here for a list of readings from this class. If you’re interested in viewing the course syllabus, please contact Professor Leiter at leiter@wcl.american.edu

6:30 to 9:00 PM
Mon., June 10 - Fri., June 14
(1 week course)

International Climate Change Law (1 credits)
Professor Stephen Porter

This course will provide an overview of the international response to climate change through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) with a focus on the effectiveness of existing approaches and the current status of negotiations. We will cover the negotiation, structure and implementation of both the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The course will also track current events and news reports that relate to climate change in order to relate these sometimes abstract concepts currently in the news. We will also explore the ongoing effort to negotiate the post-2012 international climate regime and why the effort has proved elusive despite wide agreement that human induced climate change is occurring and risks grave consequences. The course will also examine examples of how climate change interacts with other bodies of international law (e.g.,  the Ozone Treaty, Human Rights, Law of the Sea). We will conclude by examining selected topics relating to climate law and policy in the United States and considering the role for law in the transition to a low-carbon future.

Exam: Take Home exam with several short-essay questions. Grades will be based on the final exam and on class participation.

Trade and Environment: A Joint Course with the OAS (2 credits)
Professor Bill Snape

The Organization of American States and the Environmental Law Summer Program will be holding a week-long program on trade and environment that will conclude with a trade simulation exercise.  The program will take place in June (after the other summer session courses) and is a full-day program each day.  The seminar consists of different modules taught by practitioners from non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and government from throughout the Americas. For more information about the readings and schedule, please click here. This program has limited space.

Exam: Grades are based on participation in the course, specifically in the day-long trade simulation exercise, and on a short reflection paper that is due one week after the course ends.

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
W., June 12 - Th., June 14

Intellectual Property and Sustainable Development (1 credit)
Professor Jeremy de Beer (University of Ottawa)

This course explores how intellectual property intersects with environmental sustainability, technological innovation, and knowledge policy. Participants in the course will engage in interactive classroom discussion and actively participate in a simulation of international negotiations.