The Syllabus . . .

Well, class starts in just a couple of weeks, and I am still not done finalizing the syllabus. Such a short document really has taken over months of my life. I started looking at the syllabus for the environmental law class that I took myself, but ultimately I found that a law class syllabus was not going to provide me the right perspective to teach undergraduates. Environmental law is already complex for even those with a legal background, so my biggest struggle was learning how to teach the fundamentals of law along with the more specialized content. I scoured the internet for similar courses geared towards undergraduate students. I found about seven classes with PDFs of the syllabus that fit the bill but soon encountered the second obstacle. To casebook or not to casebook? Ultimately, my co-teacher Jared and I decided that textbooks suck. They are expensive, they don’t always teach the way you want, they can be dry, and they can be a barrier to prospective students as they browse for class registration. Without a casebook to rely on, Jared and I had more freedom but also more pressure when it came to organizing the themes of the course and picking out readings and assignments.

I was desperate for resources. Luckily, the Google algorithm actually did something amazing and suggested Strategies and Techniques for Teaching Environmental Law by Heidi Gorovitz Robertson. This 87-page novella became my bible for course design. I followed almost all the advice Robertson provided. Jared and I originally planned to follow a chronological approach to environmental law, but we decided to pivot to a thematic approach that built on concepts and skills. On recommendation from Robertson, we also created a through-line of our course with real-world case studies that would demonstrate the theoretical concepts we are teaching in a practical and poignant way. I considered creating the case studies myself, and I had some great inspiration from some of the topics presented at our school’s annual Appalachian Environmental Law Conference. However, after some reflection, I decided I am too inexperienced to create a complex fact pattern myself. Maybe if I had a few more years in practice, I would have some more case experience to build a case study. Thankfully, there are some great case studies out there already dressed up for the dance and just need little old me to escort it. Namely, Stanford Law has some incredible case studies, https://law.stanford.edu/environmental-and-natural-resources-law-policy-program-enrlp/case-studies/. Jared and I picked one we thought we could adapt to several assignments, and we made it the backbone of the course.

In the final syllabus design, we introduce a legal concept and start learning the background of the law and the issues that we need to keep an eye out for, then we look at a scenario of the case study to see if we spot the right issues and apply the relevant concept. That pattern repeats with some slight deviations. Maybe for one scenario we will analyze the issues and apply the law in a big class discussion. For another, the students will practice using the written “IRAC” method (for those who don’t know; Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion). For the next, the students can practice an oral presentation as if they were doing an oral argument or pitching to their supervising attorney. All of these skills will culminate in a Final Simulation, which will include a written brief and roleplaying in a hearing. We are so excited about the development of the course, and we believe we have picked the right flow of subjects and readings for the students to foray into the complex world of environmental law. The only thing Jared and I need to do now is finalize our readings so they do not overwhelm students. Once the page numbers are down to a digestible amount, we can publish it to our Canvas page! I am sure I will have to make a post about Canvas as well. As a non-tech-savvy individual, I am sure it will be quite the experience. Ta for now.