Natural Resources Law and Policy
Spring term, Block C
M,T 10:20 AM - 11:50 AM
Visiting Professor Jedediah Purdy
3 classroom credits LAW-44070A
2, 3, or 4 optional clinical credits Spring LAW-44070C
This course will examine the law of acquiring and controlling natural resources. We will begin with the history of the federal public domain and a look at the constitutional, statutory, and administrative regimes that govern it. We will then concentrate on specific resources, seeking to understand the practical challenges and diverse values present in their management. We will consider topics such as water, forests, agricultural soil, minerals, wildlife (including endangered species), and the rising problem of managing ecosystems and the global commons of the earth's atmosphere. In addition to the legal regimes governing these resources, we will consider the political origins of the regimes, the attitudes toward the natural world that they express, and their prospects for reform in the future.
Students who would like to participate in the optional clinical must enroll through clinical registration. Clinical placements are with the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic. Please refer to the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs website (http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/clinical) for clinical registration dates, early add/drop deadlines, and other clinical information.