The MOOC Revolution: Law Schools

Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy

School: University of North Carolina
Platform: Coursera
Link: Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy
Start Date: To Be Announced (6 Weeks Long)
Workload: 4-6 Hours Per Week
Instructor: Daniel Hornstein
Credentials: Professor Hornstein is a distinguished attorney, teacher, and scholar at the University of North Carolina’s School of Law, where he teaches Administrative Law, the Law of Economic Regulation, and Insurance Law. Before his teaching career, he worked in the U.S. Department of Justice and private practice and has argued before the Supreme Court. As teacher, Hornstein has won the law school’s McCall Award for Teaching Excellence eight times – and was profiled in 2013’s What the Best Law Professors Do. His writings have been published by the Columbia Law Review, Duke Law Review, and the Yale Journal on Regulation with two of his scholarly works being listed among the Top 10 national articles of the year.
Graded: Students who complete the weekly quizzes with a 75% overall score will receive a Statement of Accomplishment signed by Professor Hornstein. 
Description: This introductory course examines how environmental law balances long-term considerations with personal liberty, economic needs, and natural realities. In particular, it covers concepts like air, water, and property law, environmental risk analysis, endangered species, environmental cleanup, cost management, and regulatory authority. Each weekly session contains four videos lasting 10-20 minutes each, along with case study readings associated with each video.  Through this course, students will be able to conduct basic legal research and formulate solid legal arguments.
Review: “Loved this course. I had no real background in law or environmental law, and came out with a solid understanding of the structure of law, concepts of nuisance and due process for property rights, and a great appreciation of enthusiastic professors…The readings were simple and short – some of us went off in search of more complete case writeups. The videos were the major source of learning and they were well produced, engaging, and to the point.” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Background: Coursera also offers a Climate Change In Four Dimensions MOOC.