LS
Excellent course! Introduces the learners the wonderful world of environmental law - both conceptually and technically. Very well-paced and excellent compilation of cases from across the world.
Environmental law may be the one institution standing between us and planetary exhaustion. It is also an institution that needs to be reconciled with human liberty and economic aspirations. This course considers these issues and provides a tour though existing legal regimes governing pollution, water law, endangered species, toxic substances, environmental impact analyses, and environmental risk.
Note: The Environmental Law & Policy Course will close for new learner enrollment on February 22, 2019. Learners who have already enrolled will continue to see it on their Coursera Dashboard as long as they remain enrolled in the course. If you are currently enrolled in this course, please see the announcement sent on February 19, 2019, for additional details.
LS
Excellent course! Introduces the learners the wonderful world of environmental law - both conceptually and technically. Very well-paced and excellent compilation of cases from across the world.
IA
It was a good course, but I was little bit disappointed that it was very restricted to US only. I know the professor is from there, but a few cases from around the world would have been nice.
KL
it is a great course and learning it has broadened my scope about laws governing the environment.I must also say that I really enjoyed the facilitator throughout the course.Great job done, Sir.
KS
I thoroughly enjoyed this course and the professor's ability to eloquently describe different aspects in (environmental) law in an understandable way. I'll have to continue to take more courses!
SB
A very useful course. Although basic, but very very stimulating. I have downloaded a few books on environmental Law and want to go deeper, explore more and probably do a regular course later.
FA
Really great class. Covers all the main topics of environmental law. The Professor is very interesting, informative, and clear. A great introductory class for environmental topics in the legal realm.
IR
Very interesting and informative course. Professor Hornstein made the course entertaining and at the same time, you see the importance of environmental laws. I definitely recommend this course.
MM
Very informative and interesting course. Very good teacher. Thank you. A small comment: I think it would be better to have the case readings before the lecture, as the lectures refer to those.
PS
Very informative course! I had fun learning the subject due to the teacher being so fun! Highly recommend this course if you're interested in learning about environmental law from the very basics!
MS
Really great class. Covers all the main topics of environmental law. The Professor is very interesting, informative, and clear. A great introductory class for environmental topics in the legal realm.
LT
Fantastic teacher and great content - loved the legal and policy discussions, as well as the international context. Would highly recommend for those interested in dipping their toes into the subject.
MJ
An extremely interesting course, especially if you are interested in environmental issues. I loved taking this class and feel like I am more likely to pursue more courses like this in the future.
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An extremely interesting course, especially if you are interested in environmental issues. I loved taking this class and feel like I am more likely to pursue more courses like this in the future.
Being an environmentalist in any form, weather an activist, engineer, or scientist, in case of me, being an engineer, its very important to understand environmental laws and policies. This course has helped me in just that. I am very sure that knowledge I have gained through these sessions will help me in advancing my career of Environmental Engineering. Professor Hornstein has taught so well, that its impossible to forget any concepts. His way of delivering his ideas and lectures is commendable. Thank you so much for offering this course.
Regarding the Course : Great introduction to Environmental Law and Policy. Professor Hornstein does a very good job at balancing theory with practical examples of application of Environmental Law. He also provides a small yet sufficient introduction to practice of law in general in both the US and internationally to be able to comprehend the implications of the cases discussed. Terrifying to note though that some within the American political sphere are actively attempting to repeal/dismantle the key pieces of Law/Policy that are reviewed throughout this course.
Additional context: I have no previous background in Law, thus my comments are to be taken from the perspective of someone new to this practice. Course completed in August 2020 in the midst of a pandemic and what appears to be a crisis of Democratic institutions in the US.
Incredible course with an engaging professor who makes you want to learn more with every lesson.
The best course I saw on Coursera and exactly what I would appreciate in any course, online or not.
Thank you very much for a valuable course!
Professor Hornstein was engaging and informative. He did a great job of demonstrating principles and presenting key historical examples of case law. He also provided very useful outlines of the most important elements of the most important environmental laws and treaties, and practical examples of how they are applied. This course overall provided me a better understanding of law and policy, and of particular interest to me, the interplay of administrative agency actions to court decisions, especially with regard to court deference to agency authority to make policy decisions. I also found the discussions of the ties between societal values and law very useful.
This will be very helpful to me in my work as both an environmental scientist working on California and Federal pesticide/pest management policy, and as an elected official with a public power agency working on reducing GHG emissions.
This is an excellent course, and has been a superior learning experience. Professor Hornstein is a wonderful, knowledgeable, and passionate instructor, and I so appreciate the privilege of access to expertise and wisdom. I've taken several other Coursea on-line courses that I've enjoyed, but thus far I must consider this one the best.
I still have significant concerns about the quality of the video transcripts; they are in need of an additional careful copy edit and final proofread by persons experienced and with a good ear for the subject matter. But I found it a learning opportunity in correcting and marking up my personal copies as a study tool. This time out, course content and direction, and of course Professor Hornstein's wonderful quality of instruction, must override any reservations I might otherwise have.
This is truly a Five-Star course. Congratulations to all involved!
This is a great course, the lectures are engaging and interesting and Professor Hornstein is very informative. The course follows a logical sequence and each of the very short readings of court cases builds on, or is referenced in later readings which makes the course easy to follow. I had wished there were a couple of weeks of more content covering major environmental issues that have occurred since 2013, i.e. the Clean Power Plan, DAPL protests/court cases, EPA/Flint Michigan court cases, and the Paris Agreement. If this were added, or in follow-up course I would jump at the chance to enroll. Great course, I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in the Environment, Law, Environmental Policy and those with backgrounds in Geography (like me), Environmental Science, Earth Science, or Environmental Studies.
Don Hornstein is a very engaging instructor in his lectures, which makes watching the videos a breeze. I wish there was more though for reading materials. I gave the course five stars because it does as it states, it is an very brief introduction into Environmental law. However, I feel there are things lacking that can be improved upon, like written work and more in depth study.
Perhaps a specialization where the subjects are taught in courses of 4 weeks, where they go in more depth. Such as common law and nuisance, wildlife protection act, clean water act, and air pollution. Then finishing off with a capstone project. If a specialization was offered, I would sign up. I feel the missing requirement of coursework beyond the quizzes is detrimental to my retaining the information learned.
Really great class. Covers all the main topics of environmental law. The Professor is very interesting, informative, and clear. A great introductory class for environmental topics in the legal realm.
As a state government employee in environmental protection, I found this course to be extremely helpful in understanding the history of environmental common and statutory law. Professor Don Hornstein is extremely knowledgeable and well spoken on every topic he covers and is clearly passionate about his work. The assigned readings are interesting and illustrate the evolution of environmental law very well. Professor Hornstein's commentary encompasses these readings well and extends further to provide a better contextual understanding of each. The assignments are straightforward for anyone who completes the readings and watches the videos and help with retention of the lessons. Overall, the course was very good for those wanting a general knowledge of Environmental Law, and Professor Hornstein is a very fine teacher!
This course is a solid introduction to Environmental Law, a topic where it's exceedingly easy to get lost in the weeds, so to speak. The instructor for this course is simply delightful. High energy and engaging, it's clear that no matter who the named parties are in a case, the ultimate client is the environment. If I had had the opportunity to take a brief survey course like this one when I was starting college back in the 1980s, I might well have gone into this field as a profession. Excellent course!
I did not participate in the forums, so I cannot speak to the value that they may or may not have brought to the course. I did, however, do all the reading, and I think it's important to have students understand how to parse out meaning and significance from these often dry documents.
Its a great course, however the Information is old, the course is for 2013
A very basic introductory intro to environmental law. You won't become a lawyer overnight, but it does lay out some basics. It's also heavily US-based, so keep that in mind. Lectures are concise but informative, and the lecturer keeps things lively with his outfits.
The Course has helped me to familiarise with the various Environmental Legislations and Regulatory Bodies both at the State(s) and Federal level in the USA. The various Landmark Judgements on Environmental Law both nationally (USA), and Internationally. To have an insight on the policy making, the various parameters, approaches employed to remedy the environmental concerns, to appreciate State(s)/Nation's sovereignty with regard to Federal/ International Commitments through agreements, Protocols, Conventions. Also improve on Research Skills through knowledge of various e-databases on environmental law and Tests and Research Assignment.
My most sincere thanks to Prof. Donald Hornstein, Prof. Aubrey L. Brooks, UNC, School of law and Coursera for their endeavour.
An excellent course, easily among the best courses I have studied on Coursera. The content of the course is comprehensive and covers a variety of topics related to environmental law and policy. The real gem of this course is the case readings and how Professor Hornstein uses them in the lectures to increase our understanding of the topics. Professor Hornstein himself is an excellent instructor - he teaches really well and comes across as engaging and passionate about environmental law. I thoroughly enjoyed this course, and I wish it would have been longer. Nevertheless, as the course's name suggests- it serves as a perfect and valuable introduction to environmental law and policy.
Thank you Professor Hornstein and the rest of the team!
I loved taking this course and I am glad I decided to take it. It has increased my knowledge to a great extent and gave me an interest in the environment law both nationally and internationally. During the course, in India, there introduced an amendment in the Environmental Impact Assessment draft of 2006 and it was not only violating the environmental laws but also the human rights. With the help of this course, I was able to write an article with the new draft notification of 2020 introduced by the Central government in India and also published it. I am so grateful to Professor Donald T. Hornstein. He explained the course so well.
Fantastic teacher and great content - loved the legal and policy discussions, as well as the international context. Would highly recommend for those interested in dipping their toes into the subject.
The title is pretty misleading. I was hoping to get into environmental policies a lot more. The course was mostly very specific for law school students though.
An excellent course! I think this is my favorite course on Coursera so far. I have worked for two years in an air pollution policy agency and have been interested in learning more about environmental law and policy, and this course was perfect for doing that. Professor Hornstein is a really engaging teacher and clearly enthusiastic about environmental law and policy; I also appreciated his approach in also providing the (more casual) one-minute lawyer videos and the (more formal) theory videos, which I thought allowed me to think about the material in different ways. And, I liked how each module is structured around a case study. Although it's not organized this way, I recommend folks read each case study first before watching the accompanying videos in order to reinforce and summarize what you've read. A lot of the in-video questions were also great at helping me think critically. I'd highly recommend this course to everyone; it's really well designed and I think would be interesting even for folks who don't work around environmental law and policy.
An introduction to environmental law that I think will be comprehensible for people without any background in law while at the same time will also be able to hold their interest because of the relevance of the issues presented to current environmental problems. I'm a lawyer with a background in economics and appreciated the fact that the course melds the two subjects together in some instances when talking about policy considerations. I am not from the US so it was also interesting to find out more about US environmental law and most importantly, how it was shaped. It encouraged me to reflect on the state of environmental law in my own country, the Philippines, and to think about how environmental legislation could be improved in the future.