Courses

College of Law

Water Law & Policy

Course Number: 6860
Professor: Jason Robison
Credit Hours & Type of Credit: 3
Semester Offered: Varies
Required: No
Prerequisites: Students must have completed their first year of law school.
Recommended Courses: None

Course Overview: Water is the essence of life. Human relationships over and with water have been a defining feature of human communities and societies since time immemorial. In light of climate change’s current and projected impacts on water resources, there arguably has never been a more important time to study and to work in the field of water law and policy. With respect to this field, this course can be analogized to the Platte River: “a mile wide and an inch deep.” The course will provide students with a survey of the laws, policies, and organizations governing water allocation and management at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels in the United States. In other words, the course focuses on U.S. domestic water law and policy—rather than international water law and policy—with particular (though not exclusive) emphasis on the American West. By way of overview, the main topical units address prior appropriation; groundwater law; public rights in water resources, including key federal statutes; water organizations; interstate relations over transboundary waters; and federal and tribal reserved water rights.

Course Materials: See the current Book List located under Scheduling.
Course Format: Lecture and class discussion.
Written Assignments: None
Type of Exam: Open-book, multiple-choice midterm quiz and open-book, free-slot final exam.
Basis for Grading Student Performance: Final exam, midterm quiz, and class participation.
Other Comments: None