Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 539

This course constitutes the technical component of an interdisciplinary environmental law clinic based at the Law School. Engineering and Arts & Sciences students work in interdisciplinary teams with law students, handling environmental projects for public interest, environmental or community organizations or individuals. Students from other schools may also participate with permission of instructors. Projects may involve the following activities: representing clients in federal and state court litigation and administrative proceedings; drafting proposed legislation; commenting on proposed regulations, permits, environmental impact statements, and similar documents; giving testimony at public hearings and participating in workgroup or stakeholder meetings; analyzing and interpreting environmental data and reports; and evaluating matters for potential future action. The goal is that for each project, students will have primary responsibility for handling the matter, and faculty will play a secondary, supervisory role. Non-law students may provide such technical support as investigating unknown facts, evaluating facts presented by other parties (such as in government reports), and working with law students to develop and present facts relevant to an understanding of the matter and how to resolve it. Non-law students must work at least an average of 12 hours per week on clinic matters, including attendance at and participation each week in: at least one individual meeting with the professor; one group meeting involving the student team assigned to each project and the professors; and a two-hour seminar for all students in the clinic. Prerequisites: The clinic is open to graduate students and upper-level undergraduates. Coursework and/or experience in environmental engineering, environmental science, environmental policy, or related fields is recommended but not required. Questions about the course or the application can be directed to Peter Goode at pwgoode@wustl.edu.
Course Attributes: