ILRLR 6057 - Environmental Mediation and Negotiation

Fall. 2 credits. Letter grades only.

Co-meets with ILRLR 3057.

J. Bickerman.

This course is designed to explore environmental conflict resolution. The course will build on existing student knowledge of theories of dispute resolution and explore application of these concepts to the field of environmental and natural resource conflicts. The course will begin with a review of fundamental concepts of interest-based negotiation, mediation and other general dispute resolution techniques applicable to complex, multi-party environmental conflicts. Students will then be introduced to the architecture of several environmental statutes and the manner in which these obligations are enforced by the federal and state governments and private parties. An investigation of several natural resource conflicts will conclude the class. The goal of the class will be to expose students to the breadth of disputes to which alternative dispute resolution is now being used in environmental conflicts and to be able to compare and contrast the styles of mediation used in these matters. Students will learn how these principles are applied in real environmental situations. A key objective of the course is to enable students to both understand and think critically about the strengths and weaknesses of using alternative dispute resolution procedures to manage environmental conflicts.