Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.
272.34 sec. 001 - The Law of Fire and Flood (Spring 2024)
Instructor: Christine Klein (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 2
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
Th 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 136
From January 11, 2024
To April 18, 2024
Course End: April 18, 2024
Class Number: 33476
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 11
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 18
As of: 04/27 09:36 PM
Wildfire season is burning longer and hotter, often in the western states, but sometimes in unexpected places. For example, the deadliest fires in modern U.S. history swept through Maui, Hawaii, in fall 2023, destroying thousands of homes and entire communities. At the same time, flooding has become a common event, even in desert places like Palm Springs, California, which received over half its annual rainfall during one storm in the fall of 2023.
What do these two phenomena—fire and flood—have in common? Can lessons from one context inform the other? In this course, we will explore the law, science, history, and policy of fire and floods in the United States. We will ask how a variety of actors—including the federal government, corporations, private insurers, and individual actors—have amplified the harm from “natural” disasters, and how we can best formulate law and policy going forward.
The course will be based on group discussion. Students will sign up for on-call panels to lead the conversation each week, supplemented by lectures by the instructor and possible guest speakers.
The course will be taught by Christine A. Klein, Professor Emeritus, University of Florida Levin College of Law, who obtained her law degrees from Columbia University Law School (LL.M.) and the University of Colorado Law School (J.D.). Professor Klein began her career as a water rights litigator in the Colorado Office of the Attorney General, and specializes in natural resources law, water rights law, and property law. Her CV and biographical information are available here: https://www.law.ufl.edu/faculty/christine-a-klein
Attendance at the first class is mandatory for all currently enrolled and waitlisted students; any currently enrolled or waitlisted students who are not present on the first day of class (without prior permission of the instructor) will be dropped. The instructor will continue to take attendance throughout the add/drop period and anyone who moves off the waitlist into the class must continue to attend or have prior permission of the instructor in order not to be dropped.
Exam Notes: (TH) Take-home examination
Exam Length: 3 hours
Course Category: Environmental and Energy Law
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Books:
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