Academic Research and Writing as Best Practices in a 'Practically Grounded' Land Use Course

Abstract

Land use is a discipline that involves diverse academic, practical, and social perspectives; it is also an ideal subject for applying nontraditional teaching methods, including those suggested by the “best practices” movement in legal education. In this article -- a contribution to the “Practically Grounded” conference on teaching land use and environmental law -- I suggest that a scholarly research and writing focus can help students develop their practical and analytical skills and values while achieving “best practices” goals in the context of a doctrinal land use course. In the article I set forth a pedagogical basis for including an academic writing component in a doctrinal land use course, and I discuss the experience of teaching a large land use class with a significant research and writing component. The benefits from an academic writing focus may also apply to teaching in other doctrinal fields.

Keywords: land use, environmental law, teaching, legal writing

JEL Classification: K11