WATER RESOURCES INSTITUTIONS AND POLICIES

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: Graduate/professional standing Course Designation: Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe the historical and institutional dimensions of water resources planning, management, and policy. Audience: Graduate 2. Summarize the overall U.S. water resources “institutional landscape”—the array of institutional arrangements that comprise our system for addressing water resource issues and problems—and relative strengths and weaknesses of various approaches and system components. Audience: Graduate 3. Articulate the limitations of the existing water resources management framework, along with opportunities and strategies for reform, for addressing various substantive ecological water issues (e.g., watershed protection, restoration, and management; water allocation; groundwater; water quality and quantity; etc.). Audience: Graduate 4. Identify and evaluate selected institutional and societal issues pertinent to water resources policy and management, including through an equity lens (e.g., integrated environmental collaborative watershed approaches, intergovernmental roles, program implementation, etc.). Audience: Graduate 5. Evaluate institutional effectiveness in addressing and resolving water resource issues and problems management, collaborative watershed approaches, intergovernmental roles, program implementation, etc.). Audience: Graduate 6. Apply sustainability principles and/or frameworks to addressing the challenges of water resource protection and restoration. Audience: Graduate 7. Analyze sustainability issues and/or practices using a systems-based approach Audience: Graduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe the historical and institutional dimensions of water resources planning, management, and policy. Audience: Graduate 2. Summarize the overall U.S. water resources “institutional landscape”—the array of institutional arrangements that comprise our system for addressing water resource issues and problems—and relative strengths and weaknesses of various approaches and system components. Audience: Graduate 3. Articulate the limitations of the existing water resources management framework, along with opportunities and strategies for reform, for addressing various substantive ecological water issues (e.g., watershed protection, restoration, and management; water allocation; groundwater; water quality and quantity; etc.). Audience: Graduate 4. Identify and evaluate selected institutional and societal issues pertinent to water resources policy and management, including through an equity lens (e.g., integrated environmental collaborative watershed approaches, intergovernmental roles, program implementation, etc.). Audience: Graduate 5. Evaluate institutional effectiveness in addressing and resolving water resource issues and problems management, collaborative watershed approaches, intergovernmental roles, program implementation, etc.). Audience: Graduate 6. Apply sustainability principles and/or frameworks to addressing the challenges of water resource protection and restoration. Audience: Graduate 7. Analyze sustainability issues and/or practices using a systems-based approach Audience: Graduate