Advanced Topics in Law: Asylum Law

Topic: Aslyum Law

What does it mean to be a refugee? Why do states consider some people fleeing persecution, conflict, or other serious harm to be worthy of refugee status, while deterring others from seeking protection? For example, why has the response to Ukrainian refugees been so different from the response to Syrian refugees? How does the Eurocentric history of international refugee law shape current approac

hes to international protection? And how does the legal framework for asylum and refugee law in the United States answer these and other questions? This course explores these questions with reference to the history of the international refugee protection regime and the development of the protection regime in the United States. The course will consider the definition of “refugee” under international and US law, including claims based upon of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, and particular social group, as well as legal aspects of refugee status determination procedures, the role of border enforcement officials as gatekeepers in the asylum process, and other aspects of the implementation of refugee and asylum law in the United States.

S/U grading. No course credit will be given for students who miss three or more classes in the quarter.