LAW-848 : Asylum & Refugee Law

This course will cover international and U.S. refugee law, with a focus on asylum law in the United States. The course will examine the history of the U.N. Convention on the Status of Refugees, the implementation of that convention through the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 and subsequent related legislation, political and judicial efforts to define the extent of the protections afforded under international and domestic law, current proposals to amend the laws, and the practices of asylum law in the United States. It examines the international origins of Refugee Law, the meaning of well-founded fear, and the definition of persecution. It analyzes the protections against persecution on account of political opinion, religion, race of nationality, and a social group. The central goal of this course is to help students understand the legal and policy issues affecting asylum-seekers. We will make connections throughout the semester between local asylum issues and national and global issues. By the end of the course, students will understand U.S. and international law and procedures concerning refugees, identify and practice the skills you will need in order to meaningfully engage with clients seeking asylum, and identify issues in law and policy that your generation of lawyers must struggle with, and hopefully resolve.