LAW 528 - Refugee Law and Policy Seminar

Fall 2 Evan Criddle

This seminar will provide an introduction to refugee law and policy, exploring the challenges posed by forced migration from multiple perspectives: international, domestic, and comparative. We will examine the history and theory of refugee protection under international law, focusing on the development of international refugee norms and institutions from World War I to the present. We will then consider how the U.S. Constitution, treaties, statutes, and federal regulations interact to define, protect, and exclude refugees and other categories of protected migrants. Topics for discussion will include the scope of U.S. legal protection for refugees; the domestic administrative process for adjudication of asylum claims; the evidentiary challenges to establishing refugee status; the availability of temporary protected status for victims of human trafficking and violent crime; the (a)symmetries between U.S. legal standards and international law; and policy debates concerning the security risks posed by refugees and other forced migrants. Throughout the course, we will compare and contrast U.S. refugee law and policy with approaches adopted by international organizations, regional organizations, and other states. Grades will be based on a final paper, a brief presentation, and class participation. This course satisfies the writing requirement.