LAW 743 International Law: Refugee And Asylum
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the international legal regime for the protection of involuntary migrants. It critically assesses the legal right of states to exclude aliens, and the reasons that refugees are exempted from systems of migration control. The essential premise of the course is that refugee law should be understood as a mode of human rights protection, the viability of which requires striking a balance between the needs of the victims of human rights abuse, and the legitimate aspirations of the countries to which they flee. The course will address the legal definition of a refugee, refugee rights, and the institutional structures through which protection is accomplished. It will define and apply contemporary legal standards, situate United States asylum law within its international legal context, and subject the present protection regime to critical scrutiny.