Course Description
01:512:308 History and Asylum Law
- Academic Credits: 3
- Mode of Instruction: Lecture
Syllabus: Fall 2021
Syllabus Disclaimer: The information in this syllabus is subject to change. For up-to-date course information, please refer to the syllabus on your course site (Canvas, etc.) on the first day of class.
Course Description
Every year, thousands of immigrants arrive to the United States in pursuit of new lives through various methods and means, including invoking the right of asylum. Asylum is a protection granted to those immigrants already in the United States or at the border who meet the international law definition of a “refugee.” As a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol, the United States is obligated to recognize valid asylum petitions. Such petitions are part of asylum hearings, conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials, to determine the validity of the claim, and can become part of a record that leads to subsequent court litigation. This course is an advanced research seminar and practicum that will explore how historical research can be applied to the practice of asylum law in the United States.
