Refugee, Migration and Citizenship Law: A Comparative Perspective
Course Information
- Course Number
- L6333
- Curriculum Level
- Upperclass
- Areas of Study
- International and Comparative Law
- Type
- Lecture
Section 001 Information
Instructor

Section Description
Instructor: Seyla Benhabib
Method of Evaluation: Final Exam and 2 Reading Responses
Course Description: The movement of peoples across transnational borders - be it to seek asylum, employment or for other purposes, has emerged as a major issue of our times. The displaced population of the world is at its highest level since WWII with 79.5 million people registered with the UNHCR. Laws regulating transnational migrations, refugee status and access to citizenship have become the focus of significant comparative scholarship. This course will analyze laws of migration, refugee and asylum in comparative perspective, drawing from cases, conventions, and statutes from USA, Canada, the European Union, as well as Latin America. We will pay special attention to the global refugee condition.
The course intends to give students a historical perspective into the evolution of legal doctrine and practices in this domain as well as informing them about ethical and political dimensions of distinctions such as citizen/migrant/resident/ asylum seeker.
- School Year & Semester
- Fall 2022
- Location
- JGH 107
- Schedule
-
Class meets on
- Tuesday
- Thursday
- Points
- 3
- Method of Evaluation
- Paper and Exam
- J.D Writing Credit?
- Minor (upon consultation)
Learning Outcomes
- Primary
-
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in a specific body of law, including major policy concerns
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in doctrinal analysis, including close reading of cases and precedents, and application to facts
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in values-based considerations in law-making
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in the historical development of law and legal institutions
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in use of other disciplines in the analysis of legal problems and institutions, e.g., philosophy; economics,other social sciences; and cultural studies
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in comparative law analysis of legal institutions and the law
Course Limitations
- Instructor Pre-requisites
- None
- Instructor Co-Requisites
- None
- Requires Permission
- No
- Recommended Courses
- Some background in normative legal or political theory is desirable.
- Other Limitations
- None