Refugee and Immigration Law, Policy and Practice in Crisis (20672). 1 unit. In recent months, competing responses from European countries towards the influx of Syrian refugees have deepened the crisis confronting the European Union, birthplace of the Geneva Convention. The moral standing of the United States is also at stake at its southern border, where Central American mothers and children seeking refuge have been met with policies and practices of family detention and have raised important questions regarding the definition of a refugee. In roughly the same moment, in the Dominican Republic, the Supreme Court has denaturalized tens of thousands of citizens of Haitian origin, forcing them into statelessness and exile. All are examples of the rising crisis of the international legal regime, which, since the Second World War, has tried to secure citizenship, guarantee an international status of refugee, and regulate immigration. With the input and insight of guests speakers, this workshop will examine the European and American responses to the Syrian refugee crisis, American law and policy with respect to the influx of Central American refugees, and the resumption of denationalization through the case of the Dominican Republic. Through these and other examples, we will envisage proposals for reform of the international citizenship, refugee and immigration regime.

This one-credit, graded course will meet seven times over the course of semester for two-hour sessions. Grading will be based upon class participation and a series of short written assignments to be completed throughout the semester. Substantial Paper or Supervised Analytic Writing credit may also be available. Prior knowledge of immigration or refugee law is helpful but not required. Paper required. Enrollment limited. M.I. Ahmad and P. Weil.