Seminar - 2 units. Forced displacement is a phenomenon that can occur within a nation’s borders or across international borders. By far the largest trend of forced displacement is internal. Under international law, a person’s crossing of an international border is legally significant. Refugees (and asylum seekers) especially are protected by important international treaties, including the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. In addition, humanitarian laws or the laws of war, human rights treaties, and other specialized treaties seek to prevent forced displacement or dictate protections when these do occur, including the right of return. And while there is also an important emerging body of norms focused on IDPs, in general, the more widely accepted international norms focus on nation’s obligations to safeguard the right of people forced to flee their homes to seek protection in another country.
This course will focus on five active (meaning these are ongoing situations) case studies involving the plight of five people who have been forced to flee their homes either due to civil or international wars or based on significant internal human rights violations or climate change. This course studies five of the largest displacements of people in the world today. I selected these cases studies based on the scope and their regional diversity, in addition to their relevance to U.S. interests and degree of U.S. involvement. Based on these criteria: Our focus will turn to: Afghanistan (Central Asia); East Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia), Palestinians (Middle East), and Ukraine (Eastern Europe), Venezuela (the Americas).
Recommended pre or co-requites can include Asylum and Refugee Law and Human Rights
Final Assessment: Final Paper
Grading Mode: Letter Grading
Graduation Requirements: May satisfy Advanced Writing Requirement with instructor's permission.
This course satisfies the immigration certificate and may be used to satisfy the writing requirement for the certificate and/or the advanced writing requirement.