Millions of people have been forced to cross the borders of their home state and seek asylum. How do legal systems (national and international) provide or deny protection to asylum seekers and refugees and why? In this module you will engage critically with the matter of asylum and refugeehood in both a national and international context. You will be introduced to the sources of asylum and refugee law and a critical consideration of the relevant case law in the UK and internationally. You will employ interdisciplinary material to aid understanding and reflection on the historical and socio-cultural evolution of the governance and regulation of asylum and refugee subjects. In addition, critical attention is devoted to key contemporary problems in asylum and refugee law, and refugee studies more broadly, including current national and international developments, and scholarly and practitioner reflections in the field.
Lecture-Seminars 16 hours, Workshops 16 hours
Short writing piece. Assessment Details: Definition Note - Writing a definition of a set concept in refugee law (500 words) worth 20% of the total marks for the module.
Extended writing. Assessment Details: Research-based essay (2000 words) worth 80% of the total marks for the module.. This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.
Reassessment Method: Like-for-like
For reading lists see the detailed module information on moodle
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1) Locate and explain the variety of national and international sources of asylum and refugee law.
2) Apply a detailed understanding of the framework as well as the complexity of the laws and principles of asylum and refugeehood to hypothetical scenarios and discussions of case-law.
3) Engage in a critical evaluation of the historical, conceptual and practical development and key contemporary aspects of the international formation of asylum and refugee protection and their significance in the UK.
4) Explain the main contemporary scholarly debates in asylum and refugee law studies and deploy critical analysis to devise and support well-reasoned arguments.
5) Systematically manage their own learning and make use of scholarly secondary and primary sources (e.g. refereed research articles and other secondary materials appropriate to the module).
University of Kent makes every effort to ensure that module information is accurate for the relevant academic session and to provide educational services as described. However, courses, services and other matters may be subject to change. Please read our full disclaimer.