CRL213 | International Refugee Law and Policy

How does this course relate to the programme curriculum: Does it develop on a prior  course in the programme or is it a foundational or standalone course? 

This course is proposed as a standalone course with a specialised focus on international  legal norms on refugee protection.

Describe how you have approached the course. What have you included/excluded and  why? Choice of materials: primary or secondary readings / case law;  

International refugee law is premised on the need to provide protection to those whose  home state cannot or does not extend them protection and instead persecutes them.  Indeed, the grant of refuge to those fleeing persecution has been ‘one of humanity’s most  long-standing traditions.’ An estimated 66 million persons have been displaced around the  world from their homes. The imperative of providing a safety net and a back-up source of  protection to such persons at risk of persecution lies at the heart of the discipline.

The course shall provide an overview of the body of international legal instruments that  have evolved over the last century in response to the challenge of forced migration around  the world. The main thrust of the course shall be on the basic concepts of international  refugee law. Further, the course shall emphasise on the connection between refugee  protection and the agenda of international human rights law and international humanitarian  law. The course shall also introduce students to the intersection of international refugee law  and state policy and practice on refugees in India.

The course will straddle primary literature of the UNHCR, case laws from other jurisdictions  as well as materials from India, in addition to secondary literature on the core concepts of  refugee law.

Describe your pedagogical method: lectures, Socratic discussion, seminar style  discussion, response papers or group work, field work;

This Course shall be taught in a Seminar Format. After the introductory lectures, groups of  students (in groups of two or three students) shall be required to lead discussion in

Seminars of two hours.