Course description
Asylum and Refugee Law (English)
What is asylum?
What is the principle of non-refoulement?
Who should be recognized and protected as a refugee?
These questions are both ancient and contemporary.
Whether you are a decision maker, a judge, a lawyer, a human rights activist, a student, a lawyer in the business law department of a private company that wants to hire or assist refugees, you will have to answer these questions. The answers are complex. They require precise theoretical and practical knowledge of national, regional and international law.
The 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees will enable you to master these questions. This Convention remains the cornerstone of international refugee protection. It is at the heart of this online course. You will analyze in detail the principle of non-refoulement, the definition of a refugee and the causes of persecution such as political opinion, race, nationality, religion or membership of a social group.
This definition will allow you to identify the people who, legally, should be recognized as beneficiaries of refugee status and international protection. Using a conceptual tool, the three-scale theory , you will analyze in a rigorous and structured manner each distinct element of the refugee definition (persecution, risk, proof) as well as, in a comprehensive approach, the definition as a whole.
Who should attend?
Prerequisites
Having completed an undergraduate degree program in Law (Bachelor’s degree, license, LL.B.) or having completed an undergraduate degree program in a field other than Law and/or having practical experience in human rights (having been in regular contact with migrants, having worked in asylum rights organizations or collaborated with refugee aid associations, etc.).
Training content
Module 1: Context of asylum law and underlying texts
You will explore both the history and the current state of the right of asylum, illustrating the permanence of the debates related to asylum.
Module 2: Asylum Law and Principle of non-refoulement
You'll learn the concept of asylum, the principle of non-refoulement and the distribution mechanism of asylum seekers in Europe under the Dublin Regulation.
Module 3: Refugee definition
This module is devoted to international protection and, in particular, to the refugee definition under the Geneva Convention (1951 refugee Convention).
Module 4: Regional Protections
This module discusses regional protections that complement international protection and the refugee definition in the 1951 Geneva Convention.
Module 5: Asylum in Practice
You will explore the different components of an asylum procedure through the journey of asylum seekers from their country of origin to the country of destination.
Module 6: Contemporary Issues
You will explore some current challenges to migration, for example finding solutions in law to adapt to new realities, such as climate refugees, or question the future effects of the Global Compact for Migration and the Global Compact in Refugees.
Course delivery details
This course is offered through Catholic University of Louvain, a partner institute of EdX.
6-8 hours per week
Costs
- Verified Track -$199
- Audit Track - Free
Certification / Credits
What you'll learn
By the end of this course, you will be able to
- formulate rigorous legal reasoning on the right to asylum and international protection of refugees.
- define and apply the concepts of asylum and refugee status.
- analyze case law decisions of international, regional and national courts and tribunals relating to asylum and refugee law.
- criticize or justify the reasoning of an asylum authority (administrative or judicial) in order to develop arguments in a decision or appeal.
- question and imagine the future challenges in the field of asylum.
- ensure well-constructed advocacy on international refugee law.
- analyze asylum claims in details.
Contact this provider
edX
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