LWMIRL-International Refugee Law

Module Provider: School of Law
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Dr Ruvi Ziegler
Email: r.ziegler@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:
This module explores a major area of public international law that regulates a (limited) exception to the principles of state sovereignty and migration control. The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees concerns the protection of persons who have crossed an international border and are outside their state of origin owing to a well-founded fear of persecution in that state for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. Global debates continue regarding the nature of the protection that refugees should be granted, the role of the international community, and the obligations of states of asylum. The module will provide students with a critical understanding of the international regime of refugee protection by highlighting its virtues and shortcomings. The first session will explore the history, structure, and aims of the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Subsequently, the module considers criteria for the attainment (‘inclusion’), exclusion from, and cessation of refugee status; the non-refoulement principle; complementary and subsidiary protection regimes; challenges arising in the context of displacement from conflict; and a case-study of the treatment of African asylum-seekers in Israel. The module concludes by appraising the limits of the international refugee protection.

Aims:
The module examines international refugee law through abstract assessment of the law itself, but also through detailed assessment of real world examples that highlight the law (including its possible shortcomings) in practice. The aim is for students to gain a detailed substantive understanding of contemporary international refugee law, but also to understand both its value and limitations in practice. In addition, the module aims to provide some theoretical underpinning to this substantive knowledge and to question, amongst other things, the policy implications of the balance that is struck in contemporary international law between national sovereignty and the protection of ‘convention refugees’ (as well as other forced migrants).

Assessable learning outcomes:

On completion of the module, students will be expected to be able to:

• Draw upon a body of detailed substantive knowledge gained through both class participation and self-study, and apply this to contemporary dilemmas arising in the refugee field in an assessed piece of written work.


• Demonstrate a solid understanding of the institutional, procedural and substantive aspects of the international refugee law system, as well as its location in the international legal order.


• Demonstrate an ability to set the substantive law content of the module in a wider context, both legal and non-legal.


• Critically evaluate the protection offered by international refugee law, its virtues and shortcomings.


• Critically analyse the legal topics examined.


• Demonstrate high-level oral communication skills (in view of the fact that the module is orientated towards small group teaching and independent study).

Additional outcomes:
These outcomes are in addition to those listed in the School's ‘core skills statement’.

Outline content:

Topics will include the following:

• International global framework for refugee protection


• Refugee Status Determination: inclusion


• The refugee definition and its interpretation: gender and sexual orientation


• Refugee Status Determination: exclusion • Refugee rights and cessation of refugee status


• Non-refoulement and interdiction


• Complementary and subsidiary protection


• Displacement from conflict


• Case-study: Treatment of African Asylum Seekers in Israel


• The reach of refugee law

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Teaching in this module is designed to provide students with a range of resources on which they can draw in their learning. The main elements are:

• A list of required and recommended readings, with notes and questions that will be used to guide class discussion and reflection.


• Ten weekly seminar classes of 2 hours each.


• Students will prepare a 10 - 15 minute ‘case-study’ presentation on a case where a question relatin g to the refugee protection regime has arisen. Formative feedback will be provided in writing following this presentation. Where there are School of Law seminars relevant to the area then students in the module will be encouraged to attend and will be given the opportunity to discuss the issues with visiting academics.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Seminars		20
Guided independent study:		180
Total hours by term		200
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written assignment including essay	100

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:
An assessed essay of no more than 15 pages (formatted in accordance with the School of Law’s Assessed Work Rules).

Formative assessment methods:
One compulsory non-assessed presentation of 10-15 minutes (during a seminar), on which the students will receive formative written feedback.

Penalties for late submission:

The below information applies to students on taught programmes except those on Postgraduate Flexible programmes. Penalties for late submission, and the associated procedures, which apply to Postgraduate Flexible programmes are specified in the policy “Penalties for late submission for Postgraduate Flexible programmes”, which can be found here: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmissionpgflexible.pdf
The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:
50% overall

Reassessment arrangements:
See School of Law PGT Programme handbook

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: 

2) Specialist equipment or materials: 

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 

4) Printing and binding: 

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: 

Last updated: 30 March 2023