International Refugee Law

2024/2025

Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

  • To supplement the student’s knowledge and skills in a way that may form part of the student’s choice of educational and professional profile

Learning objectives

Knowledge

  • Population movements: Refugee protection and migration control
  • Legal and institutional framework on refugee protection.
  • The interface with public international law, including human rights and treaty law.  
  • The role of institutions such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the EU in refugee protection.
  • The Refugee Convention definition and complementary forms of protection, including human rights protection of refugees.
  • The concept of non-refoulement, and those of inclusion, loss and denial of refugee status.
  • Topical issues such as ‘war-refugees’, gender-related persecution, ‘environmental refugees’ and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).  
  • The role of international refugee law in specific contexts, for example the ‘war on terror’ and the current ‘European refugee crisis’.

Skills

  • Explaining the legal standing of refugee protection in international law and outlining generally its relationship with other bodies of public international law.
  • Analysing and applying concepts, terminology and topical issues integral to the course.
  • Identifying legal problems in regional and international refugee law and applying relevant sources of law in solving these.
  • Describing the impact and status of refugee law in national jurisdiction.
  • Researching, presenting and analyzing international and municipal asylum case law, as well as UNHCR recommendations and guidelines pertaining to refugee protection.
  • Presenting and analyzing the content of substantive provisions as contained in refugee law instruments.
  • Discussing the changing needs and shared expectations of the international community as regards contemporary refugee law.
  • Explaining human rights and refugee law implications of the current ‘European refugee crisis’.
  • Communicating issues relating to migration and international refugee law in a clear and well-structured manner, using the applicable terminology.

Competences

  • explain issues pertaining to international refugee law and reflect and analyze  critically
  • assess and analyse rules and regulations as well as the consequences of the rules
  • qualify identified legal issues within international refugee law
  • be able to work problem-oriented by independently composing a problem and working in an analytical and structured manner
  • become responsible for own learning, development and specialization within the frames international refugee law.
  • become able to provide advice on the content of international refugee law and the consequences of violating the legal framework relating to refugee protection.

Type of instruction

  • Workshops

Extent and expected workload

  • 270 hours

Exam

Prerequisite for enrollment for the exam

  • Synopsis handed in on time

Exams

Name of examInternational Refugee Law
Type of exam
Oral exam based on a project
The knowledge and skills described are evaluated during an oral group exam based on a group project. The project is to be written by no more than 4 students and is required to be approximately 10 pages long. Further project requirements will be presented at a separate project introduction.
ECTS10
Permitted aids
With certain aids:
Synopsis are to be brought to the exam
Assessment7-point grading scale
Type of gradingExternal examination
Criteria of assessmentThe criteria of assessment are stated in the Examination Policies and Procedures

Additional information

  • The module is open to students from Law and Business Law

Facts about the module

Danish titleInternational Refugee Law
Module codeKA-EJ-13-S37
Module typeCourse
Duration1 semester
SemesterSpring
ECTS10
Language of instructionEnglish
Empty-place SchemeYes
Location of the lectureCampus Aalborg
Responsible for the module

Organisation

Education ownerMaster of Science (MSc) in Business Administration and Commercial Law
Study BoardStudy Board of Law
DepartmentDepartment of Law
FacultyFaculty of Social Sciences and Humanities

Litterature

OBS litteratur er først endelig 3 uger før semesterstart!

  • A compilation of selected readings will be made available online or for purchase
  • Students may be asked to access supplementary material online