Law Schedule of Classes

NOTE: Course offerings change. Classes offered this semester may not be offered in future semesters.

Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.


288.44 sec. 001 - U.S. Asylum Law in Practice (Spring 2024)

Instructor: Tilman David Jacobs  (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only

Units: 3
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person

Meeting:

Th 10:00 AM - 12:40 PM
Location: Law 136
From January 11, 2024
To April 18, 2024

Course Start: January 11, 2024
Course End: April 18, 2024
Class Number: 33565

Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 15
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 18
As of: 04/27 11:56 PM


This applied learning course will introduce students to the legal frameworks for noncitizens in the U.S. seeking protection against refoulement (forced repatriation). Students will learn the elements of eligibility for asylum in the U.S. and experience the asylum process from beginning to resolution, through simulations, role plays, and analysis of real-world scenarios.

Using adaptations of actual asylum cases, students will practice essential advocacy skills, including interviewing clients, eliciting testimony, developing legal theories, composing and delivering oral arguments, recognizing ethical pitfalls, and navigating evidentiary norms, in the unique context of the U.S. immigration system. The course will also highlight various related topics, including alternative forms of protection, unaccompanied minors, gender- and LGBTQ-based claims, and immigrant detention.

By the semester's end, students will understand the legal landscape facing asylum seekers in the U.S., recognize the eccentricities of asylum adjudications in our legal system, and feel more confident about their ability to manage uncertainty in these complex and peculiar processes. Class participation will be an integral part of this simulation course, in conjunction with a final paper, a legal brief based on the record of one of the cases we study over the course of the semester.


Attendance at the first class is mandatory for all currently enrolled and waitlisted students; any currently enrolled or waitlisted students who are not present on the first day of class (without prior permission of the instructor) will be dropped. The instructor will continue to take attendance throughout the add/drop period and anyone who moves off the waitlist into the class must continue to attend or have prior permission of the instructor in order not to be dropped.


Requirements Satisfaction:


Units from this class may count towards either the J.D. Experiential Requirement or the J.D. Race and Law Requirement but not both.

This class may count towards only one academic requirement.

The Race and Law Requirement applies to the class of 2026 and beyond.

Student Services is available to answer questions.


Exam Notes: (P) Final paper  
Course Category: International and Comparative Law
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Race and Law
Social Justice and Public Interest

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