REFUGEE LIVES: FLEEING WAR, FINDING HOME, AND REALIZING RIGHTS

Fridays, February 10, 17, 24; March 3 

9:30-11:20 a.m.

Pappajohn Business Building, Room W107

21 E. Market St., Iowa City

Course Description:

Around the world, people are fleeing their homelands. But what does it mean to be a refugee? This course will introduce the modern legal definition of a refugee, arising from the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees, and the evolution of the concept of refugee in both international and domestic contexts. The course will examine the current global refugee crisis, its origins, and proposed solutions. The class will also hear presentations by individuals who resettled in Iowa as refugees, learn about the resettlement process, and explore Iowa's unique history of welcoming refugees. Students enrolled in the course will have the opportunity to meet and connect with refugees, policy-makers, community members, and advocates from across the country. Presentations and workshops will address a variety of issues, including refugee policy, personal experiences, and social challenges related to refugee communities.

Course Objectives:

To increase awareness and understanding of refugee policy and the experience of refugees in the United States.

To examine issues related to the refugee experience in light of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights frameworks.

To provide students with the tools to analyze and critically reflect on global issues using human rights frameworks.

Instructor:

Amy Weismann is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law and has extensive experience in the refugee resettlement field. She is an assistant director of the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights and lives in Iowa City with her husband, Amir, and their seven-year old daughter, Hana.

Contact Information:

Amy Weismann: amy-weismann@uiowa.edu or 319-499-8435

Reading and viewing accompanying course:

Week 1 (Feb. 10):

No assigned materials

Week 2 (Feb. 17):

Text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Text of Convention on the Status of Refugees of 1951 and Optional Protocol “Symbolic Politics and Policy Feedback: The United Nations Protocol

Relating to the Status of Refugees and American Refugee Policy in the Cold War” by Rebecca Hamlin, et al.

Refugee Act of 1980 UNHCR FAQs on Resettlement Additional Readings and videos as provided via e-mail

In class visit live with Zeljka Krvavica (Bosnia), Refugee Specialist Iowa DHS-Bureau of Refugee Services; possible other guests TBA

Week 3 (Feb. 24):

View short film “4.1 Miles” https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000004674545/41-miles.html

After watching, think about these questions: What moments in this film stood out for you? Why? Were there any surprises? Anything that challenged what you

know — or thought you knew? What messages, emotions or ideas will you take away from this

film? Why? Note from filmmaker “Constrained By its Roots: How the Origins of the Global Asylum System

Limit Contemporary Protection” by Randall Hansen Additional readings and videos as provided via e-mail

In class visit by Dr. Deema Alkapalan (Syria); possible conversation via Skype with Randall Hansen, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Immigration and Governance in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto; possible other guests TBA

Week 4 (March 3):

Readings TBA

In class visit by Amir Hadzic (Bosnia); panel discussion with Teresa Stecker of IC Compassion; staff from Catherine McAuley Center; staff from EMBARC; possible other guests TBA