Philosophy of Migration Law

Migration law raises rich ethical and political questions. In this class we will address some of the central questions in the philosophy of migration debate and consider their relevance to migration law and policy. The first part of the semester will take up traditional questions in philosophy of migration. The second part of the semester investigates key ethical issues concerning the U.S. migration system, with a focus on the problem of legal accessibility and ethical enforcement. This part of the class will draw on a more diverse set of readings and methodologies, integrating migrant stories alongside legal and philosophical sources. Students will be assessed based on two 1.5-2 page “review” papers, their participation in class, and a final essay and rewrite assignment due at the end of the semester. The essay will be 12-15 pages long double-spaced including footnotes, and after the rewrite it must be 15-18 pages double-spaced including footnotes. The course is SAW eligible. For students pursuing the substantial analytic writing (SAW) requirement, the final rewritten paper must be substantially rewritten and a full 20-24 pages long, double-spaced, excluding footnotes.