Overview

This World Studies unit tackles the dark reality of genocide, examining its common motivations, processes, and consequences. Students will analyze the 10-step process of genocide and explore its global impacts. The unit investigates the international response to genocide, both ineffective and effective, at various scales, including local and global initiatives. Students will also explore the search for justice and reconciliation in the aftermath of genocide. The unit emphasizes the use of primary sources, including testimony, to understand the human element and the profound impact of genocide on individuals and communities. Given the sensitive nature of this topic, the unit will provide a trauma warning, along with guidance on pedagogical approaches for teaching this difficult subject. The unit will cover various genocides from the 20th and 21st centuries, such as the Armenian Genocide, the Cambodian Genocide, genocides conducted by governments, the ongoing genocide of the Uyghurs, and genocides in Darfur and Bosnia. Additionally, the unit will explore the role of the International Criminal Court, international agreements, political patterns, national boundaries, and the influence of cultural differences and conflicts over land in the occurrence of genocide. The unit will also focus on the theme of reconciliation and the challenges faced in the aftermath of genocide.  In seeking Justice and Reconciliation, students will explore the search for justice and accountability in the aftermath of genocide, analyze mechanisms such as international tribunals and truth commissions, and examine the challenges and possibilities of reconciliation in post-genocide societies.

The focus of each unit could include one or more of the following:

The highlighted evidence outcomes are the priority for all students, serving as the essential concepts and skills. It is recommended that the remaining evidence outcomes listed be addressed as time allows, representing the full breadth of the curriculum.

Students Can (Evidence Outcomes):

• History: 1.1.b. Gather and analyze historical information to address questions from a range of primary and secondary sources containing a variety of perspectives. For example: Perspectives of historically underrepresented groups.

• History: 1.1.c. Gather and analyze historical information from a range of qualitative and quantitative sources. For example: Demographic, economic, social, and political data.

• History: 1.1.d. Construct and defend a historical argument that evaluates interpretations by analyzing, critiquing, and synthesizing evidence from a wide range of relevant historical sources.

• History 1.3.a. Evaluate continuity and change over the course of world history. For example: the 19th, 20th and 21st century genocides such as the Armenian Genocide; the Cambodian Genocide; genocides conducted by governments; and the current genocide of the Uyghurs; as well as genocides that have taken place in Darfur and Bosnia.

• History: 1.3.d. Examine and evaluate issues of unity and diversity in world history from the Renaissance to the present. For example: Migration and immigration (e.g., rapid global population growth), world conferences and international agreements (e.g., United Nations, International Criminal Court), and human rights issues.

• Geography: 2.2.c. Examine patterns of distribution and arrangements of settlements and the processes of the diffusion of human activities.

• Geography: 2.3.d. Analyze how culture, and cooperation and conflict influence both the division and unification of Earth. For example: International agreements, political patterns, national boundaries, and how cultural differences and conflict over land may lead to genocide.

• Geography: 2.3.f. Examine geographic concepts through the lens of multiple diverse perspectives from various regions of the world and with consideration for indigenous, dominant, and marginalized populations. Including but not limited to: the Uyghurs in China.

• Economics: 3.2.g: Explore how economic crises create an environment where genocide is allowed to occur. For example: Rationing, scapegoating, including the incremental dehumanization of minority groups, and mitigating conflict over resources.