British Columbia - Genocide Studies 12

Big Ideas

The intentional destruction of peoples and their cultures is not inevitable, and such attempts can be disrupted and resisted.
The use of the term “genocide” to describe atrocities has political, legal, social, and cultural ramifications.
Despite international commitments to prohibit genocide, violence targeted against groups of people has continued to challenge global peace and prosperity.
While genocides are caused by and carried out for different reasons, all genocides share similarities in progression and scope.

Curricular Competency

Students are expected to be able to do the following:

Use Social Studies inquiry processes and skills to ask questions; gather, interpret, and analyze ideas; and communicate findings and decisions

Assess the significance of people, locations, events, or developments, and compare varying perspectives on their significance at particular times and places, and from group to group

Assess the credibility of, and the justification for the use of, evidence after investigating the reliability of sources and data, the adequacy of evidence, and the bias of accounts and claims

Assess how prevailing conditions and the actions of individuals or groups influence events, locations, decisions, or developments

Explain and infer different perspectives on past or present people, locations, issues, or events by considering prevailing norms, values, worldviews, and beliefs

Make reasoned ethical judgments about, and assess varying responses to, actions and events in the past or present

MediaSmarts Resources

Content

Students are expected to know the following:

characteristics and stages of genocide

strategies used to commit genocide

use of technology in promoting and carrying out genocide

recognition of and responses to genocides

movements that deny the existence of or minimize the scope of genocides

genocide prevention, including international law and enforcement