HREA is pleased to announce the publication of its Educator’s Guide for the second edition of Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know. This Guide, developed in cooperation with the Crimes of War Project (publisher of the second edition) and the United States Institute of Peace, is available online at: www.hrea.org/crimesofwar.
The intention of this Educator’s Guide is to make prominent writings of field journalists on war crimes accessible to youth, young adults, and future decision makers, as well as to inform the general public. In the Educator’s Guide there are eight thematic chapters: weapons; violence against civilians; child soldiers; sexual violence; terrorism and torture; genocide; international courts and tribunals; and humanitarian intervention. Each of the thematic chapters is linked to the second edition of Crimes of War and contains the following elements: an essential question, learning objectives, methodology, background information on the theme, discussion questions, extension activities, ways that learners can take action, and additional film, web and print resources that might be used in the classroom. Teachers will be pleased to know that all chapters are aligned with National education standards.
The guide is intended to increase public exposure to the reality of war crimes, as the subtitle suggests: “what the public should know.” Perhaps if more of us knew the depth of the horrors of war the same wars that are often described in mainstream media as “precise,” “modern,” or “just” – we would take a more active role in deciding when, where, and why to go to war and in influencing the way those wars are fought.