Format of the Educator's Guide
Meeting State Standards for Secondary Students
Enhancing University Courses
Crimes of War Project and HREA
Acknowledgements
Despite the advanced state of development of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, the world continues to witness heinous crimes of war. The development of these schools of legal thought has required a high level of international cooperation as evidenced by the formation of the International Criminal Court, ad hoc tribunals, and hybrid tribunals. These important efforts represent a unique moment in world history. However, continued pressure on governments is required in these areas to end the cycles of violence.
In the preface to the first edition of Crimes of War, the editors state that, "[o]ur hope is that if the principles of law are widely understood, and if the news media and other observers present the relevant facts to the public, informed debate will provide the answers".[1] 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. This Educator's Guide provides rich content on war crimes in a variety of ways: creating thematic groupings from Crimes of War, summarizing articles, providing discussion questions and in-depth activities, defining terms, and referencing additional film, print and web resources. We hope that educators will feel inspired to communicate how important it is for young people to be informed about these issues. More importantly, we hope that students will feel inspired to take action on these issues in their schools, communities, or future careers.
This guide is also 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.
Many people believe that war is inevitable or that it is an inherent part of being human. It is beyond the scope of this guide to answer definitively the daunting philosophical questions surrounding war and human violence. We are primarily concerned with exposing people, especially students, to a vocabulary and breadth of knowledge about recent wars, and the crimes behind the scenes of those wars. We do this in the hope that a more comprehensive knowledge of the negative consequences of war will promote discussion and understanding among all citizens, and will continue to affirm and strengthen the Geneva Conventions and other agreements that are intended to protect us all from the horrors of war crimes.
Many of the photographs and stories in Crimes of War are disturbing and may be traumatic to view, as they certainly were for the authors. The appalling acts represented by the words and photographs in this book are available to us because of the courage and integrity of individual journalists who have in many cases risked their lives to expose governments and other forces that commit and condone crimes of war. While difficult to witness, the photographs are an important part of the process of communicating the reality of these war crimes. War crimes have horrific consequences, and we who bear witness to the carnage should feel compelled to action.
FORMAT OF THE EDUCATOR’S GUIDE
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 has eight sections. Below is a brief description of the purpose of these sections:
- Corresponding Chapters in Crimes of War: A list of the chapters from the second edition of Crimes of War that relate to the theme. The discussion questions and activities are based both on the second edition chapters as well as the information contained in the study guide.
- Essential Question: A primary question that can be used to focus student discussion as well as to assess student learning at the end of the unit.
- Learning Objectives: Key learning outcomes from the chapters that can help the educator to focus lessons and also to assess learning and teaching.
- Methodology: General suggestions for how to use this guide and corresponding chapters from the second edition of Crimes of War.
- Introduction: A summary of key concepts and terms related to the theme, which can be used by educators only or shared with learners as background reading.
- Discussion Questions: Questions that can be used to lead whole class and/or small group discussion. These questions are ordered from easier to more difficult. Questions can be modified and used as writing prompts. In order to answer the questions, students generally do not need to go beyond the content in the Educator’s Guide and the corresponding second edition chapters.
- Extension Activities: Two or three hands-on activities that require learners to do research, carry out a project, or formulate an opinion on issues around war crimes. Many of these activities will require several hours to prepare and complete.
- Take Action: Perhaps the most important aspect of the chapter, these activities are intended to give students an opportunity to participate in an activity where they can make a difference by participating in an action or educating their peers about issues related to crimes of war.
- Additional Resources: A list of films, web resources and print articles for enriching lessons.
Key terms are in bold face and are defined in the Glossary of Terms at the end of the guide.
The Educator’s Guide is intended for use in senior level high school classes, advanced placement classes and university classes. That being said, there are discussion questions and activities that could be used with mature high school students of all ages.
MEETING STATE STANDARDS FOR SECONDARY STUDENTS
For those educators working at the secondary school level, the Educator’s Guide can support meeting state curricular requirements for the Social Sciences and English Language Arts. Below are is a list of some of the national educational standards that are met by chapters in the guide. These standards are similar to those adopted in most states in the United States.
National Social Sciences Standards covered by Crimes of War
National Standards for U.S. History
NSS-USH.5-12.9 Era 9: Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)
- Understands how the Cold War and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam influenced domestic and international politics
NSS-USH.9-12.10 Era 10: Contemporary United States (1968 to the Present) - Understands recent developments in foreign and domestic politics
National Standards for World History
NSS-WH.5-12.8 Era 8: A Half-Century of Crisis and Achievement, 1900-1945
The student in grades 5-12 should understand:
- the search for peace and stability in the 1920s and 1930s.
- the causes and global consequences of World War II.
NSS-WH.5-12.9 Era 9: The 20th Century Since 1945: Promises and Paradoxes
The student in grades 5-12 should understand:
- how post-World War II reconstruction occurred, new international power relations took shape, and colonial empires broke up.
- the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world.
National Standards for Civics
NSS-C.9-12.4 Other Nations and World Affairs
What is the Relationship of the United States to Other Nations and to World Affairs?
How is the world organized politically?
How do the domestic politics and constitutional principles of the United States affect its relations with the world?
How has the United States influenced other nations, and how have other nations influenced American politics and society?
NSS-C.9-12.5 Roles of the Citizen
What are the Roles of the Citizen in American Democracy?
What is citizenship?
What are the rights of citizens?
What are the responsibilities of citizens?
What civic dispositions or traits of private and public character are important to the preservation and improvement of American constitutional democracy?
How can citizens take part in civic life?
National Standards for English
NL-ENG.K-12.1 Reading for Perspective
Students read a wide range of texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction.
NL-ENG.K-12.2 Understanding the Human Experience
Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
NL-ENG.K-12.7 Evaluating Data
Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
NL-ENG.K-12.8 Developing Research Skills
Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
NL-ENG.K-12.9 Multicultural Understanding
Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
ENHANCING UNIVERSITY COURSES
The Educator's Guide can enrich the curriculum in university political science, law and history classes. Since professors at the college level are not held to the same strict curricular requirements as high school teachers, the possibilities for inclusion of lesson units within existing courses, or for developing a course around the content of this guide, are extensive.
The interactive methodology of this guide will contribute to engaging classes on contemporary topics that move away from traditional lecture and allow for active engagement on these themes. Those with previous knowledge of international politics will be able to delve deeply into the guide's topics. The additional resources at the end of each chapter include links to primary documents and other resources that can be used for student research projects. Chapters from the Educator's Guide might also be used as the basis for peer-to-peer education.
CRIMES OF WAR PROJECT AND HREA
HREA is grateful to those educators interested to address crimes of war in the classroom and hope you will find this guide to be informative and useful for your practice. We encourage you to write with your feedback and experiences: crimesofwar@hrea.org.
Educators wishing to access additional Crimes of War Project resources, including recent essays, news and guest speakers, should visit their website: www.crimesofwar.org.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Human Rights Education Associates, Inc. (HREA) would like to gratefully acknowledge the key people who helped in the production of this resource. First are foremost are the primary authors, who dedicated themselves to creating lessons that would be educational, provocative and inspiring all at the same time. The following persons are responsible for the specific sections in this guide:
Preface – Jessamyn Waldman
Background and Key Concepts – Ellen Roche
Weapons – Jessamyn Waldman
Violence Against Civilians: Sieges and Sanctions – Ellen Roche
Child Soldiers – Ellen Roche
Sexual Violence – Rebecca Mantey and Leigh Griggs
Torture as a Weapon in the War on Terror - Rebecca Mantey and Leigh Griggs
Genocide – Jessamyn Waldman
International Courts and Tribunals - Rebecca Mantey and Leigh Griggs
Humanitarian Intervention - Rebecca Mantey and Leigh Griggs
Glossary of Terms – Ellen Roche
Copy-editing and proof-reading was lead by Jessamyn Waldman with the assistance of Felisa Tibbitts.
HREA is also grateful for the Advisory Group of secondary and university-level instructors who provided input on the lessons throughout the development process. These educators are William Fernekes (Hunterdon Central Regional High School), Matthew Berg (John Carroll University), Laurie Rodney (Eugene Huguenot High School), Judith Freeman (Boston Latin School) and Sherry Ricchiardi (Indiana University).
Finally, this Educator's Guide is result of a partnership between HREA and both the Crimes of War Project and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), which sponsored this guide. Anthony Dworkin at the Crimes of War Project and Jeffrey Helsing and other colleagues at USIP were extremely generous in providing detailed feedback on several versions of the guide. Their input was invaluable for bringing the guide to its current condition.
November 2007
[1] Gutman, Roy and Rieff, David. "Preface". Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know. Eds. Roy Gutman and David Rieff. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1999, p. 14.
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