|
This course asks students to
connect history to the moral dilemmas inherent in the study of
violence, racism, and genocide. For students, the voyage begins
with an exploration of the complex issues around individual
identity, starting with such questions as: Who am I? How do I
define myself? How do I define others? The journey then
broadens to an exploration of identity as it relates to groups
and nations. How does a nation define itself? Who decides who
belongs and who does not fit in to a nation’s citizenry?
With the above foundation, students
then learn how issues of identity and membership, inclusion and
exclusion, played out at various moments in history including:
The Eugenics Movement (including mass sterilization) in America,
The Armenian Genocide, The Holocaust, the chaos in the former
Yugoslavia, the havoc in Kurdish Iraq, the massacres of Rwanda,
the “Killing Fields” of Cambodia and the current tensions the
Darfur region of the Sudan. Focusing on the role of the
individual in history, students then consider the questions: Who
was responsible? How should justice be served? Hoe do
individuals, groups and nations try to heal from the horrors of
genocide?
Discussions, presentation projects, and reflective writing
assignments (journals, essays, etc.) will make up the core
requirements of the course. Films, novels, music, web research,
and guest lecturers will supplement traditional teaching
methods. |
Strom, Margot Stern Facing History
and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior (Main)
Meghrouni, Virigina Vergeen: A
Survivor of the Armenian Genocide (on
web--acrobat file)
Spielgelman, Art Maus: A
Survivor’s Tale (Boxed Set I & II)
Power, Samantha A
Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide
Wiesenthal, Simon The Sunflower:
On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness
Other
readings will either be given as handouts or posted on the Web
page www.boother.com |
|
The quarter grade will be based on the average of the following:
Students are expected to come to class with all reading
completed. Still, much of what is read in this course will be
done during class time. Therefore, it is expected that
students bring their resource book, handouts, etc. to class
daily. The trade off is quite simple--active participation
during the class day requires less reading at night. Finally,
students will be asked to keep a journal where they “connect”
events covered in class to their own lives.
It
is the responsibility of the student to make up all work missed
due to an absence, including tests and book and film-related
essays.
Other issues
of academic integrity are covered in the department’s
Guidelines Regarding Academic Integrity, which are posted on
the department’s web site.
If
a student needs extra help, he/she should stay after class to
plan out a convenient time for both student and teacher.
Students
should feel free to call me at home (531-5385) until 9 p.m. any
night.
An email to
John_Booth@brunswickschool.org
may also work from around
9pm-12am.
|