Human Rights and Genocide Research Project

Introduction: The world has seen many examples of how people can deny their fellow humans of their most basic rights. In the worst of cases, humans have denied groups of people of their lives, often in shockingly large numbers. We study these cases to understand how seemingly normal people can be motivated to commit such atrocities and to help students understand the importance of the promise we must make to victims and survivors of these past events: Never again!

Your Tasks: 1. Two students will do research on a human rights violation (since 1945) or genocide topic. 2. You and your partner will create a Prezi (Extra 5 points)or Google Slide (Google PowerPoint) about the topic to share in class. Students will be provided with an organizer in order to keep track of the information gleaned from research and from where the information came. Some class time will be afforded to conduct research, work on putting the pieces together, and address any issues that might arise in the process.

Due Dates: Visual/Research must be completed by September 8thth. Presentations will take place on September 9th/10th.

Other Presentation Requirements: The presentation should be a minimum of 4 minutes. The information on the screen should be short (avoid long sentences and paragraphs) and you should be able to expand on it based on your knowledge and personal notes (note cards). Your information must be cited (MLA) on the presentation at the end of your presentation. Attempt to paraphrase information you find for your presentation. If you directly take sentences of information to use on your presentation, it must be in quotations. There must also be a minimum of 5 pictures that add to your presentation. All pictures must also be cited with the URL on the picture or the picture must be placed so that I am able to click on the picture and it takes me to the original site of the picture.

Outline of the Presentation: This is meant to be a significant research presentation that goes into detail about the genocide or human rights violations that you have researched. The presentation must address each of the four areas below.

1. Conditions Prior to the Event Describe the conditions and relationships between groups within the country or between countries that existed prior to the genocide or human rights abuse.

2. The Event (THE MAJORITY OF YOUR PRESENTATION) When did the genocide or human rights violation begin? Where did it begin? What human rights are/were violated? Why did it begin? Did the government pass a new policy? Did the government or some group attack another group? How were people affected? How many people were affected, killed, injured, forced to move? 3. The Resolution How was the genocide or human rights violation ended? Did other countries get involved in the struggle? Did the United Nations get involved in the crisis? Was there an actual agreement or treaty? Did it end or is it ongoing? If it is ongoing, what attempts have been made to end the situation? Has it intensified or improved? 4. The Aftermath What is the effect of the genocide or the human rights violation on the country today? Is there still a bad relationship between different groups? Does the event still affect politics in the country today?

Possible Topics: 1. North Carolina Eugenics Program 2. Religious Suppression in China (or another country of your choice) 3. Women’s Rights Violations by the Taliban in Afghanistan or Pakistan 4. Cambodian Genocide (Mass killings by fanatical communists, 1975 - 1979) 5. Bosnian Genocide (Mass killing and deportation of Muslim Bosniaks by Serbs, 1992 - 1995) 6. Rwandan Genocide (Mass killing of Tutsi tribe carried out by the Hutu tribe, 1994) 7. Kurdish Genocide (Iraqi dictator’s war on the ethnic Kurds of Northern Iraq, 1986 - 1989) 8. Darfur Genocide (Ethnic conflict with mass casualties from starvation and disease in Sudan, 2003 - 2010) 9. Syria (Mass killing of political protesters, 2011 - present) 10. Tibet (Religious and political oppression by the Chinese government, 1959 - present) 11. Zimbabwe (Torture and suppression of political opposition to dictator Robert Mugabe, 2000 - present) 12. Women in Saudi Arabia (Significant restrictions of political and personal rights, 1932 - present) 13. Guatemalan Civil War (Mass killing and CIA-sponsored political repression, 1960 - 1996) 14. North Korean Human Rights Violations (political prisoners within concentration camps) 15. Any other clear human rights violation within any country (must be approved by Mr. Simmons)