From the Teacher to the Student: Pedagogic Strategies for Teaching about Genocide in the Modern Classroom

Pedagogic Workshop on Teaching About Genocide by Paul A. Levine
Prague Praha-Bubny, 24 September 2013 , opening 3  p.m.

The purpose and goal of this workshop is to provide middle and high school/gymnasium teachers with ideas, tools and strategies to effectively teach their students about the phenomena of genocide—its history, memory and contemporary social and political relevance.

Tragically, genocide is part of the modern world, and the better it is understood, the more likely it can be prevented. The world today cannot be understood today without an understanding of what genocide means for, precisely, both the individual and collective in modern society.

Therefore, teaching in the classroom about the persecution and murder of many people in many different societies is necessary. Necessary, but in no way is it easy, or even comfortable to teach the subject. It is however necessary to do so because the youth of today, in all democratic societies, must be made aware of what has been called, “the crime of crimes”—genocide.

This workshop will consist of short lectures by the instructor, followed by “hands-on” discussions about historical documents, photos, illustrations, film and other media from different genocides of the 20th century. Through these, teachers will gain an idea about the tragic reality of genocide. It is from these varied representations that questions of the “how, when, who, where and ultimately WHY” of genocide become the basis for teaching the subject in the classroom.

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Contact: Anna Bárdyová, anna@stanica.sk

Co-organizer: Archaeology of Evil Research Centre

Support:

Photos: wikimedia and www.archeologiezla.cz