The Russian army’s official death toll since 1999 is 3,000, and the Chechen rebels’ violent tactics have taken the lives of both Russians and Chechens who cooperate with them. The rebels’ deadliest weapons are mines, which run the risk of killing innocent civilian bystanders.

With this case study, students will explore the question of whether violence is an acceptable means of resistance to oppression or whether diplomacy and political solutions must be pursued instead. They will examine these perspectives:

• It is acceptable for those struggling for independence or freedom from occupation to use violent means.
• It is not acceptable for those struggling for independence or freedom from occupation to use violent means.

Using the Academic Controversy model, students will develop skills in: creating and presenting arguments; researching; collaboration and communication; conflict resolution and consensus-building. Students will be evaluated on participation, use of student organizers, and a culminating project, which will demonstrate their understanding of the content and their mastery of the Academic Controversy process.

Grade Level: 9-12

Time Allotment

Longer Version: This lesson can span from one to two weeks. Ideally, two to three days of introduction to Academic Controversy, student research, and position-development should be allowed; one to two days for engaging in the Academic Controversy itself (presentation of positions, open discussion, reversal of positions); and two days for the synthesis of the positions and the preparation of a joint report. If the teacher chooses to extend the lesson by assigning additional case studies to individual students or small groups of students, the lesson could last for a couple of weeks.

Compressed Version: This lesson could also be completed in two to three days. This would include one day for introduction to Academic Controversy, student research, position-development (with one to two homework assignments to supplement class time); one day for the structured controversy; and one day for the synthesis of the positions and the preparation of a joint report.

Learning Objectives:

Students Will

Investigate the history of the war in Chechnya, the impact of the Russian occupation on the lives of Chechens, and the consequences of the violence employed by both the Russian forces and the Chechen separatist rebels.

Explore the issue of violence vs. non-violence as a means of resistance to oppression and as a way to achieve independence.

Consider the alternatives to violence and what the pros and cons of such non-violent means might be.

Understand the following terms and concepts: separatists, guerrillas, occupation, civilians, independence

Develop research, presentation, writing and conflict resolution skills that can be applied to numerous other content areas and case studies.

Academic Standards:

Historical Understanding Standard 1
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=3&StandardID=1
Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns Benchmark: Understands historical continuity and change related to a particular development or theme.

World History Standard 44
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=6&StandardID=44
Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world Benchmarks: Understands the role of political ideology, religion, and ethnicity in shaping modern governments; Understands the role of ethnicity, cultural identity, and religious beliefs in shaping economic and political conflicts across the globe.

Civics Standard 22
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=14&StandardID=22
Understands how the world is organized politically into nation-states, how nation-states interact with one another, and issues surrounding U.S. foreign policy. Benchmarks: Understands the purposes and functions of major governmental international organizations and major nongovernmental international organizations; Knows some important bilateral and multilateral agreements to which the United States is signatory.

Language Arts Standard 4
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=7&StandardID=4
Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Benchmarks: Uses appropriate research methodology; Uses a variety of print and electronic sources to gather information for research topics; Synthesizes information from multiple research studies to draw conclusions that go beyond those found in any of the individual studies; Writes research papers.

Using Miloseviç’s brutal nationalism and the implementation of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) as a case study, students will consider the question of whether those who commit massive violations of human rights should be held accountable in international courts of law. Are such courts effective in bringing international criminals to justice? Students will examine these two perspectives:

• International courts of law should be used for holding individuals and groups accountable for large-scale atrocities and human rights violations committed against civilians.
• International courts of law should not be used for holding individuals and groups accountable for large-scale atrocities and human rights violations committed against civilians.

With the Academic Controversy model, students will develop skills in: creating and presenting arguments; researching; collaboration and communication; conflict resolution and consensus-building. Students will be evaluated on participation, use of student organizers, and a culminating project, which will demonstrate their understanding of the content and their mastery of the Academic Controversy process.

Grade Level: 9-12

Time Allotment

Longer Version: This lesson can span from one to two weeks. Ideally, two to three days of introduction to Academic Controversy, student research, and position-development should be allowed; one to two days for engaging in the Academic Controversy itself (presentation of positions, open discussion, reversal of positions); and two days for the synthesis of the positions and the preparation of a joint report. If the teacher chooses to extend the lesson by assigning additional case studies to individual students or small groups of students, the lesson could last for a couple of weeks.

Compressed Version: This lesson could also be completed in two to three days. This would include one day for introduction to Academic Controversy, student research, and position-development (with one-two homework assignments to supplement class time); one day for the structured controversy; and one day for the synthesis of the positions and the preparation of a joint report.

Students Will

Investigate the rise of Serbian nationalism under Slobodan Miloseviç’s leadership, and understand its consequences.

Examine Miloseviç’s human rights violations, and consider whether the United Nations’ International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia is the best way to hold him accountable for his crimes.

Explore the consequences of an extreme nationalism that believes in the superiority of one ethnic group over others.

Consider the issue of international courts of law vs. national and local courts of law in criminal cases such as the one studied here.

Understand the following terms and concepts: genocide, refugees, nationalism, ethnic groups/ ethnic minority/ ethnic majority, massacre, ethnic cleansing, International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, United Nations, International Criminal Court, human rights, crimes against humanity.

Develop research, presentation, writing and conflict resolution skills that can be applied to numerous other content areas and case studies.

Academic Standards:

Historical Understanding Standard 1
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=3&StandardID=1
Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns. Benchmark: Understands historical continuity and change related to a particular development or theme.

World History Standard 44
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=6&StandardID=44
Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world. Benchmarks: Understands the role of political ideology, religion, and ethnicity in shaping modern governments; Understands the role of ethnicity, cultural identity, and religious beliefs in shaping economic and political conflicts across the globe.

United States History Standard 30
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=5&StandardID=30
Understands developments in foreign policy and domestic politics between the Nixon and Clinton presidencies. Benchmarks: Understands the influence of U.S. foreign policy on international events from Nixon to Clinton.

Civics Standard 22
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=14&StandardID=22
Understands how the world is organized politically into nation-states, how nation-states interact with one another, and issues surrounding U.S. foreign policy.

Benchmarks: Understands the significance of principal foreign policies and events in the United States’ relations with the world; Understands the purposes and functions of major governmental international organizations and major nongovernmental international organizations; Knows some important bilateral and multilateral agreements to which the United States is signatory.

Language Arts Standard 4
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/
Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=7&StandardID=4
Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Benchmarks: Uses appropriate research methodology; Uses a variety of print and electronic sources to gather information for research topics; Synthesizes information from multiple research studies to draw conclusions that go beyond those found in any of the individual studies; Writes research papers.

Grade Level: 9

Time Allotment: Two to Three 45-Minute Class Periods

Subject Matter: Economics, History, and English

Learning Objectives:

Identify the six economic functions of government.

Organize examples of government actions and policies within various economic functions.

Understand the history of Rwanda.

Describe the genocide that took place in 1994.

Identify steps being taken to improve the economy of Rwanda including increasing education, investing in human capital, and diversifying resource base

Academic Standards:

National Council on Economic Education
http://www.ncee.net/ea/standards

• Standard 3: Allocation of Goods and Services
  Different methods can be used to allocate goods and services. People acting individually or collectively through government, must choose which methods to use to allocate different kinds of goods and services.
  1. People in all economies must address three questions: What goods and services will be produced? How will these goods and services be produced? Who will consume them?
  2. National economies vary in the extent to which they rely on government directives (central planning) and signals from private markets (prices) to allocate scarce goods, services, and productive resources.
• Standard 15: Growth
  Investment in factories, machinery, new technology, and in the health, education, and training of people can raise future standards of living.
  1. When workers learn and practice new skills they are improving their human capital.
  2. Workers can improve their productivity by improving their human capital.
  3. Workers can improve their productivity by using physical capital such as tools and machinery.
  4. Standards of living increase as the productivity of labor improves.
  5. Productivity is measured by dividing output (goods and services) by the number of inputs used to produce the output. A change in productivity is a change in output relative to input.
  6. Technological change is an advance in knowledge leading to new and improved goods and services and better ways of producing them.
  7. Increases in productivity result from advances in technology and other sources.

National Council of Teachers of English
http://www.ncte.org/about/over/standards/110846.htm

• 1. 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.
  2. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.

National Standards for History
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/worldera9.html

• Standard 2C
  The student understands how liberal democracy, market economies, and human rights movements have reshaped political and social life.

In this lesson, students will look at the harsh realities of gang life, the impact of gang life on El Salvador society, and what is and isn’t being done to resolve the issue of gang violence in this Central American nation. They will use this information to write “letters home” to describe what gang life will be like, or what steps are being taken to curb gangs and gang violence.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subject Matter: Sociology, Social Problems, Global Affairs, Comparative Politics and Government

Time Allotment: : 3-4 days (based on a 50-minute class period)

Learning Objectives

As a result of completing the lesson, the students will be able to:

• Identify causes and results of gang development and violence
• Investigate the sociological, economic, and political implications of gang violence in El Salvador
• Understand concerns, fears, and personalities of gang members
• Consider solutions to solve political and social instability in El Salvador

Standards:

This lesson meets the following standards set by the Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/)

Behavioral Studies:

Benchmark 1.
Understands that conflict between people or groups may arise from competition over ideas, resources, power, and/or status

Benchmark 2.
Understands that social change, or the prospect of it, promotes conflict because social, economic, and political changes usually benefit some groups more than others (which is also true of the status quo)

Benchmark 3.
Understands that conflicts are especially difficult to resolve in situations in which there are few choices and little room for compromise

Benchmark 5.
Understands that conflict within a group may be reduced by conflict between it and other groups

Civics:

Benchmark 2.
Knows alternative ideas about the purposes and functions of law (e.g., regulating relationships among people and between people and their government; providing order, predictability, security, and established procedures for the management of conflict; regulating social and economic relationships in civil society)

Benchmark 4.
Understands the argument that poverty, unemployment, and urban decay serve to limit both political and economic rights

Language Arts:

Benchmark 8.
Writes fictional, biographical, autobiographical, and observational narrative compositions (e.g., narrates a sequence of events; evaluates the significance of the incident; provides a specific setting for scenes and incidents; provides supporting descriptive detail [specific names for people, objects, and places; visual details of scenes, objects, and places; descriptions of sounds, smells, specific actions, movements, and gestures; the interior monologue or feelings of the characters]; paces the actions to accommodate time or mood changes; creates a unifying theme or tone; uses literary devices to enhance style and tone)

Benchmark 9.
Writes persuasive compositions that address problems/solutions or causes/effects (e.g., articulates a position through a thesis statement; anticipates and addresses counter arguments; backs up assertions using specific rhetorical devices [appeals to logic, appeals to emotion, uses personal anecdotes]; develops arguments using a variety of methods such as examples and details, commonly accepted beliefs, expert opinion, cause-and-effect reasoning, comparison-contrast reasoning)

Benchmark 11.
Writes reflective compositions (e.g., uses personal experience as a basis for reflection on some aspect of life, draws abstract comparisons between specific incidents and abstract concepts, maintains a balance between describing incidents and relating them to more general abstract ideas that illustrate personal beliefs, moves from specific examples to generalizations about life)

Standard 2, Benchmark 1.
Uses precise and descriptive language that clarifies and enhances ideas and supports different purposes (e.g., to stimulate the imagination of the reader, to translate concepts into simpler or more easily understood terms, to achieve a specific tone, to explain concepts in literature)