Unit 4: The Cambodian Genocide (Khmer Rouge)
Duration of Days: 8
The historical context of Cambodia’s civil war and the rise of the Khmer Rouge
Core elements of Khmer Rouge ideology, including agrarian socialism and anti-intellectualism
How revolutionary regimes define and redefine “internal enemies”
How mass violence can occur without racial hatred or advanced technology
The long-term consequences of delayed justice and limited international response
Analyze how ideology transforms from abstract belief into policy and practice
Examine how fear, coercion, and conformity operate within revolutionary movements
Evaluate the challenges of accountability when perpetrators and victims overlap
Compare escalation patterns in Cambodia to earlier units without treating the Holocaust as a template
Interrogate the role of silence, denial, and geopolitical disinterest in prolonging harm
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Written analysis connecting Khmer Rouge ideology to mechanisms of mass death
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Source-based reasoning about responsibility and coercion
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Comparative reflection linking Cambodia to broader crimes against humanity patterns
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Quiz assessment focused on causes, mechanisms, and global response rather than dates
| Lesson # | Lesson Title | Duration of Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Defining the “Internal Enemy” | 1 |
| 1 | Cambodia Before the Khmer Rouge | 1 |
| 2 | Revolutionary Ideology and “Year Zero” | 1 |
| 4 | Cambodian Human Rights | 1 |
| 5 | Victims, Perpetrators, and Coercion | 1 |
| 6 | International Response and Delayed Justice | 1 |
| 7 | Patterns, Comparisons, and Synthesis | 1 |
| 8 | Unit Assessment – Cambodian Genocide | 1 |