Unit 5: The Rwandan Genocide
Duration of Days: 8
How colonial rule constructed and hardened ethnic identities in Rwanda
The political, economic, and social conditions leading up to 1994
The role of propaganda, media, and local participation in rapid escalation
The limits of UN peacekeeping mandates and international law
Why the genocide was not “spontaneous” despite its speed
Trace escalation from political tension to mass killing
Analyze how language and media normalize violence
Evaluate international decision-making under legal and political constraints
Compare Rwanda to earlier cases without treating it as inevitable
Interrogate claims of ignorance versus deliberate inaction
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Written analysis connecting warning signs to outcomes
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Source-based reasoning about responsibility and constraint
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Application of international law frameworks to a real case
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Comparative thinking across genocide cases