ENG 111: Dual Enrollment: College Composition I (Briar Woods HS-Loudoun)

Image via Holocaust Memorial Day Trust

Background articles: "Genocide" by Raphael Lemkin (1946) and "Ten Stages of Genocide" by Dr. Gregory H. Stanton (1996)

Genocide Research Paper - Indifference, Witness, Personal Responsibility

 Objectives and Purpose:

• To understand how our actions or inactions affect those around us

• To evaluate and understand political, social and cultural issues that lead to genocide

• To read, critique, and evaluate a variety of primary and secondary sources

• To synthesize information and support a major claim.

 Step 1:  You may want to frame your understanding of genocide around a specific genocide.  Here are some that you may wish to research and build meaning on (see list below)

• Pontic Greeks (1913-1922)

• Armenians in Turkey (1915-1919)                                 

• Victims of Stalin’s purges in the USSR (1930s)                          

• Victims of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia (1975-1979)   

• Kurds in Iraq (1987-89)

• Tutsis in Rwanda (1994)                                   

• Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992-1995)

• Kosovar Albanians in Kosovo Yugoslavia (1999)

• The Darfur in Sudan (current)

• Muslim Uighurs in China (current)

Step 2:  Use Dr. Stanton’s “Ten Stages of Genocide” to research and understand the how/why of the genocide; consider Raphael Lemkin’s article on the necessity to NAME this event.

Step 3:  Research psychology behind hate and discrimination.  Why do people hate?  Can it be avoided?  Can it be “unlearned”? 

Step 4:  Create an arguable research question and thesis statement that articulates how hate/discrimination leads to the genocide

You can begin by considering these problems, causes, and processes of genocide as given on the assignment and asking HOW and WHY:

• The kind of leader(s) or government created the environment for genocide

• The causes of this genocide

• The genocide’s progression  through the stages of genocide

• Who intervened or who should have intervened

• Who bears responsibility for the genocide

• What was or should have been done to stop it 

• What are the ethical responsibilities of governments, nations, or individuals

• The roles of hate and indifference in genocides

• The psychological impact on the victims and/or perpetrators and/or bystanders

• The results of the genocide on a nation 

• The impact on the international community

• The impact on economics, both domestic and international

• The impact on various groups, i.e. witnesses, bystanders, victims, children, etc.

Step 5:  Research and submit an Annotated Bibliography (details follow)

Step 6:  Submit an outline showing how you will support your thesis statement (line of reasoning with clear and topic sentences)

Step 7:  Write a 5 - 7 page (not including Works Cited/References) rough draft for  peer review

Step 8:  Finalize and submit your 5 - 7 page paper and include a Works Cited page

Do NOT include your annotated bibliography as your Works Cited page

ONLY include sources that you CITE in your paper.

 Annotated Bibliography: 

100 points:  Each annotation is work 6 points each (60 points)and will be evaluated on the summary, analysis and evaluation, Statement of Scope will be 25 points which includes the purpose of research and is 2 - 4 paragraphs, and MLA formatting with Research Question and Thesis will count for 15 points.

10 sources with annotations.  Follow MLA guidelines for sources.   You must include:

1. Statement of Scope (include the purpose of your research in this part)

2. Research Question and Thesis Statement

3. Include a 150-200-word summary and analysis/evaluation of each source.  Sources should include the more narrow topic of genocide you are addressing and may include a specific genocide that helps you to answer your research question.

• Primary Sources:  immediate, first-hand accounts, testimonies.

  • Includes audio or video recordings, films, journals, letters, diaries, speeches, oral histories.

• Secondary Sources:  Includes scholarly articles, documentaries, explanation, books on genocide, dissertations, reviews, essays, etc.

Genocide Essay:  (150 points)

• Minimum of 5 pages, maximum of 7 PLUS an MLA Works Cited Page