Teaching with the News

Violence in Darfur, Sudan

genocideSudan has been embroiled in internal conflicts since independence in 1956. Most recently, a violent conflict between the central government and several opposition groups has devastated Darfur, the westernmost region of Sudan. Some in the international community, including the United States, have called this conflict a genocide. Many have compared Darfur to the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Others have argued that the conflict, although exceedingly violent, cannot be called a genocide. The following lesson complements lessons in the Choices Curriculum unit, Confronting Genocide: Never Again?.

This lesson includes:

Lesson Plan: A one to two-period lesson in which students explore the recent violence in Sudan using multiple sources, evaluate the effectiveness of different online resources, assess the argument over whether Darfur is a conflict or a genocide, and consider the international response to Darfur and assess possible consequences. Handouts and links to selected online news sources are provided.

Background Reading: "Violence inDarfur, Sudan" This reading provides background on the history and nature of the conflict in Darfur. Students may also find an excerpt of the Genocide Convention helpful.

Online Resources: The following online resources are used in this lesson:

  • Who's Who in Darfur: The Geopolitics of Tragedy is a PBS Frontline resource that provides an interactive matrix explaining the players and their interrelationships.
  • Sudan - A Nation Divided is a resource from the BBC that provides feature stories, analysis, Q&A, and more. It also provides a link to a Country Profile on Sudan.
  • Sudan Information Gateway is a UN site serving the information needs of the humanitarian community in Sudan.
  • Sudanese Radio & TV Corp: Sudan
  • Sudan is a U.S. State Department brief on Sudan.

    Online Survey: Responding to Genocide provides an opportunity for students to make their views known.

    • Additional Resources from the Choices Program

    Confronting Genocide: Never Again? traces the evolution of the international community's response to genocide and examines how the United States has responded to five cases of genocide. The evaluation of multiple perspectives, informed debate, and problem solving strategies that comprise this unit enable students to develop their own policy suggestions concerning America's response to future genocide or ethnic cleansing.

    Coming Soon! Scholars Online provides video taped interviews with researchers designed for use in classrooms, for homework, and for professional development.

    Considering Genocide in Sudan is an online lesson that was developed in spring 2005 to help students wrestle with defining genocide in the context of the ongoing civil war in Sudan. It is available from the Choices Program's Teaching with the News archives.

    Supplemental Materials for Confronting Genocide: Never Again? provides links to additional resources related to this issue.

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    Review a list of Choices publications: In addition to its online resources, the Choices Program publishes a wide range of curriculum units on historical turning points and current issues. All published units include extensive background readings and accompanying lesson plans. Ordering is available online.