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    Twelve Ways to Deny a Genocide

    Lesson Plans

    ​Unit Title

    ​Twelve Ways to Deny a Genocide

    Lesson Titles

    ​Background for Teachers

    ​This unit called “Twelve Ways to Deny a Genocide” helps students understand how and why people and countries have argued that certain genocides never really happened. The unit fits well with focused conversations about particular genocides as well as very general conversations about careful reading, critical thinking, and civic responsibility.

    The first lesson, called “Understanding Genocide Denial,” teaches students about denial by looking at various twentieth- and twenty-first-century examples. The second lesson, called “Research Project,” asks students to research a particular genocide and to identity the strategies that have been used to deny it.
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    Armin T. Wegner: A Social-Justice Activist on Behalf of Armenians and Jews

    Lesson Plans

    ​Unit Title

    ​Upstanders during the Armenian Genocide

    Lesson Title

    Background for Teachers

    This lesson focuses on the concepts of social justice, upstanders, and advocacy. It begins with a contemporary discussion, dips into one man’s historical activism, and ends with students writing advocacy letters about issues that interest them. The historical dimension takes the German soldier and medic Armin T. Wegner (1886–1978) as a case study of advocacy. He was a witness to the persecution of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire and of Jews in Nazi Germany. Wegner voiced his concerns in letters to a US president and to Adolf Hitler. During and after his lifetime, he has been celebrated as a heroic and selfless activist.
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    Justice and the Armenian Genocide

    Lesson Plans

    Unit Title

    Justice and the Armenian Genocide

    Lesson Titles

    Background for Teachers

    This unit, called “Justice and the Armenian Genocide,” is made up of the 6 lessons listed above. Each lesson plan has been designed to stand on its own; so, teachers can use just one or all six or something in between.


    The Armenian Genocide took place between 1915 and 1923.* Although the perpetrators and victims are all dead, and although so much time has passed, justice was never done. So, this unit explores questions like What does justice look like? How can justice be done so long after a crime has taken place? and Why should non-victims help victims secure justice? This unit connects well with many ideas about long-term, historical, and systemic problems that are circulating in Canada today, like racism, homophobia, and genocide in our own past and present.


    Teachers who would like to use one or more of these lessons to introduce the Armenian Genocide to their students for the first time will likely find “Overview” most useful. Those who have an interest in contemporary social justice might want to start with “Rehabilitation,” while those who prefer a historical perspective should probably start with “Reparations.” For a brief overview of the genocide itself, its legacies, and Canadian connections, we recommend our booklet Canada and the Armenian Genocide (click here). For even more information, we recommend Professor Uğur Üngör’s essay “The Armenian Genocide, 1915” (click here) and the executive summary of the Armenian Genocide Reparations Study Group’s report called Resolution with Justice (click here).


    All of the lesson plans include materials for students to read and prompting questions with which teachers can facilitate reflection and discussion. In addition to small classrooms, this unit has also been used during large student conferences, where groups of 20 students have been given one lesson each. After completing their lesson, each group has shared its thoughts with its peers.


    * Different dates are sometimes used, depending on the specific events and perpetrators an author has chosen to focus on. “1915,” “1915–1916,” and “1915–1918” are some common alternatives.