groups and to learn how they are alike and different,
in both their past and present experiences,… un-
derstand the root cultures from which American
ethnic groups have developed,… gain insights into
the barriers that various ethnic groups have had to
overcome in the past and present. . . . learn of
contributions of groups and individuals, . . . and
learn to respect a wide range of diversity in our
multicultural society.

Grade Ten
World History and Geography: The Modern
World. The course begins with a study of major
problems in the world today. . . ; for example, gov-
ernment-produced famine in parts of Africa… and
the struggle to defend human rights and democratic
freedoms against governments that respect neither.

Students study documents and read related selec-
tions to deepen understanding of the evolution of
democratic principles and human rights; for ex-
ample, Plato’s Republic, the Magna Carta, the
English Bill of Rights of 1689, the American Decla-
ration of Independence, and the United Nations’
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

During the unit on “World War I and Its Conse-
quences.** students discuss human rights and geno-
cide and study the genocide of the Armenians by the
government of the Ottoman Empire, the reactions of
other governments and world opinion, and the
effects of genocide on the remaining Armenian
population.

During the unit on “Totalitarianism in the Modern
World,” attention is given to the destruction of
human rights by Nazi Germany and Stalinist Rus-
sia, particularly the Holocaust and the famine in
Ukraine. Hitler’s policy of pursuing racial purity and
its transformation into the Final Solution and the
Holocaust should receive close attention. Students
examine the highly developed Jewish culture that
produced many artists, scientists, and scholars,…
the systematic suppression of rights and freedoms,
. . . the ruthless utilization of bureaucratic social
organization and modern technology,. . . the rela-
tionship to the genocide of the Armenians by the
government of the Ottoman Empire, . . . the Holo-
caust as a model for future despots such as Pol Pot
in Cambodia, . . . the Nazi persecution of Gypsies
and homosexuals,. . . the failure of Western gov-
ernments to offer refuge to those fleeing Nazism,…
the abortive revolts. . . . and the moral courage of
Christians who risked their lives to save Jews.
Students read books such as The Diary of Anne
Frank and Night to think about why one of the

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