Foreword

It is of deep importance in our increasingly multicultural society and our interdependent world that our students recognize the sanctity of life and the dignity of the individual. We want to instill in our students a respect for each person as a unique individual. We want our students to understand that concern for ethics and human rights is universal and represents the aspirations of men and women in every time and place.

To this extent the History-Social Science Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve includes a knowledge strand of ethical literacy to be covered in the history-social science curriculum at every grade. As a result of these continuous studies, students should appreciate the value of human life, recognize governmental policies that practice or condone inhuman practices, and be prepared to exercise their responsibilities as citizen in a democracy toward the preservation of human rights.

This Model Curriculum for Human Rights and Genocide, which serves as a guide for classroom teachers, supports the curriculum and instruction described in the framework. Pages 1-5 of this document contain a model that can be used by developers of curriculum. This section provides the philosophical bases for including studies on human rights and genocide in the curriculum, identifies places in the history-social science courses where learnings can be included, and
poses questions that will engage students in critical thinking on this topic. Through the thoughtful interweaving of ideas, events, historical documents, and literature within the planned history lessons, we should help prepare students to be rational, humane decision makers and participating citizens in our democracy, citizens who understand what can go wrong if democratic principles are missing, and citizens who are dedicated to the protection of human rights now and into the twenty-first century.

Perry Dyke, President
State Board of Education

Bill Honig
Superintendent of Public Instruction

October, 1987