Podium Presentation
Portrayals of Genocide in Secondary History Textbooks
John Johnson
Faculty Mentor: Greg Baldi
Political Science
This study analyzes portrayals of genocide in American public high school world history textbooks. Illinois House Bill 312, which was signed into law in 2005, requires state education to include teaching on acts of genocide in Armenia, Ukraine, Nazi Germany,
Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Sudan. Accordingly, this research examines eight world history textbooks on the basis of their coverage of these seven genocides.
Criteria for evaluation includes terminology used to describe the genocidal event, length of coverage, number and type of primary sources, and estimated death toll. In addition to assessing the factual accuracy and thoroughness of the accounts, the research considers the books’ success in encouraging students to make connections among various genocidal events instead of treating them as isolated phenomenon. Also measured is the extent to which the individual texts emphasize the significance of genocide education for learning today. Each textbook is ranked from most to least effective in its coverage of each genocide. The rankings are then combined to yield a composite score for each book. The study also draws general observations about the strengths and weaknesses of history textbooks’ genocide education. An individual book’s quality of coverage is typically consistent from one genocidal event to another.
Subsequent editions do little to improve earlier issues. However, textbooks designed specifically for Illinois following the passage of House Bill 312 do seem to improve substantially. The study concludes with recommendations for teachers on how to improve genocide education on areas of weakness in their textbooks.