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Native American Studies, Cambodian American Studies, Hmong History and Cultural Studies, and Vietnamese American Experiences Model Curricula for K-12 Schools
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    • Cambodian American Studies Model Curriculum
      • Area of Study 1: Introduction to Cambodian History
      • Area of Study 2: Genocide in Cambodia
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      • Area of Study 4: Community Building and Healing
    • Hmong History and Cultural Studies Model Curriculum
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Area of Study 2: Genocide in Cambodia

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Area of Study 2: Genocide in Cambodia

A art poster where a man is sitting and hugging a another women

War and Genocide in Cambodia

On April 17, 1975, the Cambodian communists, also known as the Khmer Rouge, literally meaning ‘red Khmer,’ marched into Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. For Cambodians, it was the beginning of a spiraling descent into one of the nation’s darkest eras. Even in a century of mass atrocities, the revolution and genocide that took place in Cambodia from 1975-1979 was one of the most extreme and brutal chapters of the twentieth century. What emerged in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge’s genocidal regime was a nation fractured by death and dispersal.

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Ethnicity, Language, and Genocide in Cambodia

This narrative will provide a brief overview of the linguistic and ethnic landscape in Cambodia, with special focus on Khmer (or Cambodian) language and its changes in recent decades. The following content may help educators and students consider the following questions:

  • Why might nation-building efforts try to erase ethnic and linguistic diversity? 
  • Why is it important for a government to have its citizens speak the same language? 
  • Students may also think about why some ethnicities and languages are discriminated against while others are looked upon more favorably. 

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Lessons

What were the factors that led the occurrence of the Cambodian Genocide from 1975 to 1979?  What ways did the Cambodian Genocide impact the lives of Cambodians?

Causes and Consequences of the Genocide

Photo from inside the Toul Sleng Geocide Muesum

Ten Stages of Genocide - Cambodian Genocide Timeline Activity

Bom Craters in Cambodia

Cause and Effect of US Bombings in Cambodia (1969-1973)

Bombing Cambodian Villages

Reverberations of War: The U.S. Bombing of Cambodia

The cover from Daran Kravanh’s 2000 album, Music Through the Dark

Sounds of Survival: The Music of Daran Kravanh

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is a museum in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The site is a former high school which was used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge regime from its rise to power in 1975 to its fall in 1979.

Change and Continuity Over Time: The Cambodian Genocide

High Level Segment of the 49rd regular session of the Human Rights Council

The Aftermath of the Cambodian Genocide from a Human Rights Perspective

Emblem of the United Nations

UN Genocide Convention: UN Task Force Simulation

Headshot of Kam Lou Lopez

Cambodian Genocide Survivor Testimonies

Arn Chorn-Pond at his farm land 2002-06

Music, Memory, and Power in the Life of Arn Chorn-Pond

Sophy Khut in Portland, OR in 1982. Sophy loves sports and was third baseman on a Little League softball team for eight or nine years.

Using Oral Histories to Understand the Cambodian Genocide

"This sculpture is in the central courtyard at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is part of a memorial entitled ""For Those Who Are No Longer Here"" by French-Cambodian artist Séra Ing  The sculpture is one of the reparations projects outlined in the 2014 judgment handed down by the Khmer Rouge tribunal in Case 002/01 against former Brother Number Two Nuon Chea and former head of state Khieu Samphan.  The work, a mottled bronze figure frozen mid-air as it tumbles backwards with its hands pressed into a sampeah, ev

The Lasting Impact of the Genocide

In this early New York Times article, Cambodian refugees recount their experiences with an anonymous group referring to themselves as "angka" or the organization. They describe group's terror tactics to evacuate towns and force people into labor camps.

The Aftermath of Cambodian Genocide: Fairness and Justice

Extraordinary chambers in the Courts of Cambodia - Initial hearing case 002

Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

A photo of land development near Phnom Penh

Perseverance in Fighting Continued Displacement in Cambodia

A warning sign about landmines

Landmines in Cambodia

Guidance for Our Lessons and Resources
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Note: The guidance herein is not binding on local educational agencies or other entities. Except for the statutes, regulations, and court decisions cited, the content is exemplary, and compliance with it is not mandatory. (See California Education Code sections 33540.2, 33540.4, 33540.6 and 51226.9) 

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