Students will consider how changes to the United States policy and the impact of the Refugee Act of 1980 impacted Cambodian Refugees including resettlement in the United States.
Students will explore the waves of Cambodian immigrants to the United States, understand the causes behind each wave, consider the challenges faced by the 1.5 generation, and examine how intergenerational trauma can affect young Cambodian Americans while relating these experiences to their own lives.
By analyzing the language of the United Nations Genocide Convention and the international definition of genocide, students will assess the significance and impacts of the genocide label, and evaluate how well the UN's definition captures the complexities of the Cambodian Genocide.
Students will analyze sources to understand the political, social, and economical consequences of the Genocide and how they constitute a human right violation from the UNHRC perspective.
Students will develop an understanding of civic engagement within Cambodian communities by identifying a specific issue, planning a project to address it, and presenting their proposals to the class.
Students will develop a deeper understanding of Buddhist tradition in Cambodian culture in the United States. Students will also be able to reflect on their own culture in regards to how they have maintained their heritage growing up.
Students will be able to identify and explain how Buddhism, including the wat and sangha supported the healing process of many Cambodian Americans.
Students will reflect on the life of Cambodians and Cambodian Americans in America, focusing on their journey of resiliency and the symbolic story of donuts and pink boxes.
Students will gain an understanding of how artists can build community awareness of Cambodian American culture through public art including the Cambodia Town Mural Project. Students will also learn how artists use community engagement to highlight experiences of others.
Students will be able to understand what ethnic enclaves are through analyzing data on factors affecting employment, education, and health to explore the community and identity within Cambodian enclaves.
