Skip to main content

The UN as a Peace and Justice Institution

 

By

Curriculum Level: 9-12

By Denise-Marie Copeland from The Center of Applied Sciences and Technology (The COAST)

OVERVIEW OF LESSON: How successful has the United Nations been as a Peace and Justice Institution?  Using a collaborative jigsaw strategy, students investigate three contemporary conflicts. Students use a graphic organizer to record and compare information about each conflict. Upon completion of the jigsaw, students will research a current conflict in order to construct an argument about the UN’s effectiveness as a peace and justice institution.

This lesson should be taught after students have learned about the World Wars and the Cold War. The lesson will focus on conflicts which have arisen during the past thirty years. These conflicts will be examined through the lens of whether the United Nations (UN) was able to successfully promote peace and justice. Students should be aware of the UN and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). If students are not yet familiar with the UN and the SDG, a brief overview should be provided.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: 9th Grade

SUBJECT: Social Studies – World History

CORRESPONDING NATIONAL AND/OR STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA STANDARDS:

WH.C&G.2: Evaluate international diplomacy and the policies of a nation in terms of influence on global conflict and resolutions.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

  • How successful has the United Nations been as a Peace and Justice Institution?

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

  1. Students will be able to identify and describe contemporary world conflicts.
  2. Students will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the UN in resolving or preventing conflicts.
  3. Students will be able to advocate for a position using historical evidence and logical and ethical reasoning

BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR THE EDUCATOR or RESOURCES TO EXPLORE FURTHER:

SDG 16: Goal 16 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs

UN Peacekeeping Operations:

SPECIFIC STUDENT STRATEGIES & ACTIVITIES:

This lesson is intended to be taught over one to two 90-minute class periods.

A. Conflict jigsaw: 

  1. Divide students into jigsaw groups. Students should be evenly divided into groups. When planning the number of groups, you may wish to consider class size. While a minimum of three groups is required, in larger classes, it may be helpful to have six groups operating as two complete sets of jigsaw groups.
  2. Identify one member of each group to serve the role of leader.
  3. One to two members of each jigsaw group should be assigned a specific portion of the lesson materials. There are three segments in this lesson to be assigned to students:
    1. Bosnia and Herzegovina
    2. Rwandan Genocide
    3. Guatemalan Civil War
  4. Allot time for students to review materials (see links in MATERIALS section) in preparation for meeting with their “expert” group. The expert groups will consist of all students assigned the same topic. 
  5. Students will meet in their expert groups to discuss the key findings in preparation for presenting the material to their jigsaw groups.
  6. Students will return to their jigsaw groups.
  7. In each jigsaw group, students will take turns presenting their segment to their group members. 
  8. During presentations in the jigsaw groups, students will complete handout Comparing UN Response to Conflict graphic organizer comparing conflicts. 

B. Students will independently research a recent conflict and make a claim regarding how effective the UN has been as a peace and justice institution in their chosen conflict. Students must cite specific evidence to support their claim. Students will present their argument by writing a thesis statement. Students may choose to research any of the following conflicts: China (Uyghurs), Burma/Myanmar (Rohynga), or Sudan Genocide (Darfur)

ASSESSMENTS: 

Students will be assessed based on the thesis statement written after conducting independent research. Student work will be assessed based on presence of the following evidence:

  1. Students are able to develop a position based on evidence and draw reasonable conclusions in response to a global issue.
  2. Students are able to analyze and integrate evidence from sources representing multiple perspectives in response to a global issue. 

LEARNING EXTENSION: Students may write a letter to the UN Human Rights Council commending their successes or critiquing their failures in resolving and preventing conflict.

MATERIALS:

A. Jigsaw group materials:

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Rwandan Genocide

Guatemalan Civil War

Comparing UN Response to Conflict Graphic organizer

REFERENCES:

(n.d.). The Jigsaw Classroom. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.jigsaw.org/#overview

(2009, October 14). Bosnian Genocide – HISTORY. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.history.com/topics/1990s/bosnian-genocide

(2022, April 19). Rwandan Genocide – Facts, Response & Trials – HISTORY. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.history.com/topics/africa/rwandan-genocide

Beauchamp, Z. (2014, April 10). Rwanda’s genocide — what happened, why it happened, and how it still matters. Vox. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.vox.com/2014/4/10/5590646/rwandan-genocide-anniversary

Bodenheimer, R. (2020, March 21). The Guatemalan Civil War: History and Impact. ThoughtCo. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.thoughtco.com/guatemalan-civil-war-history-and-impact-4800364

Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1992–1995 — United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (2013, July). United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.ushmm.org/genocide-prevention/countries/bosnia-herzegovina/case-study/

Bosnia « World Without Genocide – Making It Our Legacy. (2020, April). World Without Genocide. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from http://worldwithoutgenocide.org/genocides-and-conflicts/bosnia

Divided by Ethnicity — United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (2021, September). United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.ushmm.org/genocide-prevention/countries/rwanda/case-study/background/divided-by-ethnicity

Ferré, J. (2013, May 13). Guatemala: UN rights chief welcomes ‘historic’ genocide conviction of former military leader. UN News. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2013/05/439412

Goal 16 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal16

Habyarimana, J. (n.d.). Outreach Programme on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda and the United Nations. Outreach Programme on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda and the United Nations. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/historical-background.shtml

HMH | Genocide in Guatemala. (n.d.). Holocaust Museum Houston. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://hmh.org/library/research/genocide-in-guatemala-guide/

Lakin, S. (2019, September 5). Lessons from the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, 25 years after the genocide it failed to stop. The Conversation. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://theconversation.com/lessons-from-the-un-peacekeeping-mission-in-rwanda-25-years-after-the-genocide-it-failed-to-stop-122174

List of United Nations peacekeeping missions. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Nations_peacekeeping_missions

Our successes. (n.d.). United Nations Peacekeeping. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/our-successes

Past peace operations. (n.d.). United Nations Peacekeeping. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/past-peacekeeping-operations

Preston, J. (1996, March 27). In a U.N. Success Story, Guatemalan Abuses Fall (Published 1996). The New York Times. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/27/world/in-a-un-success-story-guatemalan-abuses-fall.html 

Rwanda | Holocaust and Genocide Studies. (n.d.). College of Liberal Arts. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://cla.umn.edu/chgs/holocaust-genocide-education/resource-guides/rwanda

Rwandan Genocide Begins — United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (n.d.). United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/after-1945/rwandan-genocide-begins

Sisson, M. W. (1998, December 1). Decision to Intervene: How the War in Bosnia Ended. Brookings Institution. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.brookings.edu/articles/decision-to-intervene-how-the-war-in-bosnia-ended/

Timeline: Guatemala’s Brutal Civil War. (2011, March 7). PBS. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/latin_america-jan-june11-timeline_03-07

Where we operate. (n.d.). United Nations Peacekeeping. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/where-we-operate

World View, a public service program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, equips K-12 and community college educators with global knowledge, best practices and resources to prepare students to engage in our interconnected and diverse world.

Join Our Listserv