National Post (Canada)
June 12, 2008 Thursday
Toronto Edition
High school course grapples over ‘genocide’ label on 1915 Armenian killings
by: Natalie Alcoba, National Post
A new high school course that generated opposition from the Turkish
community for its proposed study of the Armenian genocide is up for
final approval at the Toronto District School Board tonight. The TDSB
has been developing the curriculum for a Grade 11 course that delves
into examples of genocide in the 20th and 21st centuries, including
the Holocaust, Armenia and Rwanda. It is the first such course in
Canada. "Students will examine identity formation and how "in groups"
and "out groups" are created, including an analysis of how bias,
stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination impact on various groups,"
the course description states. But a strong public response prompted a
review committee to address claims that dispute applying the label
"genocide" to the killing of scores of Armenians in 1915. "Genuine
historical controversies do belong in a high school curriculum," the
committee concluded. It also recommended focusing on the three case
studies, despite calls to add other examples like the Ukrainian
Famine.