Words Matter: Oral Propaganda and the Cambodian Genocide

Organization: USC Shoah Foundation for Visual History and Education
Common Core Domain: English Language Arts, English Language Arts/Literacy, History and Social Studies, History-Social Science, Reading, Reading: Informational Text, Reading: Literacy in History and Social Studies, Speaking and Listening, Writing, Writing: Literacy in History and Social Studies
Grade Level: Grades 9-12.
Duration: 30-60 Minutes
60 minutes
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2, 4, 6, 9 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2, 4, 6, 9 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1, 4 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1, 4 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2, 9 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2, 9 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.2, 9 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.2, 9 ISTE.1.3.a, b, d ISTE.1.6.a, b ISTE.1.7.a, b NCTE.1, 3, 4, 7, 11, 12

In this digital inquiry activity, students examine how the Khmer Rouge used oral propaganda and political slogans to advance the Cambodian Genocide. Through survivor testimony and primary source analysis, students investigate the relationship between language, ideology, and violence, then reflect on the power of words by creating messages that promote human rights and challenge injustice.

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