Current events, miscellany

As we wound down for the spring break, we had an informal discussion in class of current events related to Iraq, the Sudan, and the conflict in Israel/Palestine. We did a recap of the EPIIC/Inquiry conference at Tufts which, last night, featured a presentation from Seeds of Peace, a camp in Maine which brings together Israeli and Palestinian teens.

The effect of the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

We began today by listening to the words of Harry Truman and others who were either responsible for the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan or were responding to that act.

Working in pairs, we then visited a website dedicated to preserving the testimony of survivors of the atomic bombings: http://www.inicom.com/hibakusha/

Dr. Lambert covered Ms. Freeman's last class as she escorted the Eastern Europe travelers to Logan.

The Dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Japan: Some Quotes

Last Eastern Europe issues, weaponry today, and Arn Chorn Pond

Today was a bit of a grab bag of a day.

In all classes, we discussed any last-minute questions folks traveling to Eastern Europe had.

We then looked at a new weapon offered to the Bush (II) Defense Department. Role-playing as Donald Rumsfeld, we watched a promotional film for a very sophisticated weapon called The Crusader. We considered what assumptions were behind the maker of the film as well as its intended viewer with respect to the nature of war and combat.

Arn Chorn Pond, survivor of the Cambodian genocide, spoke to two classes today, giving testimony about his experience.

The memorials project and safety from "the bomb"

The final project in this course is to create a memorial/monument to anything we have studied or touched on in the course.

Today we discussed the nature of that assignment and considered examples of monuments/memorials--some conventional, some more abstract--as possible precedents.

We then moved on to the question of whether or not it would be possible to save oneself if an atomic bomb were to fall on your neighborhood! We watched a U.S. government-created public-service film for elementary schools, Duck and Cover.

Memoria/Monument Project (due Wed., May 5, Wed., May 19)

Post-mortem on Schindler's List

After writing thank you notes to Ms. Finder, Mr. Spielberg, and statements on why this field trip was valuable, we discussed questions about the film. Many classes had questions about the little girl in the red coat as well as Spielberg's use of color in the film.

Students traveling to Eastern Europe at week's end will see many of the sites documented in the film.

Schindler's List

All classes trooped over to Coolidge Corner Cinema to watch a large-screen showing of Schindler's List, arranged thanks to the generosity of Steven Spielberg and the folks at Coolidge Corner.

After the film, Rena Finder, a survivor of the Holocaust thanks to Oskar Schindler's actions, spoke.

To bomb or not to bomb? That is the question

A key theme in the material we've been looking at in the past few weeks has been the issue of bombing and the elevation of war to an entirely new level post the second World War.

After reading two excerpts from books on bombing, both focused on the Allied bombing of German cities during the war, we discussed the ethics of bombing as applied to the firebombing of German cities, the Nazi Luftwaffe attacks on British cities, and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We briefly looked at the reasoning behind the decision to drop the atomic bombs. There was a brief discussion as well of the footage of the Bikini atoll bomb testing in the late 1940s from The Atomic Cafe.

Tomorrow we go to see Schindler's List and hear the testimony of Rena Finder, a survivor of the list.

A recap of what we've been doing

With Ms. Freeman's return to school today, we did a general recap of what we've been doing over the past two weeks, trying to weave together a sense of what we've learned about Rwanda (through Claude Kaitare and the various films we've seen and events we've attended). Ms Freeman spoke about the upcoming play that we are staging at BLS--God Sleeps in Rwanda.

General Dallaire (cont'd)

In today's class (Mr. Aversa's last! Thank you Mr. Aversa!), we concluded our screening of Last Good Man.

Rwanda: The Example of Lt. Gen Romeo Dallaire

Many of you saw General Dallaire in person last week at Harvard. Still more of you spotted him in both PBS films about Rwanda.

Now we take a close up look at what happened to Mr. Dallaire during the Rwandan genocide and after in an exceptionally good film about him, Last Good Man.

All classes wrote thank you letters to Claude Kitare.

Readings and Post: Should We Bomb? Ever? (due Mon., Apr. 5)

Holocaust denial (cont'd)

We resumed our look at Fred Leuchter in Mr. Death.

Also, all students are to watch tonight the documentary on PBS (Channel 2): The Ghosts of Rwanda.

Post: The Ghosts of Rwanda (due Sun., Apr. 4)

Handout: The National Security Archive and New Light on the Rwandan Genocide and US Policy