In just a few months during 1994, as many as one million people were killed as violence swept across Rwanda. A civil war, an economic downturn and growing animosity between Rwanda’s two main ethnic groups—the Hutu and the Tutsi—preceded the genocide, which affected all parts of the country. The violence ended just a few months after it began, leaving Rwanda’s institutions in shambles. Since then, the government of Rwanda has engaged in multiple initiatives to rebuild the country, and Rwanda has rapidly transformed.
This course will explore the 1994 Rwandan genocide and its aftermath through active learning experiences in Rwanda. Students will begin by studying the origins of the genocide with an emphasis on why the genocide occurred and, more broadly, what causes genocide globally. Then students will study the violence itself, including the forms of violence, who participated in the violence, and who was victimized. Lastly, students will turn their attention to the aftermath of the genocide and study the legal response to the violence.