In the course, Diversity & Multiculturalism in Education, we will read The Diary of Anne Frank and consider the possibilities for developing curriculum for middle and high school students that focus on it.

The film, The Freedom Writers, and materials from the organization, Facing History and Ourselves, will help to guide the process. We will also discuss the question concerning the age-level at which it is appropriate to introduce children to the concept and realities of genocide. Students will then create lesson plans that focus on some element of genocide for the age-level they have decided is an appropriate starting point.

During spring semester 2008, Student Activities will be participating in a variety of ways in the campus-wide Genocide Project:

Do you remember the people? are visual displays around campus. Each month we will highlight a particular Genocide event. February is America, March is Germany, April is Darfur, and May is Rwanda. Please take time to read the informative facts and figures on these displays during the semester.

Do you remember the impact? is a visual display of legos that represents the number of casualties from the highlighted Genocides. To view this exhibit, please stop by the lobby of C (Spurk) Building on the Haverhill Campus.

Do you remember the stories? will be an event on Wednesday, April 9th in E-155 from 12:30-2:30 pm when we will show the movie Hotel Rwanda. Following the movie there will be a brief discussion. Refreshments will be provided.

Not only during this semester, but also throughout life, please take the time to remember.

My Journalism I class will also be participating in the genocide project by examining how propaganda in the mass media contributed to genocide in Hitler's Germany, and how propaganda was used in the US to convince Americans to join the fight in World War II.

Lance has created a graphic logo to assist with the advertising efforts of the Genocide Speaker Series.

Please click here to read an article about the graphic's inspiration and how this symbol came to be.

Professors Stephen Slaner and Andrew Morse will present a series of films concerning the Holocaust and the theme of genocide. The entire college community will be invited to these viewings.

Films and viewing information will be updated as it becomes available. Here is the schedule of movie times:

Night and Fog: Friday, 2/1/08, at 3:00 in E-155

Timor: The Forgotten Genocide: Thursday, 2/28/08, at 2:00 in E-155

Genocide in Cambodia film: Friday, 3/28/08, at 2:00 in E-155

Tibet film: Friday, 5/2/08, at 2:00 in E-155

The NECC Library will be starting the semester off with a display of books on the general topic of genocide and genocides other than the Holocaust such as Armenia, Darfur, etc. When we get closer to the play production of The Diary of Anne Frank, we will switch over to a display on the Holocaust.

Be sure to send us any promotional signage you may have for the speakers, and we will add them to the display. Send all related information to Gail Stuart at gstuart@necc.mass.edu. Thank you.

On April 16th, Susan and Winter Miller, author of In Darfur, will do a reading of this play. Two performances are scheduled for 12:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The play centers around an aid worker, a refugee and a New York Times reporter in Darfur.

In our paired learning community syllabi, we will be incorporating reading The Diary of Anne Frank in both our Basic Reading and Basic Writing classes. We are excited about getting developmental students involved in the campus-wide discussion.

We will focus on the effects of intolerance, indifference, and racism, a subject many of them can personally connect with. Our classes will share a reading journal, which will scaffold their essays in their composition class. We’ll also be encouraging them to participate in the college forums by serving them pizza at 11:30 on the designated forum days, during their Basic Writing class and walking with as many of them as possible to the forums. We are also working on getting some funding to help them attend the play, The Diary of Anne Frank.

In my English Composition I class, all of our writing assignments are united by the theme of genocide.

Throughout the semester, writing and reading assignments will help students explore the topics of genocide and intolerance and their relevance to students and the world they live in. Students will become part of a thriving on-campus movement to raise awareness for the issues of genocide and intolerance.

Suzanne has put together a folder with some articles on various aspects of genocide that she thought faculty might find useful for using with their classes.

She has also invited faculty to put other genocide course materials INTO the folder so that others might use what they have found. She has one folder in her possession and gave a duplicate to Ann Grandmaison on the Haverhill Library to keep on reserve in the library, the idea being that my office is more convenient to most faculty, but the library has more hours of availability.

For more information, please contact Suzanne Van Wert at svanwert@necc.mass.edu or at ext. 3397.

The group will be reading The Diary of Anne Frank for March 2008's book discussion. The discussion will take place on March 26th from 12:00-1:00 in the President's Dining Room. The group will also meet meet in April 8, 2008 from 12:00-1:30 to compare the book and play. All women are invited to attend!

For more information, contact Ginny Anderson at ganderson@necc.mass.edu.