Introduction
Ever since the Nuremberg Trials, individuals around the world have imagined how an international judicial body could be used to prevent genocide, crimes against humanity, and other violations of civil and human rights. In 2002, more than 100 nations made this vision a reality with the establishment of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
To help classrooms explore some of the successes and challenges this new court has faced, Facing History has partnered with Skylight Pictures, the producers of the film The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court to create three short video modules -- each one focusing on an important dilemma raised by the court related to issues of sovereignty, impunity, and peace.
These resources help students confront the complexity of justice and judgment in a global context, and make connections to their own lives, by raising questions such as: Are wrongdoers less likely to commit crimes when they think they might be caught and punished? What is justice? Does it look the same in all communities? How can individuals and nations work together to create a safer, more just community?
Module 1: Law or War: The Creation of the International Criminal Court
Module 2: Seeking Peace and Seeking Justice: The ICC & Uganda
Module 3: International Law, Testing the Limits: The ICC & Darfur
Law or War: The Creation of the International Criminal Court
Module one details the history of the ICC since Nuremberg and focuses on the recent explosion in international justice from the Yugoslav and Rwandan tribunals leading to the creation of the ICC. It also goes into the situation countries where the ICC is investigating or has issued indictments against perpetrators of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide: Uganda, Congo, Sudan (Darfur) and Colombia.
Teaching The Reckoning: Understanding the International Criminal Court Guide
Features include:
- Viewing guides set context and provide discussion questions for each film module.
- 6 original source documents deepen the understanding of the issues raised in the modules.
- Dozens of suggested activities designed for secondary school classrooms.
- A timeline of the history of international criminal justice.
- An international justice glossary
- Links to related web-resources, making it easy to learn more about the material presented in the modules.
Download the guide from the Facing History and Ourselves website.
Seeking Peace and Seeking Justice: The ICC & Uganda
Tells the story of the investigation leading to the arrest warrant for a sitting head of state, Omar al-Bashir, the President of Sudan for genocide. The drama is played out in the U.N. Security Council in New York, in the ICC headquarters in The Hague, and in Darfur.
Teaching The Reckoning: Understanding the International Criminal Court Guide
Features include:
- Viewing guides set context and provide discussion questions for each film module.
- 6 original source documents deepen the understanding of the issues raised in the modules.
- Dozens of suggested activities designed for secondary school classrooms.
- A timeline of the history of international criminal justice.
- An international justice glossary
- Links to related web-resources, making it easy to learn more about the material presented in the modules.
Download the guide from the Facing History and Ourselves website.
International Law, Testing the Limits: The ICC & Darfur
When the President of Uganda referred the case of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to the International Criminal Court, a fierce debate broke out about whether peace process and justice processes should be sequenced or whether peace and justice must go together. This module describes the scene of the crime in northern Uganda, and Ugandan citizen's response to the seeking justice.
Teaching The Reckoning: Understanding the International Criminal Court Guide
Features include:
- Viewing guides set context and provide discussion questions for each film module.
- 6 original source documents deepen the understanding of the issues raised in the modules.
- Dozens of suggested activities designed for secondary school classrooms.
- A timeline of the history of international criminal justice.
- An international justice glossary
- Links to related web-resources, making it easy to learn more about the material presented in the modules.
Download the guide from the Facing History and Ourselves website.