International symposium, “Teaching, Testimony, and Transformation”

Rwandan, South African educators join discourse on global perspectives in education

The USC Shoah Foundation Institute has organized a symposium for educators and leaders of partner organizations in Rwanda and South Africa. The symposium, titled “Teaching, Testimony, and Transformation: Global Landscapes,” began on July 25 and will conclude on July 26.

“Teaching, Testimony, and Transformation: Global Landscapes” centers on the educational use of Holocaust and genocide survivor testimony in the classroom setting. Participants will work towards a shared understanding of opportunities and challenges that educators face in different countries, and they will examine pedagogical approaches, theoretical frameworks, and contextual factors that contribute to convergences and divergences in education across national borders. They will also explore how the Institute uses IWitness, its new Internet resource for teachers and students 13 and older, in an international environment.

From August 1–3, the symposium participants will join educators from across the United States at the Master Teacher Best Practices Workshop, an unprecedented gathering of graduates of the Institute’s Master Teacher Program. Using the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda and Apartheid in South Africa as examples, workshop participants will discuss ways to interconnect Holocaust education with education about other genocides and crimes against humanity, particularly through the use of video testimony given by survivors and other witnesses.

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