Scope and Sequence

The Individual and Society is the introductory section of the Facing History Scope and Sequence. The focus for the section is on how both individual and national identities are formed, as well as how these identities influence behavior and decision-making.

The second part focuses on the processes of the national and collective identity that help people connect but also contribute to misunderstanding, stereotyping and conflict. Students learn that the way a nation defines itself affects the choices it makes, including the choice to exclude those who do not fit a nation's concept of itself. They see that membership can be a tool for constructive and destructive purposes.

This segment of the Scope and Sequence examines the primary historical case study of Holocaust and Human Behavior, as well as other instances of intolerance, mass violence and genocide, in each case exploring the small steps which led to these difficult periods in history. By focusing on these histories, students grasp the complexities of the past, while also connecting it to their lives today.

As students confront the terrible human atrocities of the Holocaust, and other historical case studies, they explore the meaning of concepts such as guilt, responsibility, and judgment—and what those concepts mean in our world today. Students also discover that one way of taking responsibility for the past is to preserve its memory. They explore the importance of monuments and memorials as communal gestures of remembering, of acknowledging injustice, and of honoring individuals and groups who have suffered.

This section focuses on how understanding the past can connect with the issues of today. Contemporary stories show how history is made every day by ordinary human beings. Students begin to understand that they also have the power to change the course of history through their own individual actions. They explore what it means to be a citizen in a democracy, to exercise ones rights and responsibilities in the service of a more humane and compassionate world.