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Your essay should be about 900-1200 words, and must be typed and printed out, with a word count inserted in the header where you type your name. (To get a word count, in Word 2010/2013, when the text is selected the count appears at lower left in the status bar, e.g. "Words: 914." You can also click: Review > Proofing > ABC123 icon on the menu "ribbon" at top.) Note: in past years I have had A answers that were about 900 words, and C answers that were 1500. You should turn in the printout of the take-home portion at the beginning of the in-class exam, Tuesday 4pm in TD-W 1701. You will need to bring 1-2 sheets of blank lined paper for the in-class exam as well. Note that the best essays will use material from the course textbook, readings and lectures. I look for a clear explanation supported by evidence (examples). Brief in-text source citations (e.g. L14, R7, textbook p. 167, Wikipedia "Armenian_Genocide") should be used for specific points (but not everything needs to be sourced). In general an "A" answer will also consider counterevidence or counterarguments, that is, it will also consider opposing explanations, examples or rankings, and explain why they are less convincing.

I. Take-Home Exam Question; 20% of the overall course grade Compose an essay addressing the following prompt, in 900-1200 words (1500 absolute maximum). In order to devise effective strategies to prevent genocides from occurring, we must understand what causes them. In this course I presented a model that categorizes various causal factors and indicates how they are interrelated and interact. Using specific examples (I can't emphasize this enough!) from the lectures, readings and films for this course, explain how factors in each category contributed to the process that ultimately resulted in genocide. For each category, explain first the role that such factors played in the developments leading to the Nazi genocide of Jews, then draw on relevant examples from the cases of Namibia, Armenia, Rwanda and/or Darfur to show how those factors were (or were not) relevant in those cases. You do not need to use examples from all four cases in each category; the one or two most pertinent comparison examples can suffice. In conclusion, construct an argument explaining which factor category you think was the most important (or primary) one across multiple cases of genocide. In assessing importance, specify whether you mean in the short, medium or long term--in other words, your answer might argue that different factors were primary at different times.

To remind you, the categories are: Environmental conditions and Economic incentives, International Interventions, decisions made by Elite power holders and lEaders, Ideology and Information (or lack thereof), the behaviors of groups of "Ordinary" people, and the traditions and institutions of a society.