Teaching the ultimate crime: Genocide and international law in the criminal justice curriculum

The rapid expansion of international law and the establishment of an international criminal court have resulted in new justice institutions that should not be ignored in criminal justice curricula. Genocide, as the focal point of an entire course or a unit within other courses, provides instructors with an organizational framework for addressing a wide variety of topics related to international law. This paper discusses how the crime of genocide can be integrated into criminal justice curricula and the opportunities it provides for examining international law, history, current events, and the interdependence of criminal justice system components. A course on genocide taught to advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students is described and evaluated.