INTRODUCTION

The nation-states or provinces making up the former Yugoslavia--Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia--have been the scene of recurring conflict for centuries. In recent years, armed conflict has torn Bosnia and then the Serbian province of Kosovo, capturing the attention of the world and spurring the involvement of powers such as the United States. What are the origins of the conflict in this region? How can history help students gain a deeper understanding of this area than they would get from the news media?

PROJECT OVERVIEW

In this project, student groups research and discuss the history of the religious, ethnic, political, and economic tensions that contributed to civil wars in the former Yugoslavia and the "ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo. They then form new groups, each creating a slideshow presentation about the causes of conflict in a different historical period.

Phase 1: Investigating recent events in the former Yugoslavia

Begin with a discussion about the violent conflicts that have occurred in Bosnia, Kosovo, and other places in the former Yugoslavia since the early 1990s. Ask students what they know about these wars and conflicts. Ask them to explain why this area has been torn by so much conflict recently.

Students then form four groups in which they do some initial research on the former and present Yugoslavia and become familiar with the region and its recent history. They investigate the tensions between the various ethnic groups, the events of the civil war in Bosnia and the conflicts in Kosovo, and the movements for independence among the republics of the former Yugoslavia. For their research, groups can use library resources, World Book Encyclopedia, and the Internet, using EdView (see Resources).

Phase 2: Tracing the origins of conflict

Ask each group to begin more intensive historical research, focusing on one of the following areas of difference and conflict: (a) religious; (b) political; (c) economic; and (d) ethnic. Each group should go back in history to at least the early Middle Ages (c. 1000) to identify possible sources of conflict related to its area of focus. Students can search World Book Encyclopedia and the Internet (using EdView) for information.

During their research, groups can collect historical data, notes, media elements, and URLs in TimeLiner. This tool organizes the information chronologically and makes it easily available for constructing concept maps and for use in Phase 3.

When their research is complete, groups make sense of their findings and gain a deeper understanding of how their areas of focus relate to today's conflicts by building concept maps with Inspiration. For an example, see the "Religious Differences in the Former Yugoslavia" template.

Phase 3: Understanding and sharing the history of conflict

Ask students to regroup into five new groups, each with at least one "expert" on each of the four areas of conflict. Each group is assigned responsibility for a particular historical period. Suggested periods are before 1389, 1389 to c. 1878 (the Ottoman period), c. 1878 to the outbreak of World War I, World War I to the end of World War II, and 1945 to the present. These new groups create multimedia presentations in AppleWorks or mPOWER that trace the history of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, identify significant events and their relevance, and make connections between religious, ethnic, political, and economic issues during the assigned period. The presentations can include maps, text, photographs, diagrams, and TimeLiner timelines exported as graphics. Each group, in chronological order, presents its slideshow to the rest of the class.