The mass killing of people is a depressingly familiar feature of human existence, from the Thalheim Death Pit (5000BC) to the Rohingya genocide in contemporary Myanmar. Mass killings are nonetheless exceptional and emerge from specific contexts and human agency. This module explores and compares the contexts, causes and dynamics of massacre, genocide and extermination from ancient history to the present day. Looking at case studies from across the world, students on the module will be able to apply different approaches and methodologies relevant to the study of the history of violence and pursue a range of lines of investigation such as the role of religion, race or gender or the formation of discourses justifying or critiquing mass killing and other forms of extreme violence.