FALL 2007 HONORS COURSES

HONR 238X The Holocaust and History
Tuesday/Thursday 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Dr. Eliyana Adler, Dept. of Jewish Studies

Due to both the unprecedented nature of the event, and its long cultural shadow, the Holocaust holds a unique place in historical and popular writing. It is the sine quo non for Genocide and for evil in general. The vast amount of research, writing and rhetoric devoted to Holocaust Studies has led not only to volumes of output, but also to historical controversies.

This seminar will examine a number of ongoing debates in the study of the Holocaust. Each week will be devoted to a distinct topic. While some topics, such as the dialog between the Functionalists and Integrationists, will be strictly historiographic, others, such as the use of memoirs as an historical source, will be more methodological. We will look to issues pertaining to the event itself, such as definitions of resistance, as well as more contemporary concerns, including Holocaust denial and education.

Our approach will be interdisciplinary. In additional to strictly historical accounts, we will read scholarship emanating from literary criticism, anthropology, linguistics, film studies and women’s studies. The classroom experience will also include both film and music. A planned trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will allow the students hands-on access to primary sources.

Assignments:
Class participation 10%
Primary Document Analysis 15%
Film Paper 15%
Midterm Essay 20%
Research Project 30%

Readings:
· Gilbert, Shirli, Music in the Holocaust: Confronting Life in the Nazi Ghettos and Camps (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005).
· Gross, Jan T., Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community of Jedwabne, Poland (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001).
· Lipstadt, Deborah E., History on Trial: My Day in Court with David Irving (New York: Ecco, 2005).
· Loshitzky, Yosefa, Spielberg’s Holocaust: Critical Perspectives on Schindler’s List (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997).
· Marrus, Michael R., The Holocaust in History (Hanover, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 1987).
· Ozick, Cynthia. The Shawl (New York: Knopf, 1989).

CORE: Social or Political History [SH]