Course Syllabus

European Genocides

Course Description

In this course, we will study the Nazi holocaust from the beginning of Nazi rule in 1933, through the various plans for Nazi Jewish policy in the late 1930s, to the actual beginning of the genocide(s) in 1941. We will look at the Denmark’s WWII history and learn about the rescue of Danish Jews. We also cover political and social aspects of the aftermath of the Holocaust and we will discuss former concentration camps as museums and memorials. 

Part of the course will be an obligatory five day trip to Poland. First, we will visit Warszaw, where Europe’s greatest Jewish Ghetto once stood. Here we find a number of historical sites, among them important monuments and memorial sites. With the Polish capitol as point of departure we'll travel west to the hamlet of Chelmno, where the Nazis erected the world’s first extermination camp, Kulmhof. This site will provide students with insight into the gradual development of the killing machinery. Near Chelmno lies another village, Dabie, where we can see traces of the three large population groups which once lived here in western Poland: Poles, Germans, and Jews.

Travelling on to Krakow we find one of the most beautiful cities in central Europe, listed for good reason as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here we'll see, among other things, the newly revived Jewish neighborhood,

Kazimirz. We will also see sights from the history of Oscar Schindler and take a walking tour to learn about Krakow’s Communist history. From Krakow we'll go on a full day excursion to the former KZ Auschwitz, where we'll spend half the day in the so-called stammlager (Auschwitz I) and the rest in the former extermination site at Birkenau (Auschwitz II).

Lecturer

Torben Jørgensen

Cand. mag. in History, U. of Copenhagen; with the Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide research (2000-2003); with the Danish Institute for International Studies (2003-2005); Project Manager at the Danish Jewish Museum (2007-2008).

Readings

The texts used in this course will be a combination of articles, historical documents, maps, and photos. Key readings will include:

“A History of the Holocaust” by Yehuda Bauer, 1982.

“Auschwitz – An Overview” by Yisrael Gutman, in Anatomy of an Auschwitz Death Camp, 1994.

Grading and Assignments

Attendance in all classes and class related activities is mandatory. The final grade will be based on the following evaluation:

Participation and attendance (ongoing): 50%

Final Exam Paper: 50 %

The presentation project will be based on your observations during the study tour and your research on a specific topic. More information will be provided in class.

The final exam will take the form of a 5-7 page reflection paper, in which topics like camp history, the personal meeting with the camps, and the problems facing todays’ holocaust museums can be discussed. The paper is to be handed in, hard-copy and stapled, at the beginning of the last class.

More information will be provided in class.

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

• Course Enrollment and Grading 
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org