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 Lublin, the very epicenter of the the Holocaust. In Lublin the SS developed the methods to kill the Jews of Europe, and they led the largest massacre of the Holocoust, the murder of more than 2 million Polish Jews, from here. We will visit the concentration- and extermination camp Majdanek. This will stand as an example of this type of camp, both in the sense of its role during the war, but also as an example of mass turism in a Holocaust site. We will also visit the former extermination camp Sobibor. This camp was part of the Lublin Complex of 3 physically small but extremely deadly extermination camps, all in all an estimated 1.5-1.6 million Jews died here within 18 months. Sobibor, the most remote of these camps, claimed app. 180.000 lives.

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 through the former ghetto in the suburb of Podgorze. And we will, of course explore the city itself.

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The texts used in this course will be a combination of articles, historical documents, maps, and photos.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

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 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