Course Syllabus

European Genocides

Course Description

This course offers a structured exploration of the Holocaust, organised both thematically and chronologically. Our aim is to provide you with a foundational understanding of the Holocaust. In Week 1, we will develop an interpretive framework to analyse the Holocaust. In Week 2, we will explore how the Holocaust happened. Our goal is to understand the path towards genocide between 1939-1945. In Week 3, we will investigate the planners, killers, victims, and bystanders of the Holocaust. By the end of the course, you will be able to critically analyse and articulate the complex historical factors and human experiences that shaped the Holocaust, equipping you with a deeper, more nuanced understanding of this pivotal event in 20th-century history.

We will address several challenging questions that continue to shape our understanding of the Holocaust: What makes the Holocaust a unique historical event, and why is this significance important? How do we define and understand the role of a “bystander” in such atrocities? What are the implications of the politics surrounding memory and commemoration?

Ultimately, this course aims to deepen your understanding of the Holocaust as a critical event of modernity, enriching your perspective on the interplay between modernity and violence, the politics of collective memory, and the nexus between historical events and ongoing struggles for social justice.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the key historical events of the Holocaust as explored in this module.
2. Critically engage with, comprehend, and analyse historical texts, recognising the diverse methodological and theoretical perspectives scholars employ in Holocaust studies.
3. Develop the ability to identify and critically assess historical arguments pertaining to contentious issues within Holocaust history and to construct and substantiate an original historical argument utilising both primary and secondary sources.
4. Attain insight into the strengths, limitations, and complexities inherent in historical scholarship.

Readings

The texts used in this course will be a combination of articles, historical documents, maps, and photos.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

• Yehuda Bauer, A History of the Holocaust 1982.
• Christopher R. Browning, Ordinary Men, 2017.
• Yisrael Gutman “Auschwitz – An Overview”  in Anatomy of an Auschwitz Death Camp, 1994.
• Rita Steinhardt, A Holocaust Reader: from Ideology to Annihilation, 1998

Lecturer

PhD (Modern History, Northwestern University, 2007). MA (Modern History, Northwestern University, 2002). BA (Modern History, Oxford University, 2001). For two decades, I have taught courses in modern history at Northwestern University in the United States and Qatar in the Middle East. My teaching emphasises creative approaches to learning that build bridges to the past. I am passionate about bringing history to life and introducing students to new places, people and ideas through innovative, student-focused pedagogy. Secretly, my goal is to turn all students into historians! I am continuing my academic journey in Denmark as a teaching and learning specialist and a faculty member focusing on 20th-century Europe at DIS. 

Approach to Teaching

"What would I have done?" This is the best question you can ask about the past. My teaching focuses on building bridges to the past that encourage students to leave behind the modern world and immerse themselves in the past. My goal is to reconstruct the past through primary sources and put students at the centre of major moments in history. To achieve this, I avoid lectures and focus on a combination of discussion, investigations, roleplaying and many other forms of interactive class that encourage students to become historians for a term (and hopefully longer).    

Expectations of the Students

Students often complain that history classes are boring because they spend all their time learning the dates on a timeline. In this course, I am not interested in what you remember. Instead, I am much more interested in what you can say about the past. This is what I call your "historical voice". I encourage students to actively engage with the history and be willing to develop and share their findings with the class. 

Specifically, active engagement in this class is defined as your active participation in the learning process, as well as your willingness to take responsibility for your own learning. In this course, you will be expected to attend all lessons, participate in class discussions, and complete assignments on time.

By actively engaging in this course, you will not only develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter, but you will also develop critical thinking skills, communication skills, and a passion for lifelong learning.

Evaluation

Portfolio Assignments: 100%

• Week 1: Framing the Holocaust: 20% 
• Week 2: The Path To Genocide: 40%
• Week 3: The People: 40%

Each week, you will complete a series of portfolio assignments that explore the themes discussed in class. All of these assignments will be started in class and finished as homework.  They will focus on engaging with primary and secondary sources, providing opportunities for analysis and creativity to help you develop your historical voice. 

You can find out more about the assignments in the assignments section. 

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

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