HIS-205 for JANUARY 2002

The HOLOCAUST: History and Memory

Dr. Eric J. Carlson

Office: SSC 117 Phone: 7692 E-mail: ecarlson@gustavus.edu

Office Hours: MTuWF 11-12 and by arrangement

The Holocaust resulted in the deaths of millions of people, most notably 6 million Jews. The victims included gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, political dissidents and disabled persons. Much about the Holocaust remains highly controversial, and historians continue to do exciting research on it. In fact, there is so much material on the Holocaust that it is impossible to cover the topic in all of its aspects in one month. We will approach the Holocaust from a historical perspective in this course, rather than - for example - from an artistic or literary perspective. We will focus primarily on the following issues:

1. What were the causes of the Holocaust? In what contexts did it occur?
   
2. How was it carried out? Who were the victims and why were they chosen?
   
3. How complicit were the majority of the German people? Who is responsible for it?
   
4. What did Americans know about the Holocaust at the time? How has America dealt with the Holocaust since 1945?
   
5. How is the Holocaust remembered now? What is its relevance to the 21st century?
   

 This course meets the requirement for one of the HUMAN courses in Curriculum I. It does so because it is designed to promote the goal that liberally educated people learn to think historically. This includes:

• understanding change and continuity over time;
  
• appreciating the importance of historical context;
  
• knowing how to interpret and critique primary and secondary sources;
  
• being able to construct arguments based on historical evidence;
  
• understanding the varieties of approaches employed by historians;
  
• developing an appreciation for the histories of different regions, societies and time periods;
  
• developing an understanding of the past as the past and of its importance in the present.
  

The lecture and discussion subjects, assigned readings, and exam questions are all chosen explicitly with these things in mind. By the end of the semester, you should feel a greater understanding of what it means to be an historian and to approach with the past with a truly historical (instead of a present-minded) perspective.

Reading and participation in discussions. You will find the reading assignments on the course calendar. They are integral to the course and you should come to class each day having done the reading and prepared to talk about it. To allow for more intensive conversations about readings, we will occasionally meet in smaller groups - half of the class from 1:00-2:15 and half from 2:30-3:45. But even when we are in the full larger group, I expect and encourage questions about and reactions to the reading. In order to promote this, I will ask you to write a number of short informal papers in response to a question about the reading. (For details, see the on-line syllabus.) There may also be occasional in-class informal writing or quizzes. Discussion questions and topics for the informal papers will appear on the on-line syllabus at least two days in advance. My assessment of your reading and participation will constitute one-third of your grade for the course.

Exams. There will be two exams, as indicated on the course calendar. Both will combine objective and analytical questions. You will be allowed to use your notes (but no books or other sources) for the exams. Although you shouldn't need it, you will have the entire three hour class period for each exam. Alternative arrangements for taking exams may be made only for those with diagnosed and documented learning disabilities, or in cases of documented illness or family emergency. My assessment of your mastery of the material, based on the exams, will constitute two-thirds of your grade for the course.

Attendance. While attendance does not have any direct positive role in your grade, it can have a negative one. You can't learn if you don't show up! Remember that in January Term, missing three classes is the equivalent of missing two weeks of a regular semester. You may have one absence with no negative consequences, but the second absence will cost you a grade reduction and third absence will result in an F for the course. The only exceptions will be for cases of documented illness or family emergency, in which case we will negotiate some reasonable way to make up missed classes. This will be done on a case-by-case basis.

Be familiar with the college's expectations concerning academic honesty, printed in the current Gustavus Guide. Violations will result in an appropriate penalty, which may include a failing grade.

If you borrow course materials from me or the library, you are to return them unmarked and undamaged. You will not receive a grade for HIS-205 until borrowed materials have been returned, or until damaged materials have been replaced.

Late arrival is sometimes unavoidable, and I would ordinarily prefer that you come late rather than not at all. However, late arrival is distracting and should be avoided. If you arrive late, as a courtesy to me, please seat yourself as close to the door as possible. If lateness becomes a pattern, there will be unpleasant consequences - a grade reduction or being locked out of the class. Early departure may also be unavoidable on one or two occasions. Please do what you can to avoid it, and talk to me in advance. If you are going to be leaving early, please sit as close as possible to the door in order to minimize distraction to others.

If you have a diagnosed learning disability or any health situation (physical or mental) that might have an impact on your ability to complete your assignments, it is your responsibility to let me know about it at the beginning of the course. I will make every reasonable accommodation.

The following books are required for this course and available in The Book Mark:

Abzug, Robert H., America Views the Holocaust, 1933-45
Berenbaum, Michael, The World Must Know
Browning, Christopher, Ordinary Men
Eichengreen, Lucille, From Ashes to Life
Friedländer, Saul, Nazi Germany and the Jews, volume I: The Years of Persecution, 1933-1939
Lewy, Guenter, The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies
Lipstadt, Deborah, Denying the Holocaust
Novick, Peter, The Holocaust in American Life