Ubcsyllabus-20 BK-1 - Representations of Holocaust summer term syllabus UBC CENS 303A PDF

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Representations of Holocaust summer term syllabus UBC CENS 303A...

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CENS303B 2020 summer term 1

Bozena Karwowska

COURSE INFORMATION Course Title

Course Code Number

Credit Value

Representations of the Holocaust

CENS 303B 98B

3

PREREQUISITES None COREQUISITES None CONTACTS Course Instructor(s)

Contact Details

Dr. Bozena Karwowska

[email protected]

Office Location

Office Hours Office hours by appointment. Skype meetings on request by email.

[response time for the course related emails is less than 24 hours, except for weekends]

OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF Undergraduate course assistants (UTA) – Hannah Harris, Marcie Schlick Please consult “The Course Team” section for more information COURSE STRUCTURE This is an online course. The basic components include: lectures, group discussions, short group work quizzes, reading reflections and peer feedback. All course material can be accessed on the CENS 303B Blogs site, while assignments and discussions are located on Canvas. The course outline, expectations and assignment structure are explained in detail on the Course Website. Students will find answers to the majority of their questions in the “About the Course” or “Assignment” sections. It can also be helpful to consult the course FAQs. In addition to lectures, documentaries, podcasts and readings, there will be regular posts, feedback videos and directions for readings posted on the UBC Blogs site to help you contextualize the course material and to give valuable advice regarding the overall learning trajectory. Generally, the instructor communicates with students by posts in the “Announcements” and “Instructor’s Corner” sections on the Course Website. Please sign up for email notifications to remain updated on these posts. Please remember that the instructor will be happy to help you with the academic content of the course, but technical questions have to be addressed to the IT help desk. Course Objectives In this course, we will guide you through a carefully arranged selection of material and assignments that will help you learn about the Nazi Holocaust and related aspects of Nazi Germany by focusing on the Auschwitz concentration camp.

CENS303B 2020 summer term 1

Bozena Karwowska

While providing some historical background and introducing important theoretical concepts, the course mostly revolves around the study of first-hand accounts. In this course, you will learn to 

assess the historical background of the Holocaust and link it to the specific – and frequently internally divisive – policies of Nazi Germany

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describe elements of cultural and historical context that informed the texts discussed in class

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understand actions and responses of perpetrators, victims and bystanders, including the so-called “grey zone”

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discern the memory agendas at play in the commemoration of the Holocaust

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analyze the impact of trauma on collective memory

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analyze critically debates about the responsibilities of Western Powers, Nazi Anti-Semitism, as well as the impact of the Holocaust on contemporary policies toward minorities and the understanding of rights and responsibilities of citizenship in democratic societies

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develop critical thinking and writing skills on an academic level in relation to course themes/objectives

WEEKLY SCHEDULE OF TOPICS

Date

Module

Readings/Videos/Activities

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Week 1 May 11 – 17

Introduction & Module 1: History of Auschwitz

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Lecture: Introduction and Witnessing and Us (Dr. Karwowska) Lecture: Antisemitism (Dr. Karwowska) Reading: Franciszek Piper, “The Political and Racist Principles of the Nazi Policy of Extermination and their Realization at KL Auschwitz” Reading: Nuremberg Laws Lecture: Zofia Nałkowska (Dr. Karwowska) Reading: Zofia Nałkowska "The Adults and Children of Auschwitz."– Medallions (excerpts) Reading: Halina Birenbaum Hope is the Last to Die p.586 (end: "Now, the worst was that he has lost his spectacles. He could scarcely see without them.") Suggested Reading: Liu, Joe. “Deciphering Business Relationships in Nazi-German Occupied Europe,” p. 2939. Group Work: Introduce yourself & Course Navigation

CENS303B 2020 summer term 1

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Week 2 May 1824

Module 2: Prisoner Testimonies

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    Week 3 May 25 31

Module 2: Prisoner Testimonies

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Bozena Karwowska

Lecture: Halina Birenbaum (Dr. Karwowska) Reading: Halina Birenbaum “Hope is the Last to Die” p 114 and after (start: "They took us to an empty hut in the men's camp...") Lecture: Reports from Auschwitz (Dr. Karwowska) Reading: Handouts ("Escapes and Reports from Auschwitz," and "Calls for the Bombing of Auschwitz") Reading: Auschwitz Protocols / Vrba-Wetzler Report Suggested Video: The Forgotten Evidence Suggested Reading: Hass, Riley. "Resisting the Concentration Camp: The Stories of Selected Escapees from Auschwitz-Birkenau," p. 79-90. Short Quiz: Historical Background

Lecture: Szmaglewska (Dr. Karwowska) Reading: Seweryna Szmaglewska Smoke over Birkenau.Chapters 1, 3, 14. Reading: Tadeusz Borowski "This way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentleman" Lecture: Tadeusz Borowski - This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentleman (Dr. Karwowska) Suggested Video: “From the Auschwitz Chronicle - The Platform in Birkenau" Suggested Reading: Tadeusz Borowski "This way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentleman" and "The people who walked on" Suggested Reading: Seweryna Szmaglewska Smoke over Birkenau. Chapters 7, 9, 12, 15. Group Work: Reading Reflection & Discussion

Module 2: Prisoner Testimonies

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Week 4 June 1- 7

Module 3: Important Concepts

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Reading: Tadeusz Borowski "Auschwitz our Home" Lecture: Tadeusz Borowski - "Auschwitz our Home" (Dr. Karwowska) Lecture: Grey Zone (Carlos Halaburda) Reading: Primo Levi "Grey Zone" Lecture: The Witness and the Archive (Dr. Karwowska) Group Work: Midterm Reading Reflection & Discussion

Week 5 June 8 14

Module 3:Important Concepts

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Lecture: The Event without a Witness (Dr. Karwowska) Reading: Death of Schillinger, short stories Lecture: What is the Camp? (Dr. Karwowska) Lecture: Aporia (Dr. Karwowska)

CENS303B 2020 summer term 1

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Week 6 June 15 18

Module 4: Medical Crimes Module 5: After the Camp

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Bozena Karwowska

Lecture: "Coming to terms with Höss’ Autobiography" (Carolina Franzen) Reading: Rudolf Höss Death Dealer (excerpts) Group Work: Discussion Short Quiz: Grey Zone Lecture: "Eugenics and Medical Experiments" (Dr. Switzer) Lecture: "Roma and Sinti" (Dr. Switzer) Reading: Voices of Memory 2: Medical Crimes. Historical Outline Reading: Biographies of Auschwitz doctors Reading: Short stories by Bartnikowski, Lengyel and Nyiszli Reading: Wachtel, Amir. "Lessons From the Prisoner Physicians of the Holocaust," p. 135-148. Lecture: Liberation (Dr. Karwowska) Strongly Recommended: Documentary “Liberation“ Suggested Video: “Science and Swastika” Suggested Reading: Voices of Memory 2: Medical Crimes.Mengele (76-115) Suggested Reading: Galpin, Mikiko. “A Cycle of Persecution: Romani Culture and the Baro Porajmos,” p.209-223 Suggested Video: Passey, Jessica. „Who Liberated Whom from What? The Soviet Liberation of Auschwitz” Short Quiz: Medical Crimes Final Quiz Self Evaluation

>> Please consult the “Course Schedule” for due dates, and the “Announcements” section of the Course website for updates or changes. > For more information please consult the “Assignments” section of the Course Website...