HISTORY AND
MEMORY: PERSPECTIVES ON THE HOLOCAUST
SPRING 2007
BOB WEINBERG AND
MARION FABER
Bob Weinberg Marion Faber
Trotter 218 Kohlberg 336
328-8133 328-8155
rweinbe1 mfaber1
Office Hours: MWF 1:30-3:00 Office Hours: MW 9:30-11:00
More than sixty years after the fact, and despite an enormous amount of research and testimony, the Holocaust of European Jewry continues to generate compelling historical and interpretive questions. This course explores historical explanations, forms of memory and commemoration, and artistic representations of the Holocaust through an interdisciplinary approach that relies on primary sources, fiction, historical scholarship, memoirs, poetry, painting, and film.
Course Requirements:
Two six-page papers
One class presentation and eight-page paper based on the presentation
Class attendance and participation
Watching of films. Please note that we will watch films as a class on most Tuesday afternoons from 4 to 6 in Trotter 301. However, attendance on Tuesday afternoons is optional if you have scheduling conflicts with athletics and other commitments. All films are on reserve in McCabe and you can watch them at your convenience.
This course counts toward the German Studies Concentration.
All students are expected to read the CollegeÕs policy on academic honesty and integrity that appears in the Swarthmore College Bulletin. The work you submit must be your own, and you will be subject to prosecution by the College Judiciary College for work that we suspect is plagiarized. When in doubt, check with us.
We also do not accept late papers and will assign a failing grade for the assignment unless you notify us and receive permission to submit the paper after the due date. Class attendance is required, and unexcused absences will result in a lower grade for the class.
You can purchase the following books at the bookstore; they are also on reserve in McCabe. All other readings are on Blackboard
Anonymous, A Woman in Berlin
Christopher Browning, Ordinary Men
Saul FriedlŠnder, When Memory Comes
Gunter Grass, Crabwalk
Marion Kaplan, Between Dignity and Despair
Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz
Art Spiegelman, Maus,
volumes one and two
January 23: Introduction to the Course
January 25: The Holocaust: Memorialization and Commemoration
Philip Gourevitch, ÒBehold the BehemothÓ and ReadersÕ Letters
Gabrile Schonfeld, ÒDeath Camps as KitschÓ
Timothy Ryback, ÒEvidence of EvilÓ
ÒA Debate about Teaching the HolocaustÓ
January 30: The Impact of the First World War and Volkism
Watch Triumph of the Will (115 minutes)
February 1: Discussion of HitlerÕs Weltanschauung
Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, selections
Susan Sontag, ÒFascinating FascismÓ
February 6: Jews under Nazi Rule
Marion Kaplan, Between Dignity and Despair: Jewish Life in Nazi Germany
Watch Degenerate Art (60 minutes)
February 8: Guest Lecture by Scott Gilbert
February 13: The Final Solution
Watch The Wannsee Conference (87 minutes)
February 15: Discussion of the Final Solution
Materials on the Wannsee Conference
Christopher Browning, ÒThe Decision Concerning the Final SolutionÓ
February 20: The Holocaust in the Soviet Union
Watch Chaim Rumkowski and the Jews of Lodz (55 minutes)
February 22: The Perpetrators
Christopher Browning, Ordinary Men
FIRST PAPER DUE ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23
February 27: Library Skills. Meet in Computer classroom in McCabe, 4th floor
March 1: Holocaust Memoirs
Victor Klemperer, I Will Bear Witness, selections
Etty Hillesum, Letters from Westerbork, selections
Week Seven: Accounts of the Holocaust--Memoirs
March 6: Watch and discuss Night and Fog
March 8: Holocaust Memoirs
Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz
Jean Amery, At the MindÕs Limits, selections
March 20: The Vichy Syndrome
Watch Weapons of the Spirit (91 minutes)
March 22: Holocaust Memoirs
Saul Friedlander, When Memory Comes
March 27: Shoah
We will watch selection from Shoah during and after class
March 29: Discussion of Shoah
April 3: The Holocaust and Music: Guest Lecture by Barbara Milewski
Watch Blind Spot (87 minutes)
April 5: Holocaust Testimony
Gitta Serenyi, Into that Darkness, selections
April 12: The Generation Gap
Art Spiegelman, Maus
SECOND PAPER DUE ON FRIDAY, APRIL 13
April 17: Poetry and Painting
Paul Celan, Anselm Kiefer, and Nelly Sachs
Tadeusz Borowski, ÒThis Way for the Gas, Ladies and GentlemenÓ
Watch Mein Krieg (90 minutes)
April 19: German Reception of the Holocaust
Gunter Grass, Crabwalk
April 24: WomenÕs Experiences
Anonymous, Woman in Berlin
Watch Germany, Pale Mother (123 minutes)
April 26: WomenÕs Experiences