Approaches to History (393-0-20)
Topic
Gender, Race, and the Holocaust
Instructors
Sarah Marshall Cushman
Kresge 3210
Meeting Info
Harris Hall L04: Mon, Wed 3:30PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
The aim of this seminar is to introduce students to the history and historiography of race and gender during the Holocaust. As in many historical contexts, race and gender interacted dynamically and created the particular context of Nazi-occupied Europe, which was a place where Jewish men and women suffered in particular ways, German men and women participated in particular ways, and other racial groups - men and women alike - were targeted, collaborated, resisted and rescued. We will read a variety of texts that explore the influences that shaped the behavior and response of an array of people during the Holocaust. Racism sat directly in the center of the Nazi world view. Once the Nazis got into power, they sought to translate ideology into policy. Still, their racial policies evolved over time, spurred by opportunism, innovation, and war. And too, Jewish men and women responded in ways similar and divergent to the Nazi onslaught. Sexism was also seemingly an important aspect of the Nazi perspective. While they indeed embraced an anti-feminist stance, the Nazis nevertheless sought to incorporate "German" women into the national community and women participated actively in the implementation of Nazi racism.
Learning Objectives
• Identify and define key concepts related to race and gender during the Holocaust
• Analyze societal and personal contexts with regard to race and gender that shaped individual experience and decision-making during the Holocaust
• Engage critically with course readings to identify authors' main arguments, the sources and evidence they use to support their arguments, and weakness or gaps in their arguments.
• Through written papers, canvas-based discussion boards, participating in and leading class discussion (large and small group), and a final project, communicate the other objectives above.
Evaluation Method
Class Participation 25%
Discussion Board Posts 25%
Short Papers 25%
Final Project 25%
Class Materials (Required)
Materials include videos and films, podcasts, and journal articles, which will be available through Canvas or the NU Library.
Class Notes
History Area of Concentration: European
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Distro Area