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Magic Monsters & the Holocaust (360-0-20)

Instructors

Danny M. Cohen

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall 303: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

How has the Holocaust come to be represented in popular culture? Through feature films and works of fiction created to bring Holocaust history into the public space, we will explore how certain tropes and narrative framings affect our perceptions and collective memories of the Holocaust. We will ask: What lessons from history do popular films and literature attempt to convey? What unintended lessons do they carry? And why is fantasy a common genre in the field of Holocaust film and fiction? We will consider how movies and literature about the Holocaust may affect the public's perceptions of atrocities today, and we will ask questions about the gaps and misconceptions that Holocaust film and fiction can leave in their wake. Our exploration will take a practical approach. We will ask: How can we use Holocaust feature films and works of Holocaust fiction as vehicles for public education? And how can we create effective learning experiences to support the public's engagement with and understanding of such texts? Journal Entries will support student reflection and processing while team Creative Responses to core course texts (feature films and novels) will be used to assess student learning. Toward the end of the quarter, students will work in teams to develop an original Open Project to build on our course themes.

Teaching Method

Interactive Lectures, Film Analysis, Journal Entires, Creative Responses, Group Open Projects

Class Materials (Required)

"Briar Rose" by Jane Yolen
"The True Story of Hansel and Gretel" by Louise Murphy

Class Attributes

Attendance at 1st class mandatory

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Students who have already taken the SESP 351 Public Learning Through The Arts: Magic, Monsters & The Holocaust cannot take this course.