Representing the Holocaust in Literature and Film (350-0-1)

Instructors

Guy Ehrlich
Crowe, 5-163
Office Hours: Wednesday 1:00 - 2:00
Guy Ehrlich is a postdoctoral fellow at the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies at Northwestern University. He is interested in modern Hebrew literature and culture, gender studies, and queer theory. His book, titled “The Empty Places of Yehudit Hendel,” won the Yaacov Bahat Prize for Best Original Scholarly Book Manuscript in Hebrew and was recently published by Haifa University Press (2024). His articles were published in “Mikan: Journal for Literary Studies” (2019), “Jewish Social Studies” (2020), “Ot: A Journal of Literary Criticism and Theory” (2021), “Shofar” (2024), and “Queer Kinship and Comparative Literature” (edited by Anchit Sathi and Alice Ferrebe, Palgrave Macmillan Press, 2024).

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-319: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

This course explores literary and cinematic representations of the Holocaust across languages, cultures, and genres. Through fiction, memoirs, diaries, and film (all in translation), we will examine how writers and filmmakers have grappled with the challenges of representing trauma, memory, and survival. Readings and screenings will include works by survivors and postwar artists, and we will consider questions of testimony, ethics, aesthetics, and the role of narrative in shaping Holocaust memory. The literary works and films will be discussed alongside academic articles and theoretical texts. All literary texts and films will be read and viewed in English translation.

Registration Requirements

No registration requirements.
Course is meant for any student Freshman - Senior despite the 300-level number.

Learning Objectives

• Explore the Holocaust through its diverse artistic representations
• Examine and interpret literary texts using practices of both close reading and comparative reading
• Critically evaluate and analyze literary, cultural, and theoretical texts
• Identify and analyze key themes and trends in Holocaust literature and film
• Draw connections and correlations between and across literary texts/films
• Develop writing, collaboration, and interpersonal communication skills

Evaluation Method

Attendance & Class participation: 10%
Final paper: 40%
4 Short Response Papers: 20%
Long Response Paper: 30%

Class Materials (Required)

Materials will be provided by the instructor.

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area