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HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST

Jewish Studies 3521/Religious Studies 352l/History 3727  Fall, 2004
Dr. Stephen Feinstein, Director, Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies 
Hist 3727W/RelS 3251/JwSt 3521 sec 001  11:15-12:30PM  TTh
350 Anderson Hall

(1) Note also that this course does not count toward fulfilling the historical perspectives requirement of the Department of History. Consult with an advisor in the History Department to clarify this issue.

Goals of the Course:

(2) "The Holocaust cannot be thought because it cannot be exhausted by historical narration. It remains elusive, uncontained, a putative mystery because the categories by which such immensities are grasped seem inadequate and trivial."  Arthur Cohen, The Tremendum.

(3) "I was there for about two years. Time there is not the same as it is on earth. Each moment there moves at its own speed. The inhabitants of this planet had no names. They did not dress as we dress here. They were not born here, nor did they give birth. They breathed by other laws of nature. I believe with all my heart that as in astrology, the stars influence our fate. So the ash-planet Auschwitz stands over this earth and influences it."
Ka-Tzetnik  135633 on Auschwitz From "The 81st Blow," film from Lochemai Hagetaot.

(4) Despite the introductory statements which indicate the difficulties in understanding the Holocaust, this course will attempt to document and analyze this event and what it represents--in particular, the background, development and systematic extermination of European Jews by the Nazis. Not only were Jews affected by Nazi policy, but others labeled "undesirable" or "subhuman" were also exterminated in this process--gypsies, political and religious opponents, homosexuals. If one studies the history of the second World War, one might come away believing that the extermination of the Jews was simply a footnote to history. Recent historical thought, however, has suggested that the very reason for the War might be directly linked to Hitler's desire to kill Jews. In this course, particular attention will be given to the phenomenon of anti-Semitism, in both its religious and secular forms, to the relationship between mass murder or genocide and the growth of bureaucracy and technology, and to the challenges posed by the Holocaust for religious and humanistic beliefs and values.

(5) Because of recent events in the post-Cold War World, there is a certain potency to studying the Holocaust as an event, as it may now be said to foreshadow the destruction of human beings that has begun anew in the former Yugoslavia and famine and politically-linked killing in Africa and Asia. In this course, however, it is hoped to make a definitive definitional line between genocide and Holocaust, as the latter word is often misused. The Holocaust may be called the event that produced the word genocide, invented by Raphael Lemkin in 1944. However,  it may be said that the word "holocaust" has been so misused that it now has to be modified. At his trial in Milwaukee a few years ago,  serial killer Jeffrey Dalmer said "I created a real Holocaust." Anti-abortion activists have used the phrase "holocaust of the unborn." Whatever your views on the subject, it is important for each movement to create its own vocabulary and not to appropriate words and imagery from another movement. The word "holocaust" was in use well before World War II, as it means a "burnt offering,"  having religious connotations. Popular use of the word before 1945 usually meant a terrible accident, as in a train crash. Now, using the word "Holocaust" for events other than the destruction of the Jews banalizes this and other events. The Roma/Sinti community (gypsies) has its own word to describe their fate in World War II-porrajmos. They are generally considered victims of the Holocaust. So, part of the course will implicitly deal with the changing vocabulary associated with genocidal events.

The course will depend on several techniques:
        1. Lectures for basic introduction and explanations.
        2. Class discussion&emdash;insofar as possible in a large class.
        3. Reading books on syllabus for paper writing and some analtyical thought about the meaning of the Holocaust.
        4. Utilization of films and video taped materials which will hopefully raise more questions and provide some graphic illustrations of the Holocaust's dimensions.
        5. Utilization of guest speakers--in particular, a Holocaust survivor.

PLEASE NOTE: The work expected on the papers and the questions on the final exam are based upon the idea that students will attend class. If you cannot come to class on a regular basis, please do not take the class.
 

Please note: this course has been designated as writing intensive. See below for requirements.

Writing-intensive (W-I) courses integrate writing with course content and provide a variety of formal and informal occasions for students to write.  In the course "The History of the Holocaust" special attention is payed to formal writing characteristic for the field of history.  Students are asked to write papers in which they critically reflect on different aspects of the Holocaust discussed in class and the assigned books.  In the papers students should make a topic-related statement which they follow consistently. Great attention is also payed to the organization, content, wording, and citation techniques of the paper.  

What makes a course W-I?

• On one (1) assignment, students receive feedback on a paper that can be revised before submitting it for a final grade. Before updating the paper, students should consult either with the instructor during office hours or the teaching assistants. Do not just correct the errors pointed out in the text. Read all comments and assess if there is some fundamental issue that needs to be corrected. Students have time to rewrite one paper until December 14.
• The course grade is directly tied to the quality of the student's writing and to knowledge of the course content.

What can I expect in a W-I course?

• Opportunities to get feedback on writing.
• Writing assignments that help you learn course material.
• Writing assignments that help you learn about the way scholars in various fields write and think.

Events and guest speakers involving the Holocaust will be announced. Check web site for the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies for events and useful information, especially via links, on issues raised in this course.

Please note that the policies of most universities and professors is not to "debate" whether the Holocaust took place or not. Deniers would enjoy this game. It is not a question of equal time, nor free speech. The Turkish government denies the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and Serbs and Croatians in the Former Yugoslavia deny mass rape as a weapon in Bosnia and Kossovo during the 1990s. 

Required texts: Available from the bookstore for purchase.  Used copies may be available at local bookstores.
You can also order on line from Amazon.com and other providers.

    Yehuda Bauer. A History of the Holocaust. 2nd edition. ISBN 0531-15576. Watts Publishers.

     Primo Levi. Survival in Auschwitz. (Free Press/Scribner $12.00) Scribner; ISBN: 068482680

     Charlotte Delbo, Auschwitz and After. (Yale). ISBN 0-300-07057.

     Christopher Browning. Ordinary Men. (Harper Collins $14.00) Harperperennial Library; ISBN: 0060995068

      Alan S. Rosenbaum. Is the Holocaust Unique? Westview Publishers. ISBN 0-8133-2642-7 

 Books may be available cheaper and  in used editions or faster via:
 Amazon.com
 ABEBOOKS.COM
 Second Hand Books&emdash;several Twin Cities locations
 Midway Books, Snelling and University, St. Paul


Requirements for the Course:

Students are expected to attend class regularly and to read assigned material ahead of time.  The degree of preparation that you bring with you will have an obvious relationship to the quality of your participation in the class sessions. The reading above may appear extensive, but several books are very short. In addition, as this is a 3 credit course, it is presumed that much of the learning is from reading and critical writing. In case  you think you already know all that is to be known about the Holocaust, try to discard that view and search for new ideas and truths.

There are three writing assignments for this class. There will be an in-class final exam,  but no  mid-term.  Students should read the weekly reading assignments in advance as it may add to your understanding of the material and also to the class discussion. We will have some discussions of the books in class when they are due for reports.   Participation in class discussion can have a positive impact of your grade.

Please read a copy of the University regulations regarding late assignments and missed examinations. Late assignments will be graded down.  For every week late, the paper will be downgraded one letter grade. All assignments are expected  to be handed in. Remember a late assignment is better than no assignment. Incompletes are given only for bona fide illness or absence related to a University event. This is in fairness to other students in the course. If you have such a problem situation and need an "I," please give me short note so I won't forget about it. If you have difficulties with the assignment, please be in touch in person during office hours or by email. If you notice problems during your writing process, please consult your teaching assistant or the instructor in time.

Note following:

1st Note: In order to have a scale of fairness in grading, papers should be handed in when due. Lateness allowed only for illness or family-related matters of significance.

2nd Note: If you intend to not come to class, do not count on doing well. If you prefer to sleep in class, I hope it is not because of the lecture and discussion, but better to sleep somewhere else.

3rd Note: Graded papers are brought to class twice only. After that time, it is your obligation to pick them up.

4th note: Keep files of all papers until you have received graded papers back.

CLASS WEB PAGE:  There is also a  WEB CT PAGE FOR THIS COURSE: WEBCT3.umn.edu and then log on with your id for the server. The WEB CT will have all handouts from class that may serve as outlines for studying and for understanding certain themes.

You are automatically registered with classweb, and will be shown what classes you are eligible to access, which is this case is either JWST 3521, RELST 3521 or HISTORY 3727. If you have problems accessing the site, please call 624-HELP (624-4357). The site will have class outlines, downloadable assignments, calendar of events and other items of interest.

Assignments:

This course has been designated as writing intensive and fulfills that requirement. Under the guidelines for writing intensive courses, one paper may be rewritten if the grade falls below an "A." Consultations are also available with the instructor or teaching assistants for the course. (Please note that all rewrites of papers must be accompanied by the original when turned in as a rewrite.)

If you are inexperienced in writing essay papers, please consider spending some time at the writing laboratory. A short experience there may ease the burden of writing and help with performance on all levels of your university career.Concerning the content and organization of the paper visit with writing tutors of the History Department (Social Science Building, First Floor). If you need improvement of your writing ability, visit the Student Writing Center in Lind Hall (http://swc.umn.edu/tutor.htm). 

Please note that updates may be given in class. Therefore, the syllabus is a tentative guide and attending class is critical to correct fulfillment of the assignments.

Please understand that the proposed questions below are meant to stimulate your own critical thinking. You do not have to answer all these questions but should focus on one or two larger topics which are addressed in the assigned books.

a. RE: Browning:  Write a   6-8 page paper on Browning's book about Ordinary Men. Some suggested investigative lines:  What does Browning's  work say about institutions and individuals we may take for granted, as well as human behavior? Who might become a perpetrator? How would you define heroism and resistance after reading this book? What does the book say about Nazism and "ordinary Germans?"  What type of resistance to the mass murder  took place among Police Battalion 101? How did it manifest itself? What issues are brought forth here that you understood already? What perspectives are new? Why is resistance a hard issue to deal with? DUE :  SEPTEMBER 30
 
b. RE: MEMOIRS: Students are to write a 8-10 page report/analysis utilizing the works by Levi and  Delbo bringing together the main ideas and arguments in a contrast arrangement. Levi speaks as an Italian Jew and male survivor who was in Auschwitz-Buna (Camp 3);   Delbo speaks as a French non-Jew, a politicalprisoner because of arrest, deportation and survival also at Auschwitz.   Focus on how the accounts are similar, and how they differ. What does each work teach about the Holocaust, about the camps, and about survival? How does gender affect the texture of the writing? How does each work contribute to our understanding of the Holocaust.  You may include some personal responses to these works in the text, and you may focus on several issues or questions that intrigue you. You need not summarize the book, but focus on some critical approaches. DUE: OCTOBER 28
 
c. RE: Rosenbaum Is The Holocaust Unique?  raises the question of how one views the Holocaust in a comparative framework with the word genocide. You may have been thinking about other genocides during the semester and how the extermination of the Jews relates to Native American Genocide, recent events in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Kosovo, plus other groups victimized in Europe and Asia: Poles, Ukrainians, Roma/Sinti, Armenians, evens in Asia during World War II and political-religious groups. View this work as a provocation on many levels, and respond to the issues raised about the "uniqueness of the Holocaust," how the study of the Holocaust may have been an inspiration for the study of other genocides, and the problems which occur when one gets into comparative suffering. Keep in mind that the academic study of the Holocaust is not  interested in comparing numbers of victims. Does this book in any change your understanding of the Holocaust? Length of paper recommended: 7-9 pages.  DUE: November 23.

Discussion sections will afford students to talk about issues in writing the papers as well as more extended discussions of elements in the class.

Note: Under writing intensive rules, you are permitted in this class to rewrite one paper.  Procedure is as follows:

1. consult with a TA about the paper and the grade and how it may be improved.
2. go over points that need improvement. The rewrite should not only include changes on areas of the original that are marked with questions.
3. you may want to consult the writing center.
4. hand in the revised paper

Grading proportions:

each paper is 25% plus 25% for the final examination.

TENTATIVE SESSIONS: Reading chapters indicated below  will keep you ahead of the lectures.  Note some topics may go longer, some shorter. Take special note of maps and images in Bauer

TOPICS ARE FOR THE WEEK OF: (two sessions per week)

Week 1:  September 7 & 9   Introduction and assignments  Some discussion about the Holocaust and genocide, and the uniqueness of the Holocaust. Beginning of discussion of background, who is a Jew?, various types of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism through the ages

Week 2:   September 14 and 16: Religious anti-Judaism and its relationship to the Holocaust. Martin Luther and the Jews. The condition of German and East European Jews in the l9th century; the rise of racism. Race versus religion as a factor in the Holocaust. Read: Bauer, Chapter 2. Read Christopher Browning.

Week 3:  September 21 and 23:  Imperialism and the Armenian genocide  as precedent. World War I and afternath, Weimar Republic. Rise of Nazism, legalization of terror in Germany. Film: Selection from Nazi propaganda film, "The Eternal Jew." "Europa, Europa"-5 minute out-take. Read: Bauer, Chapters 3 and 4.

Week 4:    September 28 and 30:The structure of Nazism, consolidation of power, leadership and bureaucracy, formation of the Jewish question in German history and Hitler's mind and writings. The beginnings of the Holocaust and the War against the Soviet Union. Bauer, chapter 5 Read Browning. First paper due  SEPTEMBER 30

Of interest: Borderlands Conference, Center for German and European Studies, CHGS, Center for Austrian Studies and IGS.

Week 5: October 5 & 7:Who is the perpetrator? Psychological aspects of authority and obedience. Film: "The Milgram Experiment."  Discussion of Nuremberg Laws, 1935.   Bauer,  6. Jews as a Public Health Problem: Biomedical ethics and the Holocaust. 
Excerpts from film on Euthanasia program/T-4. Begin reading Levi and Delbo if you have not already done so.
 
Week 6:  October 12 and 14: Discussion of selection, victimization process. Reading for the week:    Excerpt from film about medical killing.  Read Bauer, Appendix p.383. "Himmler's Reflections on the Treatment of the Peoples of the East."  Film about Primo Levi.
 
Week 7:  October 19 and 21:  Analysis of sections of Claude Lanzmann's film, "Shoah." Class participation and response is  essential.  Escape routes and the world's reaction.  Bauer Chapter 7, 8

Week 8:  October 26 & 28:  The war in Poland and the USSR.. Discussion of selection and victimization process.  The Final Solution. Analysis of text of Wansee Protocol. Architecture and central planning at Auschwitz. Einsatzgruppen in Russia.   Life in the Ghetto. Bauer  7/8/9
Second paper due  October 28   

Week 9:  November 2 and November 4: Discussion of Primo Levi and Charlotte Delbo.  Students should think about questions relating to: representation of the camps; memory; how memory is formed; forgetting; styles of writing and approaching the Holocaust; gendered memoirs; Jews and non-Jews in the camps; other questions.    Start reading Rosenbaum.

November 4: Guest speaker-Holocaust survivor

ALSO VOTE FOR SOMEBODY!

Week 10:  November 9 and 11:    The destruction of Jews in Western Europe and Southern Europe: Norway, France, Italy, The Low Countries, Croatia and Serbia.   Issue of "multiple genocides." Perpetrators and their actions. The language of Nazism. What the world knew and how it responded.

Week 11:   November 16 and 18:  Rescue issues and Bystanders. Was "rescue" possible once the war started?  Film about Rescue in Denmark and Altruism and religious based responses and Resistance :Film: "Weapons of  the Spirit." (Rescue in Le Chambon  Sur Lignon,  30 minute version). Bauer, 10, 12. 

(6) Week 11:   November 23: No class November 25.  Resistance in the ghettos and camps, the role of the Judenrat, problems of survival after the end of the War. Jewish complicity or inaction during the Holocaust? Other victims of Nazism: Gypsies, question of victimization of the Poles. Homosexuals, Communists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Priests. Bauer chapter 11.
Third paper due on November 23.
 
Week 12: November 30 and December 2:  Nuremberg trials and hunting war criminals, some of the issues that affect life in the l990s and beyond. The DP camps, post-war refugee questions, and establishment of the State of Israel. Ongoing questions of German responsibility and reparations.  Bauer 13.


Week 13.   December 7 and 9: Post-Holocaust Theology I: The theological and philosophical implications of the Holocaust on modern Christian and Jewish thinking. Issues of "death of God" and "reasons for God's silence.   Readings from Christian sources may be handed out.  

Week 14:   December 14 and 16: Other post-Holocaust issues: DP camps, memory of the Holocaust and memorialization  Aftermath and relationship of the Holocaust to creation of State of Israel. Holocaust Denial and the contextualization of other genocides.   Bauer 14.  Other genocides and post-Holocaust questions about representation and historiography.

Revised paper for WI Requirement due by December 14.

FINAL EXAMINATION:  01:30pm - 03:30pm Wednesday, December 22.
Finals schedule can be found at:
http://onestop.umn.edu/registrar/calendars/fall_finals.html
See study sheet on Web CT.  

OPTIONAL DISCUSSION (TRAILER) SECTION: Because of student requests from past semesters, there is an optional  1 credit discussion section available and has just been added. Students interested should also register for HISTORY 3970, SECTION 4 (10:10-11AM TUESDAYS, FOLWELL HALL 326) OR SECTION 6, THURSDAY, 10:10-11 AM SOCIAL SCIENCES 1383. 

STUDENTS IN DISCUSSION SECTION SHOULD SEND TO THE INSTRUCTOR BY EMAIL TWO QUESTIONS BEFORE EACH SESSION. THERE IS ALSO A WEB CT SITE FOR GENERAL DISCUSSION

Dr. Feinstein's telephone:  Office: 626-2235.  EMAIL: feins001@tc.umn.edu. Feel free to ask questions or make appointments via email. Don't bother calling if you are doing so to inform me you are missing class. Office Hours:  On Class days before class or by appointment.  I am in my office every day of the week, usually between 10AM and 4PM. Mail box  100 Nolte West Entrance Papers may be delivered only into the letter drop there.   

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