units

ATS3583

Faculty of Arts

18 September 2017 26 April 2024
Monash University

Undergraduate - Unit

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

LevelUndergraduate
FacultyFaculty of Arts
Organisational UnitAustralian Centre for Jewish Civilisation
OfferedNot offered in 2014
Coordinator(s)Dr Noah Shenker

Notes

Previously coded HSY3225

Synopsis

This unit examines film as a source of historical evidence and inquiry, specifically exploring the historical, cultural, and ethical debates surrounding depictions of the Holocaust in film and other media. It considers the prospects of documenting and representing the Holocaust in a period marked by a decline in the numbers of living historical witnesses and survivors, but a proliferation of film and media portraying their experiences. Central to this unit are issues pertaining to the limits and possibilities of representing the Holocaust and to the larger challenges and opportunities of utilizing works of film and media as sources of history.

Outcomes

Students successfully completing this subject will be able to understand:

  1. The nature of historical film and media in their various forms.
  2. The criteria for assessing the merits of historical film and media, and the ways film and other media differ from other forms of historical representation.
  3. The influence of film and media in the past and upon later historical understanding.
  4. Ethical and historical considerations of the limits and possibilties of representing the Holocaust in particular and genocide and trauma more generally in film and media.
  5. The ways in which film and media can extend and challenge our understanding of history as a discourse.

Assessment

Film commentary (1000 words): 25%
Long essay (2500 words): 40%
Test (1000 words): 25%
Tutorial participation: 10%

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Noah Shenker

Workload requirements

3 hours a week, comprising of films, lectures and tutorials

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Jewish studies
Holocaust and genocide studies
History
Film and screen studies

Prerequisites

Two gateway units in History or permission.

Prohibitions

ATS2583