The Holocaust
Claudia Prestel, Andrew Markus and Eleanor Hancock
8 points
* 3 hours per week
* First semester at Clayton
* Second
semester at Caulfield and Peninsula
* Students wishing to take this subject
without having taken a first-year history sequence may do so by enrolling under
JWC or RLT subject codes (see entries under Jewish civilisation or Religion and
theology) or with permission from the head of the History department.
Objectives On the successful completion of this subject students should have gained a knowledge of the events leading to the Holocaust, and of its course and aftermath, including a detailed understanding of the range of Jewish responses. Students should also have gained an understanding of methodological and conceptual issues involved in interpreting and representing the Holocaust.
Synopsis A study focused on the period 1939-45, with additional reference to the development of anti-semitic policies in the 1930s, postwar reactions, and the creation of the State of Israel. Major topics covered include the ghettoes and the Jewish Councils, the einsatzgruppen, the basis of internationalist and functionalist interpretations, the organisation and functioning of the `factories of death', Jewish behaviour in crisis and extremity, and reactions of the non-Jewish populations in occupied Europe and the allied governments. The subject deals also with literary and cinematic representations, oral history and the nature of memory, and the problem of dealing with an `event at the limits' of human understanding.
Assessment second year Tutorial participation: 5%
* Tutorial paper
(1500 words): 15%
* Long essay (2500 words): 40%
* Take-home
examination (2000 words): 40%
Assessment third year Tutorial participation: 5%
* Tutorial paper
(1000 words): 15%
* Long essay (3000 words): 40%
* Take-home
examination (2000 words): 40%
* Third-year students will be expected to
undertake substantial primary research in their long essay.
Recommended texts
Davidowicz L The war against the Jews Penguin, 1975
Gilbert M The Holocaust Collins, 1986
Hilberg R The destruction of the European Jews Holmes and Meier, 1985
Marrus M The Holocaust in history Penguin, 1989
Yahil L The Holocaust Oxford, 1990
| Published by Monash University, Clayton, Victoria
3168 Copyright © Monash University 1996 - All Rights Reserved - Caution Authorised by the Academic Registrar December 1996 |