HSY2580

The Holocaust

Claudia Prestel, Eleanor Hancock and others

8 points
* 3 hours per week
* First semester
* Clayton and Caulfield
* 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. Prohibition SCY2051

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 reference to the Nazi State in the 1930s, Jewish life in the interwar period in the various European countries. Major topics covered include the ghettos and the Jewish Councils, the Einsatzgruppen, the functionalist and the intentionalist debate, the organization and functioning of concentration camps and `killing centers', Jewish responses 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 Tutorial participation: 5%
* Tutorial paper (1500 words): 15%
* Long essay (2500 words): 40%
* Exam in class (1000 words): 15%
* Take-home examination (2000 words): 25%

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 OUP, 1990