The Holocaust: What You Should Know and Why

Catalog description

The Holocaust is regularly used to identify 'absolute evil'—comparing military interventions, policies, or extreme uses of violence against civilians to the Nazi genocide serves as a form of condemnation and a call for intervention. Films, books, comics, and songs draw on implicit or explicit references to the Holocaust. At the same time, an increasing number of studies in the USA and elsewhere show that fewer and fewer people are familiar with the history of the Holocaust and can name major events or explain the dynamics of the genocide. This course offers a broad and sophisticated introduction to the history and legacies of the Holocaust and invites students to critically reflect on the genocide's significance for current societies. Among others, course materials analyze how the Holocaust has become a prime example of mass and state violence and served to establish international tools that are designed to protect refugees and civilians threatened by war and genocide and other vulnerable groups. Students with and without pre-existing knowledge will benefit from working with primary source material and learning about recent trends in the field of Holocaust Studies. The course is open to everyone and has no prerequisites. It meets the Dietrich Gen Ed "Humanities" requirement. Course Website: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/history/