Jews & Germans: 1770-1933 ((4 Credits))

Catalog description

Students will consider the relationship of Jews to German society from 1770-1933. They will discuss the impact of Enlightenment ideas and economic development on Jewish attempts to assimilate, the forms this assimilation took, the roots of racial antisemitism of the late 19th and 20th centuries, and Jewish responses to it including alternatives to assimilation such as Zionism. Students will analyze the position of Jews in German society in Weimar period and the rising tide of antisemitism in Germany, examining this relationship in order to understand the historical background of the Holocaust as well as that relationship in its own right. Prerequisites: An introductory level course in European history is strongly recommended.