Jewish Studies - Ethics & the Holocaust

Catalog description

While the number of active perpetrators in the Holocaust was relatively small, millions of ordinary people faced decisions that placed them on the spectrum of responsibility ranging from perpetrator, to collaborator, to bystander. This course will examine these people and their choices, as well as the role of professional ethics for police, engineers, doctors, and others whose professions were needed by the Nazis. The course will explore the following questions: What factors led people to become perpetrators, collaborators, or bystanders during the Holocaust? What role did professional ethics play in the Holocaust? What can we learn from the Holocaust about the importance of ethics in our own lives?