Teaching the Holocaust through the Lens of Movies and Documentaries

Catalog description

The Holocaust has been the subject of movies and documentaries since 1945. Topics like survival, resistance, bystanders, and perpetrators have been dealt with, and even comedies were filmed. This seminar will analyze some memorable examples, discuss methods and intentions of the movie/documentary makers, and ask for the way in which these films contribute to understanding the Holocaust (making the Holocaust understandable). Special attention will be directed to the question of how movies and documentaries can help teaching the Holocaust and how they reach their audience, which also means investigating the impact of these films. We will also look at how topics and approaches changed during time – and how they changed the perception of the Holocaust by societies.