Instructor: Dr. Graham Cox
Office: Wooten Hall 255
Office Hours: TBA

Office Telephone: 940.565.4526

Email:

COURSE STRUCTURE

The first 10 weeks of the course, you will be reading one to two monographs and write a 3-5 page review. Reviews are due midnight Sunday of each week. Student will meet bi-weekly with the professor to discuss readings and assignments. Schedule of due dates will be worked out during meetings. You are expected to attend class lecture.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course attempts to address the enormity of the Holocaust within the context of WWII – the most destructive war in human history. The term “Holocaust” (also known as Shoah) refers to the murder – the killing of another person without justification or valid excuse – of approximately 6 million Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators during WWII. Although Europe’s Jews were the main target of the Nazi genocide, they were not the only – nor were they the first. The mentally and physically disabled were the targets of the first mass-scale, systematic killings in Nazi Germany, euphemistically labeled the “Euthanasia Program.” Hitler’s Nazi Germany also targeted European Gypsies (Roma), millions of Slavic people, Communists, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Afro-Germans, and other so-called “undesirables.”

Nazi Germany utilized all its resources – political, military, scientific, economic, and intellectual – in its war of extermination. This course attempts to introduce you to the connections between and among all of Nazi Germany’s targets. Our purpose is not to establish a hierarchy of the “victims of the Holocaust,” nor is it to debate the proper definition of the term – “The Holocaust.”Our effort is to comprehend better the scope and nature of a state-sponsored program of violence against individuals and target groups within the context of the Second World War and to understand better the experiences of those who suffered the most from it.

The history of the Holocaust is complex and contested. Within the limits of the brief time we have, this course will attempt to introduce you to as much of that history as possible and to some of the many scholars who have dedicated their lives to its study. This course cannot resolve some of the larger issues that have concerned scholars and laypersons from the beginning – How could this have happened? How could human beings inflict such horror on others? How can we still have hope for humankind?

Nonetheless, this course is designed to help you better understand some other important questions regarding Nazism, World War II, and the Holocaust – the answers to which may help you better grapple with those larger questions above. Who were the perpetrators; what were their motivations; and, what were their actions? How was it possible – through what processes – did large numbers (as many as half a million) of individuals, some “ordinary,” some very much less than ordinary, become murderers of other human beings by the millions? In what ways did the targets respond; what strategies did they develop to survive? In what ways did the outside world respond?

Finally, as we begin to answer these (and other) questions, this course is constructed to help you develop new insights into the brutality and suffering in our own world.

Tasks/Assignments

  • Attend lecture
  • Read all assigned books/readings to the general class
  • Read all books assigned below in “Readings”
  • Meet Bi-weekly to discuss readings and course lectures
  • Submit 3-5 page reviews of assigned readings
  • Submit 15-20 page Historiography Paper – Topic Relevant to Readings (we will discuss details as we go along)

COURSE GOALS

  • Identify and describe the persons/events/themes/topics and significance/legacy of the Holocaust.
  • Identify/describe/explain the ways in which German culture fostered receptiveness to Adolf Hitler’s rise to power?
  • Identify/describe/explain the ways in which Hitler’s beliefs, fears, and background paralleled those of the German people after the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles
  • Identify/describe/explain the Structuralist vs. Intentionalist debate in Final Solution historiography. Is it still appropriate to use this framework in the discussion of the Shoah? How does this debate help explain the course and character of the Final Solution?
  • Identify and defend the “point of no return” in the Final Solution timeline in which the momentum of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis could not be stopped. Was it 1919? 1933? 1939? 1941? Where is the demarcation if it can be identified? What do scholars say on this subject?
  • Identify and describe what history is (i.e., the activity by which we analyze critically the human past) to develop your knowledge of how historians cover, describe, and explain the behaviors and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, events, and ideas.
  • Develop and improve your reading, critical thinking, and writing skills in relation to historical knowledge, issues, and the analysis of primary and secondary sources (i.e., improve your own intellectual self-reliance) evidenced by achieving a 69.5% grade or better on papers.

Readings

/ The Holocaust: Europe, the World, and the Jews
Norman Goda
ISBN: 9780205568413
REQUIRED / / The Holocaust 4th Edition
Donald Niewyk
ISBN: 9780547189468
REQUIRED
/ Explaining Hitler
Updated Edition
Ron Rosenbaum
ISBN: 9780306823183
REQUIRED / / Survival in Auschwitz
Primo Levi
ISBN: 9780684826806
REQUIRED

Week One

George L. Mosse. Toward the Final Solution: A History of European Racism

Week Two

Fischer, Klaus P. The History of an Obsession: German Judeophobia and the Holocaust

Stern, Fritz. The Politics of Cultural Despair

Week Three

Nicholls, A.J. Weimar and the Rise of Hitler

Week Four

Rosenbaum, Ron. Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil

Kershaw, Ian. Hubris

Week Five

Dawidowicz, Lucy S. The War against the Jews, 1933-1945

Week Six

Browning, Christopher, R. The Origins of the Final Solution: The Evolution of Nazi Jewish Policy, September 1939-March 1942

Week Seven

Friedlander , Henry. The Origins of Nazi Genocide: From Euthanasia to the Final Solution

Week Eight

Hilberg , Raul. Perpetrators Victims Bystanders: The Jewish Catastrophe 1933-1945

Week Nine

Bauer , Yehuda. Rethinking the Holocaust

Bauman, Zygmunt. Modernity and the Holocaust

Week Ten

Novick , Peter. The Holocaust in American Life

Shermer, Michael, and Alex Grobman. Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and Why Do They Say It?

GRADING CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

In general, your papers will be evaluated based on your performance in these three areas:

  1. Organization: your ability to organize your ideas coherently and present your arguments in a logical sequence of steps employing, where appropriate, an introduction, summary, and statement of conclusions.
  2. Selection of Evidence: your capacity to demonstrate accuracy, range, relevance, historical significance, and discrimination in selecting the specific examples that you use to support your generalizations.
  3. Presentation: your skill and effectiveness in using well-structured paragraphs, topic sentences, good grammar, correct spelling, legible handwriting, etc.
  4. Knowledge: your ability to demonstrate a mastery of relevant historiography.

The following specific criteria will be used for assigning scores to your papers. The point spread shown here as an example is for a 100-point paper.

•Excellent (90-100 points): a well-organized, grammatically correct paper that clearly presents the material with accurate and appropriate supporting evidence or examples. In other words, paper is excellent in terms of organization, argument, presentation, and mastery of the relevant historiography.

•Good (80-89): almost excellent, but with one or two minor mistakes or omissions, fewer examples, or some slight blurring; or leaves out an important point or two.

•Satisfactory (70-79): has several errors or omissions, etc. Also,paper is not well balanced, or lacking in historiographical detail.

•Poor (60-69): badly unbalanced or made up almost entirely of generalities with little substantial factual supporting evidence or understanding of relevant historiography. Logic is weak; organization unclear; etc.

•Unacceptable (0-59): misses the point; fails to deal with relevant historiography.

LATE WORK POLICY

Be sure to pay close attention to deadlines announced in class and on Blackboard —make-ups will not be scheduled without a serious and compelling reason and Professor/Teaching Assistant approval. Be aware that any granted make-up may, solely at the discretion of the Professor, be a different format than the regularly scheduled item.

ATTENDANCE

Regular attendance is mandatory. You are expected to attend class daily, arrive on time, and stay for the entire duration of the class. Any announcements will be made only at the beginning of class. If you are late or absent for any reason, it is your responsibility to get class notes and information for that time. If you need to leave early, you must let your instructor know in advance and you may be counted absent.

PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING FINAL COURSE GRADE (see tables below)

This course includes two exams, a semester essay, and a semester paper (all parts combined), each worth 25% of your semester grade. Your Source List is worth 5% of your semester grade. You may turn in a first and final draft of your semester paper. If you are happy with the score for your initial submission (Semester Paper First Draft), that submission will count 20% of your semester grade. Should you choose to resubmit your paper (Semester Paper Final Draft) after having made corrections, your First Draft is worth 5% of your semester grade and your Final Draft is worth 15% of your semester grade. Should you choose not to turn in a Final Draft, your Frist Draft is worth 20% of your semester grade.

Assessment / Points / % of Semester Grade
Weekly Reviews / 100 points each / 40%
Semester Paper / 100 / 40%
Discussion Participation (during office meetings) / 100 / 20%
Final Grade / Total Percent Earned
A / 89.5 to 100%
B / 79.5 to 89.4%
C / 69.5 to 79.4%
D / 59.5 to 69.4%
F / Below 59.5%

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic integrity emanates from a culture that embraces the core values of trust and honesty necessary for full learning to occur. As a student-centered public research university, the University of North Texas promotes the integrity of the learning process by establishing and enforcing academic standards. Academic dishonesty breaches the mutual trust necessary in an academic environment and undermines all scholarship. As a student, you are held accountable for understanding UNT’s policy on academic integrity. Any violations may result in a 0 or F on the particular assignment or and F in the course.

PLEASE NOTE

Some materials presented this semester may contain images or language that one may find offensive.They are part of our historical legacy and are not presented for sensational purposes, nor are they necessarily reflective of the instructor’s or teaching assistant’s personal views.

CLASSROOM DECORUM
Disruptive students in the academic setting hinder the educational process. Examples include, but are not limited to persistently speaking without being recognized or interrupting other speakers; behavior that distracts the class from the subject matter or discussion; or in extreme cases, physical threats, harassing behavior or personal insults, or refusal to comply with faculty direction. Any behavior that adversely affects the normal educational functioning or the professional standards of the class may result in failure for the course.

Cell phones, beepers, or pagers are a significant distraction and MUST BE TURNED OFF or PUT IN SILENT MODE (VIBRATE MODE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE) prior to coming to class. Do not answer phones during class. Do not text during class. If you are expecting an emergency phone call, you MUST arrange with your teaching assistant(s) prior to class. Those using a cell phone MUST leave the classroom for the remainder of the class period. Laptops are permitted for note taking during lecture only. MP3 players, digital recording devices, and other portable electronic devices are not permitted in class. Students who repeatedly violate this policy may be dropped from the class.

STUDENT SUCCESS AT UNT

If you find that you have any trouble keeping up with assignments or other aspects of the course, make sure you let your professor or teaching assistant(s) know as early as possible. Make sure that you are proactive in informing your instructor or Teaching Assistant(s) when difficulties arise during the semester so that we can help you find a solution.As a UNT student, you’ve got a lot on your plate. But you’ve also got lots of resources and plenty of people at UNT who want you to succeed.“Succeed at UNT”provides students with consistent student success messages, and user-friendly, accessible links to student support services.

The Department of History provides the History Help Center and the History Department Library that are staffed by graduate students who can assist students with tutoring and essay writing advice.

History Help Center, Wooten 220940.565.4772

History Dept. Library, Wooten 267940.369.7681

INFORM YOUR INSTRUCTOR OF ANY ACCOMODATIONS NEEDED

The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. Students are strongly encouraged to deliver letters of accommodation during faculty office hours or by appointment. Faculty members have the authority to ask students to discuss such letters during their designated office hours to protect the privacy of the student. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at . You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.

SYLLABUS CHANGES
While every attempt has been made to prepare this syllabus and the Topic Breakdown and Reading Assignments in final form, it will be the instructor’s prerogative to make any changes as may be deemed necessary in order to meet the learning outcomes of the course. Any changes will be announced in a timely manner in class.

TENTATIVE TOPIC BREAKDOWN AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

Topics / Readings
Goda / Niewyk / Rosenbaum
1 – Course Introduction / Preface, Editor’s Preface to Students
2 – Antisemitism and Other Hatreds / Chap 1 & 2 / I
3 – Hitler, The Nazi Party, and Nazi Ideology / Chap 3 / Introduction, Part One
4 – Nazi Germany 1933-38 / Chap 4 / Part Two
5 – Nazi Germany 1938-39 / Chap 5 / IV / Part Four
6 – The War Against Poland’s Jews and Euthanasia / Chap 6 & 8 / II
7 – Expanding War and Terror 1940-41 / Chap 7 & 9
8 – 1942-43 / Chap 11, 12 / V
9 – 1944-45 / Chap 14, 15 / VI / Part Six
10 – Legacies / Chap 16 / Part Seven