Holocaust and Genocide Studies

History of Genocide

CAS HI 384 (4 Credits) 

History and comparative analysis of genocidal mass murder with focus on the twentieth century. Hereros, Armenians, holomodor, Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur. Attention to political leaders, state ideology, dehumanization of victim groups, geopolitical competition, war, empire building and decline.

Instructor: Professor Simon Payaslian

The Nazis

CAS HI 271 (4 Credits) 

Explores the rise and fall of Europe’s most notorious mass movement through film, diaries, party documents, and other sources. Considers the impact of Nazi rule on art, finance, politics, and family life. Analyzes the mass murder and destruction caused by Nazi rule. BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.

Instructor: Professor Jonathan Zatlin

History and Holocaust

The Holocaust

CAS RN 384 (4 Credits) 

Rise of German (and European) antisemitism; rise of Nazism; 1935 Nuremberg Laws; the initial Jewish reaction; racial theory; organizing mass murder including ghettos, concentration camps, killing squads, and gas chambers; bystanders and collaborators (countries, organizations, and individuals); Jewish resistance; post-Holocaust religious responses; moral and ethical issues. BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.

Instructor: Professor Steven T. Katz 

Representations of the Holocaust in Literature and Film

CAS JS 261 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS XL 281/CI 269 

How can we understand the impact of the Holocaust and its ongoing legacies? Holocaust representation in literature, film and memorials, including discussions of bystander complicity and societal responsibilities, testimonial and fictive works by Wiesel and Levi, documentaries and feature films. BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.

Instructor: Professor Nancy Harrowitz

Fascism and the Holocaust in Italy

CAS JS 366 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS CI 386, CAS LI 386

The Fascist regime and the Holocaust in Italy: how the civic status of Italian Jews changed from the beginnings of discrimination against them to deportations of 1943, posing larger questions about bigotry and racism, and the role of bystander complicity. BU HUB areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness

Instructor: Professor Nancy Harrowitz