HUM 264 Remembering the Holocaust in Literature and History

Dr. Howard Tinberg

Dr. Ron Weisberger

What is this course about?

The Holocaust, or, as it has come to be known, the Shoah, is one of the most horrific events in all of world history. Even more than 70 years after the fact, the world continues to struggle with the enormity of this human catastrophe. Nevertheless, a body of writing--both historical and literary--exists that enables us to confront this key moment in world history. This course serves as an introduction to this work. Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the historical facts, including circumstances leading up to the Holocaust itself and the event's critical aftermath. In addition, students will show evidence that they have grasped the role of various genres of expression, fiction and non-fiction, in the struggle to represent an event that many have described as beyond the limits of language to capture.

Prerequisite: ENG 101 and ENG 102. Open to Commonwealth Honors Program students and others with permission of instructor.

Syllabus

What writing will I be expected to do?

You will be expected to keep a reading journal, submitted via a blog every week. In addition, you will have a midterm and final exam and a semester-culminating research project.

Research Project

This assignment asks that you develop a thoughtful and significant question about the Shoah and provide relevant and credible data in response to that question. You will present your work not in a conventional paper but through a visual medium.

Sample Student Project

Here is a sample of one student's research.

How to Create a Web Page via Merlot

In assisting you to develop a web page of your research, we offer these easy-to-use instructions. You are not required to use this particular platform to set up your web page.

Sample Abstract

Take a look at this sample abstract in the humanities. It's a pretty good model of what we are looking for.

Locating a Scholarly Article

Here's a "how to" guide on accessing credible, scholarly articles via electronic databases.

Writing an Effective Abstract

Purdue's famed Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers useful tips on writing an effective abstract for presentations and reports

Library Resource Guide
Thanks to BCC's Emily Brown for a very useful guide to research.

An Abstract: A Guide
A brief breakdown of an abstract"s elements

An Annotated Bibliography: A Guide
A summary of the elements of an annotated bibliography

Questions for Oral Presentation

Reflective Writing in Padlet

Here you will have a chance to offer informed, shared reflections about our readings and discussion topics

Why the Discussion Board? How will posts be evaluated?

The readings in this course are complex, requiring time for reflection as well as for expression of feelings. The Discussion Board allows for both, we hope. The Discussion Board template provides the prompts or questions, to which you'll respond each week. Please please post your entry (and a response to a classmate's entry) by class time each week.

Discussion posts will be evaluated on the basis of three criteria: