2011-2012 Academic Catalog

Apr 20, 2024

2011-2012 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Holocaust and Genocide Studies Concentration

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Overview

Undergraduate Concentration

The Holocaust and other genocides are studied to enhance our understanding of the society from which we came, the society in which we live, and the society to which we currently are giving shape. By studying the Holocaust and genocide, we learn about collusion and resistance; about the hot violence of mass murder and the cold violence of the modern, bureaucratic machinery of death; and about suffering and adaptation to suffering. We learn how societies disintegrated, step by step, and how ordinary men, women, and children both participated in and were affected by this disintegration. We learn, in short, a tremendous amount about what we need to know now to help us make the world a better place, wherever we might be.

The undergraduate concentration in Holocaust and Genocide Studies provides students with solid grounding in the history of the Holocaust and other genocides. Students also take a series of courses in a variety of disciplines to ensure a critical and sophisticated understanding of the various facets of these atrocities. The undergraduate program of study encompasses history, sociology, government, geography, international development, psychology and literature.

Program Faculty

Taner Akçam, Ph.D.
Paul Burke, Ph.D.
Debórah Dwork, Ph.D.
Jody Emel, Ph.D.
Anita Häusermann Fábos, Ph.D.
Everett Fox, Ph.D.
Thomas Kuehne, Ph.D.
Olga Litvak, Ph.D.
Ken MacLean, Ph.D.
Srinivasan Sitaraman, Ph.D.
Valerie Sperling, Ph.D.
Shelly Tenenbaum, Ph.D. - Director
Robert D. Tobin, Ph.D.
Jaan Valsiner, Ph.D.
Johanna Ray Vollhardt, Ph.D.
Kristen Williams, Ph.D.

Courses

Program Requirements: Holocaust and Genocide Studies

The Holocaust and Genocide Studies concentration may be pursued in conjunction with any major. Students are required to take seven courses that include:

Two core courses
Two courses from section A
One course from section B
One course from section C
A capstone seminar

The seven courses must be taken from at least three different departments. At least two of the total seven courses must be at the 200 level. The concentration director will serve as advisor to students, providing guidance in selecting courses and developing a capstone experience.

Two from the following core options:

Section A

Two from this list are required.

Section B

One from this list is required.

* Can fulfill Section B requirements only if not taken as one of the three core courses.

Section C

One from this list is required.

** Can fulfill Section C requirements only if not taken as one of the three core courses.

Capstone Courses

The capstone requirement may be fulfilled through a directed-research project or seminar. Students must receive permission from the instructor to count a seminar as the capstone experience. Examples of seminars that fulfill the capstone requirement are: