Prof. Marcuse
HSSB 4221, 893-2635
marcuse@humanitas.ucsb.edu
Office hours: Tues. 1-2, Wed. 11-12

UCSB Hist 133Q, Winter 1999
READINGS ON THE HOLOCAUST
HSSB 2202, Wed. 2-4:50
http://marcuse.faculty.history.ucsb.edu/133d

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course we will examine some of the psychological, moral and historiographical issues raised by the Holocaust. We will also learn and practice some of the skills used in creating history: interpreting primary sources, assessing secondary works, and reporting orally and in writing about our findings.

This is an intensive reading course: We will read one or more books per week. Most weeks two students will lead the class discussion based on questions they prepare and distribute in advance. All other students will write short (2 page) essays or prepare questions themselves.

REQUIREMENTS

1. This course is designed for students with substantial prior knowledge of German or Holocaust history. Thus all participants must have taken a course in the UCSB Hist 133 series, or the equivalent at another school. In the latter case, permission of the instructor is required.
2. Regular, active participation in class discussion, which counts for 40% of the final grade.
3. Submission of four short papers, about 500 words (2 double-spaced, typed pages) in length, on the weekly questions about the readings (see reverse side). Please note that I will be looking more for a coherent and thoughtful engagement with the material than a comprehensive paper that addresses all aspects of the question(s). You should be sure to argue a thesis using specific examples as evidence to back up your argument. These papers are due on Tuesdays, by 2pm, in the envelope outside my office. Each is worth 5% of your final grade (A=5, B=4, …) for a total of 20%.
4. Submission of four sets of 5-10 questions each, about the weekly readings. Some of each set may address specific points that you don't understand; others should aim at broader issues raised by the material. These are also due on Tuesdays, by 2pm, in the envelope outside my office. Each question set is worth 5% of the final grade (20% altogether).
5. Leading classroom discussion for one week (this will usually be done by teams of two or more students). Each team will prepare a discussion guide with 5-10 questions, which will be distributed to all students. A "master version" with an explanation/rationale and suggested answers to those questions is due in the instructor's office on Monday by 4pm. Each week's team will meet with the professor on Tuesday to review their discussion plan. (20% of final grade)

COMPONENTS OF GRADE:
discussion: 8x5%=40%; short papers: 4x5%=20%; questions: 4x5%=20%; guide+discussion: 20%.

REQUIRED BOOKS (also on reserve at the library)

1. Frank, Anne, The Diary of a Young Girl (Bantam paperback ed.) $4.99 (or any other edition).
2. Wiesel, Elie, Night (Bantam Books, 1986) $4.99.
3. Isaacson, Judith Magyar, Seed of Sarah: Memoirs of a Survivor (U. Illinois, 1990) $12.85.
4. Browning, Christopher, Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland (HarperCollins, 1998 ed.) $13.00.
5. Höss, Rudolf, Death Dealer: The Memoirs of the SS Kommandant at Auschwitz (Prometheus Books, 1992) $15.95.
6. Fleming, Gerald, Hitler and the Final Solution (UC Press, 1984) $15.95.
7. Abzug, Robert, America Views the Holocaust (Bedford/St. Martin's, 1998), ca. $11.
8. Fogelman, Eva, Conscience & Courage: Rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust (Anchor, 1994) $15.
9. Lipstadt, Deborah, Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory (Free Press, 1993) $11.95.
10. Rittner, Carol, Anne Frank in the World: Essays and Reflections (M.E. Sharpe, 1998) $18.95.
11. recommended for background: Ronnie Landau, The Nazi Holocaust (Ivan Dee, 1994) $14.95