Syllabus

Course Description

This is a foundation course in Holocaust Studies.  Students will learn the historical origins, execution, and consequences of the holocaust.  This course also examines the holocaust’s place in context of genocides past and present.

Transferability

Florida--Course transferable to participating SCNS (State-Wide Course Numbering System) institutions offering this course:

o   Outside Florida State System--Generally accepted across the United States

o   Note!--The granting of transfer credit is always at the discretion of the receiving institution

Prerequisites

NONE

Instructional Methods

Lecture

Survivor presentations

Field Trip—Holocaust Memorial Museum (Miami Beach)—Leave Noon come back at 4pm

Document analysis

Video, art, and musical presentations

Journal writing

Discipline-specific, referred journal readings

Please note that much of this material is very disturbing!

INSTRUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THIS

SYLLABUS

                      Instructional Units                                                          Wk           Date                  Readings                           Suggested Speakers

                                                                                                                                                                                                           (45 minutes)

Textbooks/Resources/Supplies

(WG) Doris L. Bergen, War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield), 2003.

(B) Shirley Russak Wachtel, The Story of Blima: A Holocaust Survivor (New Jersey: Townsend Press), 2005—Provided by Instructor

Multiple Handouts--Buy a good, 3-ring binder.

Miami Dade College's Learning Outcomes (LO)

Purpose: Through the academic disciplines and co-curricular activities, General Education provides multiple, varied, and intentional learning experiences to facilitate the acquisition of fundamental knowledge and skills and the development of attitudes that foster effective citizenship and life-long learning.

A graduate of Miami Dade College will be able to:

1. Communicate effectively using listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.
2. Use quantitative analytical skills to evaluate and process numerical data.
3. Solve problems using critical and creative thinking and scientific reasoning.
4. Formulate strategies to locate, evaluate, and apply information.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of diverse cultures, including global and historical perspectives.
6. Create strategies that can be used to fulfill personal, civic, and social responsibilities.
7. Demonstrate knowledge of ethical thinking and its application to issues in society.
8. Use computer and emerging technologies effectively.
9. Demonstrate an appreciation for aesthetics and creative activities.
10. Describe how natural systems function and recognize the impact of humans on the environment.

Course Competencies

I.                  The student demonstrates knowledge of the historical background of the Holocaust by (LO outcome: 1, 5):

a)      Explaining historical developments leading to Nazi Germany

b)          Organizing a timeline of actions and events leading to the period

c)      Comparing events in Britain, France, and the USSR during the same period

d)           Constructing arguments to explain why the Holocaust happened in Germany and
       not in Britain, France, or the Soviet Union

II.                The student demonstrates an understanding of the Destruction Process by (LO outcome: 1, 5, 3, 7):

a)      Differentiating between individual, local, and national efforts

b)          Identify the main steps in the process and how they came together to create
      the great killing machine

c)      Pointing out the uniqueness of this processes and its relationship to the Nazi
      Weltanschauung

III.             The student demonstrates an understanding of the actions and responses of victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and nations to the Destruction Process by (LO outcomes: 1, 5, 3, 7):

a)      Describing the actions of these groups 

b)          Judging the effects of the actions on the outcome of the event

c)      Drawing conclusions on the actions of these groups and the place they occupy in
      the scope of the event

IV.             The student demonstrates an understanding of the Holocaust in the context of past, present, and future by (LO outcomes: 1, 5, 3, 6, 7):

a)      Describing the appropriate sources for historical arguments on the
      Holocaust and be able to defend their position on uniqueness of the Holocaust

b)          Describing and analyzing the various schools of interpretations

c)      Synthesize their own interpretation on the event using the analysis of the
      professional historians and writers

Course Requirements /Schedule of Assessment/LOs Assessed

MDC Grading Scheme (total points)

Course/Departmental Policies

• Much of the lecture material is disturbing and you may find yourself becoming very emotional.  Please do not hesitate to leave the classroom and take some time for yourself
• Attendance
  • Attendance mandatory
    • Failure to attend usually leads to failure in the course
    • Please see me if you are having trouble getting to and or staying in class
  • Illness/emergencies
    • Please document it
  • Late Arrivals
    • Please enter via back door
• Class participation
  • You must participate!
  • If you do, you gain much more than points and you actually take some ownership of the course
  • I want to hear what you say and not have to listen to my own voice all the time
• Missed assignments/make-up
  • There are no make ups
    • If you anticipate not being able to complete your assignments on time, please see me before the crash
• Code of Conduct
  • We abide by: “Miami Dade College: Students’ Rights & Responsibilities Handbook 2007-2008”
    • Special attention is always given to the free exchange of ideas and opinions
• Students with Special Needs
  • Please see the ACCESS office for help or see me after class now please
• Student feedback of instructor
  • I cannot know what to fix if you do not tell me what is working and what is not.  I value your feedback and need your participation in this process.  I look at the evaluation after the course ends and after I hand in your grades.  The evaluation really does help.

Available Research Support

• Learning resources
  • MDC possesses over 400 items on the Holocaust.  Please avail yourself of these resources and talk with our librarians.  They are waiting for your questions.
• Web resources
  • The Internet has 1000s of sites with more popping up every day. 

Available Students Services

• Me
• Academic Advising
• VESSI
• Learning Support Lab/Sail Lab
• ACCESS