This course confronts the issue of individual and collective
responsibility for crimes against humanity, both during and after the
Holocaust.  The first part covers the political antecedents and ideological
arguments concerning the "Jewish question" and the evolution of the Final
Solution.  The second part addresses the question of responsibility from the
vantage of perpetrators, victims, and bystanders during the Holocaust.  The
third part looks to the impact of the Holocaust on post-war ethical and
political considerations.   The final segment of the course looks at recent
examples of genocide to reflect on the question of the world's
dehumanization in the 20th century.
We will use a variety of sources, historical studies and survivors'
testimonies, documentary and fictional accounts, films and poems.  In
particular, we will rely on documentary films that deal with the issue of
responsibility.  Class assignments will go beyond the typical examinations
so that we can personalize the issues through reaction essays, first-person
narratives, and policy memos.  To accomplish these goals, attendance is
expected at all class sessions.  Our aim is not only to understand the
Holocaust but also to account for the tragedy in a way that confronts our
humanity and our commitments to become more than bystanders to history.