Sonoma State University Spring 2005 Social Science 305: Perspectives on the Holocaust and Genocide "Remembrance and Resistance"

This is the course syllabus for
Sociology 305: Perspectives on the Holocaust and Genocide
at Sonoma State University
Spring 2005

The idea, applications, and experiences of genocide in history raise basic questions for us all, especially those in communities threatened (past or present) by severe prejudice, discrimination, persecution or even annihilation. These questions arouse a variety of intellectual, emotional, and ethical responses. By studying the Holocaust and other genocides, we deepen our understanding of human nature, organized society, political leadership, democratic participation, and civilization itself.
The Holocaust Lectures explore the dynamics of history's best-documented example of a systematic, deliberate brutalization and annihilation of one human group by another. Thus, German Nazis and European Jews serve as the central focus of this inquiry. From this central focal point, the lectures and discussions branch out into related conceptual and empirical areas showing how prejudice can escalate into genocide.
Our mission reflects the organizers' concern for employing intellectual knowledge based on facts, evidence, critical thinking and emotional awareness in the service of effective ethical action to prevent genocide.

Course Objectives:
At the end of the semester, students will:

• Understand how prejudice can escalate into genocide.
• Understand the choices people make in witnessing, resisting and preventing genocide.
• Understand the correlations, connections and dissimilarities between the Holocaust and other genocides.
• Be able to recognize and understand their role in making, maintaining and changing society and the importance of being a responsible and active citizen.
  

NOTE: In order to earn Upper Division GE Credit Category D5 (Contemporary International Perspectives in the Social Sciences), students enrolled in this course must have earned 60 units by the end of the Spring 2005 semester.

Required Texts:

• Bergen, Doris. War and Genocide. Rowan Littlefield.
• Eichengreen, Lucille. From Ashes to Life: My Memories of the Holocaust. Mercury House.
• Eichengreen, Lucille. Rumkowski: And the Orphans of Lodz. Mercury House. (Recommended)
• Gourevitch, Philip. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families: Stories from Rwanda. Picador.
• Power, Samantha. “A Problem From Hell:” America and the Age of Genocide. Perennial.
• Schwarzbart, Paul . Breaking the Silence. . . : Reminiscences of a Hidden Child. AuthorHouse.
• Spiegelman, Art. Maus II. Picador.
• Additional materials will be on E-reserve and available on the University's library web site.
  

The course texts are available at North Light Books, 550 E. Cotati Avenue in Rohnert Park (707) 792-4300.

Grading Policy:

	Attendance and Participation	15%
	Response Papers (3)	30%
	Midterm Examination	25%
	Final Examination	30%

NOTE: In order to ensure reasonable accommodation for students with disabling conditions, please discuss any accommodation you may need for this class with your discussion section leader prior to the end of the second week of classes. You must self-identify with Disabled Student Services (Salazar 1049) in order to be eligible to receive services or reasonable accommodation for any classes at SSU.

Academic Honesty

It is your responsibility to refrain from academic dishonesty. Sonoma State University policy states that any student who cheats or plagiarizes on any assignment or examination may be subject to sanctions up to and including expulsion from the University. Academic dishonesty is defined as:

• Cheating: Intentionally and knowingly using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, study aids or electronic data in any academic exercise.
• Plagiarism: Includes, but is not limited to, the use by paraphrase or direct quotation, the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement; unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in selling or otherwise providing term papers or other academic materials.
• Fabrication: Intentional or unauthorized falsification of any information or citation in an academic endeavor.

Additional information about the research process and citation guidelines can be found at the University's library web site:
http://libweb.sonoma.edu/assistance/research/cite.html

Course Listserv:

The class e-mail listservs have been created for each of the discussion sections to support our communication with one another. The new campus computer system automatically includes students by registering their SSU e-mail address. Messages can be posted to the listserv at: SOCI 305-001-SP@sonoma.edu (or SOCI 305-02, etc., depending on the section in which you are enrolled) and will automatically be sent to all those registered in your section, including the instructor.

Attendance at lectures and discussion sections is essential component in the learning process for this course. It is expected that students will attend ALL lectures and discussion sessions. There will be no grading penalty if you miss one lecture and one discussion. Thereafter, each additional unexcused absence will result in a deduction of 2% from your final total points.

Students who want to get credit for missing a discussion section may attend one of the screenings of hte following film about Cambodia and submit a 1-1.5 page response paper.

The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine (101 minutes)

Thursday, February 24 at 7:00 - Stevenson 1002
Friday, February 25 at 4:00 and 7:00 - Warren Auditorium, Ives Hall
Admission free for SSU students with student ID

Response Papers:

Three times during the semester, students will respond to the course readings and the lectures associated with them. Response papers should integrate brief summaries of the main ideas from both the lecture and the reading assignment and include a personal intellectual and emotional response. Papers should be no longer than 3 pages. Response papers are due in discussion section as noted in the schedule. Additional information about response papers will be discussed in sections.

• DUE 3/10: Response Paper # 1. A response to the lecture and readings from 2/8 and 2/15.
• DUE 4/14: Response paper # 2. A response to the 4/5 lecture and readings.
• DUE 5/12: Response Paper # 3. A response to the 3/15, 3/22, 4/19 or 4/26 lecture and readings.
  

Midterm Examination:

The midterm is a take-home exam due in lecture on April 5th.

Final Examination

The Final is a take-home exam due in lecture on May 24th.

PLEASE NOTE: If the Midterm or Final Exams are not submitted on the date due, the grade will be lowered by 10 points for each calendar day that they are late.

Schedule

All weekly reading assignments should be completed by the day of the lecture.

Week of:	Lecture Topic
February 1	INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
February 8	HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND VIDEOS: MASTER RACE 1933 AND ANTI-SEMITISM: THE LONGEST HATRED
	Read: Bergen, Forward, Preface, Chapters 1 and 4(pp. vii-80)
February 15	"SOCIOLOGY OF GENOCIDE": MYRNA GOODMAN
	Read: Bergen, Chapter 4 (81-100) and Power, Chapters 4 and 5 (47-85)
February 22	"BREAKING THE SILENCE: MEMOIR OF A HIDDEN CHILD": PAUL SCHWARZBART
	Read: Schwarzbart: (all) and Bergen, Chapter 5 (101-129)
March 1	"FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER": A CAMBODIAN SURVIVOR REMEMBERS: LUONG UNG
	NOTE: THIS LECTURE IS IN PERSON THEATRE Read: Power, Chapter 6 (87-154) and Bergen, Chapter 6 (130-159)
March 8	HISTORY AND IMAGES OF THE HOLOCAUST
	Read: Bergen, Chapters 7, 8 and Conclusion (161-228) DUE 3/10: Response Paper #1
March 15	THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND HISTORICAL MEMORY: ROBERT KRIKORIAN
	Read: Power, Preface, Chapters 1-3 (1-45) and E-reserve: TBA
March 22	GENOCIDE EMERGENCY IN DARFUR: WHO WILL SURVIVE TODAY?: JERRY FOWLER
	Read: Power, Chapters 13 and 14 (475-516)
March 29	SPRING RECESS
April 5	HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS PANEL: LUCILLE EICHENGREEN AND LILLIAN JUDD
	Read: Eichengreen (all)
April 12	SOCIOLOGY OF RESISTANCE: MYRNA GOODMAN
	Read: E-Reserve: Goodman, Foundations of Resistance in German-Occupied Denmark, 1940-1943 and E-Reserve: Niewyk: Browning, from Ordinary Men (76-90) DUE 4/14: Response Paper #2
April 19	THE WHITE ROSE: GERMAN STUDENTS' RESISTANCE MOVEMENT: RUTH SACHS
	Read: E-Reserve: TBA
April 26	JEWISH PARTISAN MOVEMENTS DURING THE HOLCAUST: MITCH BRAFF
	Read: E-Reserve: Niewyk: Bauer from Jewish Partisan Movements (148-162)
May 3	GIVING VOICE TO SILENCE: POST-HOLOCAUST LITERATURE: BARBARA LESCH McCAFFRY
	Read: E-Reserve: TBA and Gourevitch (1-144)
May 10	REMEMBERING RWANDA: MATHILDE MUKANTABANA AND THERCISSE SEMINEGA
	Read: Gourevitch (147-353) and Power, Chapter 10 (329-335) DUE 5/12: Response Paper #3
May 17	SECOND GENERATION PANEL: ELAINE LEEDER, JULIA NEMETH AND BLAIR PLEASANT
	Read: Spiegelman, Maus II (all)
May 24	WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
	DUE IN LECTURE: Final Exam.