history of the holocaust, 42.347/547 summer session ii...

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Copyright 2013 Lisa M. Stallbaumer-Beishline as to this syllabus and all lectures. During this course students are prohibited from selling notes to or being paid for taking notes by any person or commercial firm without the express written permission of the professor teaching this course.

History of the Holocaust, 42.347/547 Summer Session II 2013

Online Synchronous Section (requires students to attend virtual class meetings twice a week)

All communication occurs through your huskies.bloomu.edu account and BOLT. So check regularly.

I will check my email daily and respond within twelve hours (not including Fridays from 4:00 PM through Saturday).

I am available through Skype from 5:30-6:00 PM every Monday and Thursday before class. In addition, we can schedule alternative skype sessions, visit by phone, or through the Online Room.

If you live near Bloomsburg University, I am happy to schedule face-to-face meetings.

L. M. Stallbaumer-Beishline, Ph.D.

Old Science Hall Office: 132 OSH Office Phone: 570-389-4979

Home Phone: 570-925-0304

(only call between 9 AM and 9 PM)

Email: [email protected]

Skype: lisa.stallbaumer.beishline

Updated 16 May 2013

Online Room: Access through BOLT Learning Tools Online Rooms The first time that you access the Online Room on any computer, give yourself a few

minutes to run the Setup Wizard. Recommendation: launch into the Online Room a few minutes early each week.

Students are expected to attend Online Room sessions (even if they are on holiday, etc)

Learning and teaching is a responsibility shared by the professor and the students. My responsibility as the teacher is to provide expert knowledge, a stimulating environment in which to learn, and timely feedback on your progress as you test your understanding. Your responsibility as the learner is to always be prepared for class, study recorded lectures, successfully complete reading and writing assignments in a timely and thoughtful manner, and to learn, that is to create new pathways in your brain that allows you to recall lessons and apply to real life situations years into the future. Studying the Holocaust provides an opportunity to examine the creation and death of a racial state in historical context – it is a safe distance from our own time that enables us to ponder racism in the world today. If you study history to prevent future mistakes, the Holocaust provides us with countless lessons about humanity. My promise: If you fulfill your responsibilities as a learner, upon completion of this course you will:

Have practiced evaluating primary and secondary sources to determine how Germany created a racial state and who all and how the decision was made to kill European Jews, i.e. the “final solution.”

Have examined the behavior of perpetrators of the final solution to determine if they were "ordinary men" and what motivated perpetrators.

Have explained how Jews responded to persecution during the killing years and specifically the challenges of escape and resistance.

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Have constructed an independent interpretation on whether or not Jews could have been rescued during the killing years and specifically contemplate whether or not the US did enough to facilitate rescue.

Have hypothesized about the malleability of human nature drawing upon the lessons of the Holocaust.

Have constructed convincing historical interpretations orally and in writing. How will we fulfill our teaching and learning goals?

Pose open-ended historical questions that you will be asked to contemplate and respond.

Think through the open-ended questions through writing. Study, examine, critique, and discuss primary and secondary sources. Primary

sources are documents (i.e. decrees, memos, letters, images, etc) originating from the historical time period or produced by those involved (e.g. trial testimony, diaries, memoirs). Secondary sources are the historians’ interpretations of the past drawing upon primary sources and other historians’ essays and books. Secondary sources will include my recorded lectures, Doris Bergen’s War and Genocide, and additional historical essays or book chapters.

Communication:

All course materials, not including books to be purchased, are found in BOLT https://bolt.bloomu.edu. All written communication is completed through your BU email address so you must access that account routinely (daily). Any alterations to the course syllabus, meeting times, etc will be announced as a news item in BOLT and with a group email @huskies.bloomu.edu. Please ask questions if any instruction is ever unclear. I maintain a web site on learning and teaching history: http://facstaff.bloomu.edu/lstallba . You will find tutorials there that are useful about writing essays (although we do not have any formal writing assignments, you might find them informative). In addition, I will have the most updated syllabus and lectures available at my website in case you are having difficulty accessing it through BOLT. However, you should access all course materials through BOLT; BOLT generates a “User Report” that tells me who is accessing the lectures, reading materials, etc.

Time Commitment Because this is a six-week summer course, expect an

intense work schedule. Like any face-to-face course, you have a fixed schedule of activities and assignments to complete each week. These fixed activities include studying recorded lectures, reading, and writing.

Required Texts

Recorded Lectures (required) that provide context for all readings found in BOLT Content These lectures are crucial to understanding the larger context of all reading

assignments. Each lecture topic lasts approximately 1 ¼ hours and is divided into more manageable parts. You should take notes on the lectures. Suggestion: if we were meeting in a face-to-face class, I would normally spend the first half discussing primary or secondary sources, we would take a break, and then I would lecture. When we finish in the Online Room, I suggest you at least begin studying the lectures for the next class.

Doris Bergen, War and Genocide, 2nd edition (purchased by student)

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Christopher Browning, Ordinary Men: Story of Police Battalion 101, 2nd ed (purchased by student)

Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz Including a conversation with Philip Roth (published by Touchstone Press; this edition preferred so that when we make reference to page numbers we will literally be on the same page). (purchased by student)

Reading Materials (Required) in BOLT Content Claudia Koonz, "Genocide and Eugenics: The Language of Power" Creating a Racial State Documents on the Origins of the Final Solution Gerald Fleming, “It is the Führer’s Wish” Christopher Browning, “A Product of Euphoria” Words to Outlive Us includes Anonymous Woman, Adolf Berman, Henryk

Bryskier, Stefan Ernst, Helena Gutman-Staszewska, Chaim Hasenfus, Jan Mawult, Samuel Puterman, Henryk Slobodzki, Stefania Staszewska, Marek Stok, Natan Zelichower, Samuel Zylbersztejn

Raul Hilberg, “Two Thousand Years of Jewish Appeasement” Yehuda Bauer, “Forms of Jewish Resistance” David Wyman, “Abandonment of the Jews” Yehuda Bauer, “Negotiating for Jewish Lives” William Rubinstein, “The Myth of Rescue”

Film Clips (Optional) on a variety of topics will be included in BOLT.

Technology and Course Access Technology Information

To complete this course online and/or to work through Internet-based activities, assignments, and discussions you will need the following: Reliable High Speed Internet such as DSL, cable modem (excluding dial-up

connection); Experience in word processing (Microsoft Word required to submit assignment)

and basic PowerPoint skills; Experience using a Web browser such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari

Recommendation: use Firefox when accessing BOLT and viewing recorded lectures;

Experience using your BU e-mail (all communication will occur through your BU email, and you should be prepared to check it daily);

For the synchronous (real time on Mondays and Thursdays starting at 6 PM) online communication sessions via Online Room you will need audio via a headset with microphone, or speakers and microphone

Online Room Join

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Course Access Information You will access your course at https://bolt.bloomu.edu using your BU email address and network password (not your email password). Perform the System Check before using BOLT. If you need assistance with BOLT, use the Student Help link on the BOLT login page. The first time on any computer that you access the Online Room through BOLT, you will also need to

run the Setup Wizard that takes a few minutes. Technology issues are not acceptable excuses for failing to complete course work or attending synchronous sessions. In BOLT Content, I have included several PDFs that are Resources to Access Online Room. Online Room (Blackboard/Collaborate): 1-877-382-2293 (24x7)

BOLT Hotline: 1-877-325-7778 (24x7) BOLT Help on Campus: 570-389-2888 (8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, M-F) The course instructor is not the technical support individual.

Having taken several courses online, on very rare occasions, your connection or mine could get dropped. Return to the Online Room session as soon as possible; sometimes it helps to close out BOLT and log in again, or restart your computer. If the connection fails from my end, I will use the huskies email address to contact everyone in the class as soon as possible. If I get disconnected, I may have to close out and login again. This can take a few minutes. Accommodative Services

If you need accommodative services, please contact me as soon as possible so proper arrangements can be made.

By the first day of class, 20 May 2013, please:

1. Login to BOLT and complete your User Profile on the My Home page. Note: This profile is available to all your instructors and fellow-students in your courses. Only share information you feel comfortable sharing!

2. If you would like to test drive the Online Room, join me in a quick practice session in the Online Room from within BOLT on Sunday, 19 May at 7:00 PM.

3. Read the Syllabus found in BOLT Content. 4. Have your textbooks purchased. 5. Begin reading Doris Bergen, War and Genocide, chapters 1-2 (study guide in BOLT). 6. Look ahead to the assignment for 23 May and begin studying for that class meeting.

Course Schedule – see below for the detailed schedule of all assignment deadlines

Participate! Be willing to contribute to discussions, group activities, asking questions, and so forth. We increase the potential for learning if we engage with the material in these ways.

Communicate! If you have questions or concerns, ask them. Speak up if problems arise! If you are having troubles downloading materials, participating in online activities, get help from tech support.

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Be self-motivated and self-disciplined! As an online learner, you have some flexibility on when you listen to recorded lectures, post to Discussions in BOLT, etc. With this freedom comes shared responsibility to study the reading materials, complete assignments in a timely manner, and participate in discussions. If you fall behind, it is difficult to catch up.

Do not procrastinate! In between class meetings, you will need to study recorded lectures and video clips which would normally occur during a face-to-face class meeting. In addition, you will be asked to read documents and historical essays also required in a face-to-face class. Use the “Schedule of Readings and Assignments” as a check list, and set aside times in your personal schedule to complete the out-of-class work.

Assessment of Student Learning Online Quizzes about content of Recorded Lectures and Doris Bergen’s War and Genocide (approximately 1-5 points per quiz; Total Points possible will be determined at the end of the semester) The quizzes are meant to provide external rewards to study the recorded lectures and

War and Genocide by Doris Bergen in which you will acquire foundational knowledge about the Holocaust.

The quizzes will be distributed throughout the course of the semester with deadlines by 5:00 PM on days when we meet in the Online Room.

The quizzes should not take more than 10 minutes and will have time limits appropriate to the questions.

The quizzes will include any combination of: matching; True/False that migh ask you to explain your response; multiple choice; ordering (putting a small number of historical

events into chronological order); short answers; etc.

Discussion grade (approximately 0-27 points; 0-3 points for each discussion)

In real time (i.e. synchronously) through Online Room, we will discuss the meaning and interpretation of primary (documentary) and secondary (historical interpretations) sources on specific subjects that are either controversial or deserve in-depth attention.

Questions to guide your reading of document collections can be found in the document log entry assignments and in the syllabus calendar

below. Discussion is not limited to those questions. Always have the discussion material in front of you; be prepared to explain how

you arrived at an interpretation or why you are raising questions by making reference to specific documents, page numbers, paragraphs.

In order for everyone to benefit from discussion, everyone should participate. How is discussion graded? Participation can take the form of responding to questions

posed by the professor or your classmates; asking questions to clarify any confusion that you have about the content of the readings or the ideas they generate; offering your interpretation of questions and documents. Please note, repeatedly agreeing with others but failing to elaborate or provide additional examples leaves the appearance that you are “gaming the system” and not prepared for class.

0 points if you are absent

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2 points if you attend discussion but never speak; if what you say is totally irrelevant or clearly un-informed by having read the primary and secondary sources;

2.25 points if you make at least two relevant contributions that go beyond “I agree”;

2.5 points if you make at least three relevant contributions; 3 points if you make four or more relevant contributions.

Tips on Preparing for Discussion: If the discussion centers on primary sources (e.g. diaries, memoirs, memos, correspondence, speeches, etc.), you should do the following:

Allow time to read the documents more than once. The ideas and vocabulary may be quite alien to you, and a single reading will not allow you genuinely to contemplate their meaning, let alone think about the documents in the context of the other documents and the secondary sources. Subsequently, the quality of your written work and discussion participation will undoubtedly suffer.

Take notes to determine the context of the document: Who wrote/spoke it? Why? When? What are the major points/ideas contained in the document? How reliable is the primary source? How does it help us address the discussion questions (listed in the syllabus)? Which sources are more reliable and why?

When taking notes, cite page numbers or paragraph numbers so that during discussion you can refer to them and encourage the class to consider the evidence with you.

A DLE is required for each collection of primary sources, so use the DLE questions to guide your priorities when taking notes.

Be certain that when you take notes that you authentically paraphrase or summarize so that you do not unintentionally plagiarize sources.

If the discussion revolves around secondary sources, then you must consider how convincing historians are in presenting their arguments.

Frequently, you will be assigned short excerpts from historians who have conflicting opinions, and you will be required to identify the similarities and differences in their theses, i.e. interpretations of the documentary evidence or factual knowledge.

Familiarize yourself with the author's thesis and the major points of his/her arguments or interpretation.

Markup the text, take notes, and cite page numbers so that during discussion, you can refer to them.

Consider how convincing the author's interpretation of an event is. While you may not be an expert or a history major, trust your instincts and ability to judge the merits of an essay.

What are the author's qualifications and potential biases? Historians cannot avoid being shaped by their environment (time period in which they live, socio-economic background, ethnicity, gender, etc), what primary sources were accessible, previous research by other scholars, and so forth. You must try to read between the lines because two or more scholars can look at the same document and not necessarily arrive at the same conclusions.

A TASS is required for most secondary sources (not Bergen or Recorded Lectures) so use the TASS questions to guide your priorities when taking notes.

Allow time to study the secondary sources, at least portions of them, more than once for the same reasons that you should read documents more than once.

Be certain that when you take notes that you authentically paraphrase or summarize so that you do not unintentionally plagiarize sources.

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Human Nature VoiceThread; each week is worth 0-3 points (for a total of 15 points) Supporting your response with the sources assigned (primary and secondary)

this week, what lessons about human nature can mankind draw from the Holocaust? Graded with a plus (3 points); check (2 points); minus (0-1 points)

o Plus: thoughtful, original observations, more than one posting, supported with examples from the assigned readings and responding to other classmates’ postings respectfully and meaningfully (responding to others can take the form of questions or observations).

o Check: observations made but limited to a single posting; examples from assigned readings are poorly developed (an outside reader would struggle) or not responding meaningful to classmates’ postings.

o Minus: either no posting made (0 points), response is superficial, or simply agrees with a classmate, or parrots other’s ideas without adding anything original in terms of observations or examples.

o As the semester progresses, I will be looking for evidence of deeper thinking on the topic as the sources become more rich.

Weekly between Thursday 8:00 PM and Sunday, 12:00 PM weekly (See Schedule of Readings and Assignments)

Thoughtful, engaged completion of the VoiceThread postings will help you ponder ideas for the final essay.

Four Document Log Entries (DLE); each worth 0-10 points (for a total

of 40 points) General Guidelines that apply to ALL DLE submissions:

These are informal writing assignments in which you should attempt to write your tentative interpretations of primary sources.

Informal does not mean slip-shod work thrown together at the last minute. By informal, I am not expecting an essay with introductory and concluding paragraphs, thesis, and body paragraphs built around topic sentences. By informal, I am not suggesting that you write a creative essay that is a stream of consciousness and a collection of random thoughts. I expect that you support your interpretations with evidence from the assigned relevant sources. Suggestion: organize your responses clearly around each of the questions.

Know your Audience? Your responses should be written so that any intelligent person having a limited understanding of the era could read it and comprehend the subject matter. In short, do not assume the reader knows the course or course content. On another level, understand that the primary reader of your essay, me, knows what kind of primary sources you had at your disposal to support your interpretation.

These responses are submitted a few hours before we meet in the Online Room so that I have time to read them in preparation for our synchronous discussion.

This assignment is based on the premise that writing about what you have read is a means of thinking through the material. Often the process of writing generates new thoughts.

You are expected to answer the questions listed with the document log entry. You are not expected to have completely mastered the meaning of the documents, and you should also raise questions if you have any.

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In order to encourage you to revisit, revise, and improve your thinking about primary sources after the synchronous session, you will be allowed to revise and re-submit your DLE after each discussion for additional credit.

o To do so, you must make any corrections, additions, or elaborations in a different color font or by using the Comment Box under the Review Tab in word.

o You are encouraged to explain why you are revising or updating your thoughts.

o You must make this submission within 24 hours after our synchronous discussion is completed. The BOLT dropbox will be reopened.

o If you did not submit a DLE by the original deadline, you may not submit a revision.

o If your corrections, additions, or elaborations are substantive enough, you will earn more points.

You are not being assessed upon your writing skills but your attempts to interpret the documents and raise questions about their content. You are expected to support your interpretation of the questions with evidence from the assigned documents. Moreover, summarizing what you read from Doris Bergen's War and Genocide or what you heard in a recorded lecture is unacceptable. However, you may want to make appropriate comparisons to Bergen or recorded lectures.

You are not necessarily required to discuss every single document, yet you should also not avoid documents that you struggle with understanding. At least attempt to understand and raise questions.

Should you cite your sources? BE SURE TO MAKE SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO THE DOCUMENTS within your writing either through footnotes, parenthetical citations, or in the text. For example, when discussing a document or group of documents put the document numbers in parentheses so that your ideas can be retraced. So you might write a sentence that reads like this, "Documents 1, 5 and 6 suggest to me . . . " then follow with the relevant page numbers. Or a sentence reads like this, "My understanding of the 31 July 1941 Göring memo is … (#6, p. 10). (These crude references to documents are not allowed in more conventional historical essays, but for the log entries and TASS they are acceptable.)

Leave your name out of the header, footer, or the page of your essay. When you upload your essay to BOLT, your identity will be attached. (This allows me to read blindly before grading.)

Submit as a word document, that is a file extension of .doc or .docx. Your log entries should be typed, single-spaced, and not to exceed 2 pages. Submit a copy to BOLT Dropbox by the time indicated in the “Schedule of Readings

and Assignments” below.

Document Log Entry Rubric I use this as a guide, not a calculator to help assess assignments.

In addition, this is my first use of the rubric, so I may have to make slight adjustments as I use it to assess your DLEs.

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0-5.75 points

Submits a DLE, but does not answer each of the questions posed. Names a document or its author but does not explain how that document supports

his/her response to the question. Response does not appear informed by the documentary evidence assigned. Reporting on what the student read in Bergen or heard in recorded lecture, not what

they read in the documents. A stranger, not knowledgeable about the course or course content, would struggle

mightily. Fails to cites origins of ideas, paraphrases, and/or quotations. In-authentically paraphrases or plagiarizes. Documents are cited but the limited number suggests student did not complete

studies.

6 points

Answers all questions posed. Supports response to each question with one document. The document is not just named or mentioned, but student explains how the

document supports interpretation. May ignore evidence that undermines interpretation. A stranger, not knowledgeable about the course or course content, would struggle. Cites origins of ideas, paraphrases, and/or quotations. Avoids inauthentic paraphrasing or plagiarism. Some doubts that the student read all the documents because selection appears

random.

7-8 points

Exceeds the requirements mentioned above. Supports response to each question with two pieces of documentary evidence that

corroborate (when available or applicable). Explains how the documents support his/her interpretation. Does not ignore evidence that undermines interpretation. A stranger, not knowledgeable about the course or course content, would not struggle. Cites origins of ideas, paraphrases, and/or quotations. Avoids inauthentic paraphrasing or plagiarism.

9-10 points

Exceeds the requirements mentioned above. Supports response to each question with three or more pieces of documentary

evidence that corroborates (when available or applicable). Explains how the documents support his/her interpretation. Qualitatively better as evident in word choice, sophisticated thinking, articulation. Does not ignore evidence that undermines interpretation. A stranger, not knowledgeable about the course or course content, would have no

difficulty understanding your answers to the questions. Cites origins of ideas, paraphrases, and/or quotations. Avoids inauthentic paraphrasing or plagiarism.

Document Log Entry #1.

In the primary source collection Creating a Racial State, you are reading documents about how several groups were targeted by the Nazi racial state: the "genetically defective," Roma and Sinti, homosexuals, and Jews. Provide specific examples to illustrate your responses; incorporating details is essential to demonstrating that you have actually studied the documents. The questions that you should specifically address:

1. In what ways were each of these victim groups: (a) Jews, (b) homosexuals, (c) disabled, (d) Roma and Sinti targeted and marginalized by (a) by Reich officials (i.e. Nazi Party Leaders at the level of the national government), (b) by local party or government leaders, (c) by German citizens to promote a racial state? Be sure to note differences between the experiences of different victim groups and techniques among persecutors.

2. To what extent was Germany turned into a racial state by 1939-1940? If so, to what extent and what are the implications for interpreting the origins of the “final solution”?

3. What questions, if any, do you have about the meaning and context of the documents? Be specific and try to ponder why you are confused.

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Document Log Entry # 2.

In the Documents on the Origins of the Final Solution, you should attempt to answer the following questions supporting your interpretations with specific reference to the documents (be careful, do not ignore evidence that could undermine the plausibility of your interpretation!):

1. When was the phrase "final solution" used and what did it mean in the context of the documents in which they appear?

2. Was the decision to kill all of Europe's Jews made incrementally or intended from the time the Nazis came to power?

3. Given the documents in this set, arrive at your own conclusions about when (not necessarily a specific date, but approximate time of year or year) the decision was made to kill European Jews and who or who all made that decision.


Document Log Entry #3

In this log entry, from the collection Words to Outlive Us, you are exploring first-hand accounts of the Warsaw Ghetto from the time of its creation to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943. You should answer the following questions, supporting your interpretations with specific examples from the primary sources:

1. If you had to write a history of the Warsaw Ghetto, from its creation through the resistance, describe at least three patterns that emerge from the variety of eyewitnesses (without ignoring contrary evidence or the diversity of experiences). Your interpretations need to be supported with specific examples. (Patterns might revolve around events, but it is equally interesting to look at behaviors, attitudes towards fellow Jews or their persecutors, fears, hopes, human nature, etc.)

2. What resistance, if any occurred within the Warsaw Ghetto? (Your response may depend upon how you define resistance.)

3. Were the Judenrat and Jewish police collaborators with the Nazis? 4. Did ghetto inhabitants (or inmates) behave “selfishly” or “self-ishly” (see notes from

lecture Remembering the Holocaust)? Is there evidence of selfless and altruistic behavior?


Document Log Entry #4.

You will be reading a memoir written by Primo Levi entitled Survival in Auschwitz. You should address the following questions and discuss specific examples to illustrate your answers:

1. How does Levi account for his survival? 2. What is Levi's "law of perspective"? 3. What did Levi learn about the human nature of Auschwitz inmates and German guards

from his experience in the camp? 6. Did Levi behave "selfishly" or "self-ishly" while an inmate (see notes from lecture

Remembering the Holocaust)? Is there evidence of selfless and altruistic behavior? 4. What questions, if any, do you have about the meaning and context of the documents?

Be specific and try to ponder why you are confused.

Thinking about Secondary Sources (TASS); each worth up to 10 points (for a total of up to 50 points)

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General Guidelines that apply to ALL TASS Exercises:

These are informal writing assignments in which you respond to the questions posed to the separate TASS assignments; not to exceed 2 pages, single spaced; submitted as a Microsoft Word document (ends with a .doc or .docx)!

Informal does not mean slip-shod work thrown together at the last minute. By informal, I am not expecting an essay with introductory and concluding paragraphs, thesis, and body paragraphs built around topic sentences. By informal, I am not suggesting that you write a creative essay that is a stream of consciousness and a collection of random thoughts. I expect that you support your interpretations with evidence from the assigned relevant sources. Suggestion: organize your responses clearly around each of the questions.

The questions encourage you to demonstrate that you have read critically the assigned secondary sources which will prepare you for synchronous discussion.

In order to encourage you to revisit, revise, and improve your thinking about secondary sources after the synchronous session, you will be allowed to revise and re-submit your TASS after each discussion for additional credit.

o To do so, you must make any corrections, additions, or elaborations in a different color font or by using the Comment Box under the Review Tab in word.

o If you did not submit a DLE by the original deadline, you may not submit a revision.

o You must make this submission within 24 hours after our synchronous discussion is completed. The BOLT dropbox will be reopened.

o If your corrections, additions, or elaborations are substantive enough, you will earn more points.

These responses are submitted a few hours before we meet in the Online Room so that I have time to read them in preparation for our synchronous discussion.

This assignment is based on the premise that writing about what you have read is a means of thinking through the material. Often the process of writing generates new thoughts.

You are expected to answer the questions outlined for each TASS. You are not expected to have completely mastered the meaning of the secondary source(s), and you should also raise questions if you have any.

Leave your name out of the header, footer, or the page of your essay. When you upload your essay to BOLT, your identity will be attached. (This allows me to read blindly before grading.)

Submit as a word document, that is a file extension of .doc or .docx. Submit a copy to BOLT Dropbox by the time indicated in the “Schedule of Readings

and Assignments” below. TASS Rubric

I use this as a guide, not a calculator to help assess assignments. In addition, this is my first use of the rubric, so I may have to make slight adjustments as I use it to assess your

TASSes

0-5.75

Fails to recognize most essential points of the historians’ interpretations. Misrepresents the secondary sources. Ignores interpretations that undermine his/her opinions to the questions. Fails to answer some of the questions posed. Does not support answers with examples from the secondary sources or does not

discuss them. A stranger, not knowledgeable about the course or course content, would struggle

mightily.

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Fails to cite origins of ideas, paraphrases, and/or quotations. In-authentically paraphrases or plagiarizes.

6 points

Struggles somewhat with recognizing the most essential points of the historians’ interpretations (might leave out an important idea).

Attempts to answer all questions posed but responses are unevenly weighted or not wholly convincing.

May make minor errors in interpreting the historians’ work. When asked to give his/her opinion, student may ignore historians’ ideas if they

undermine his/her interpretation. Student supports responses with relevant examples from the secondary sources but

explanation may suggest s/he is still struggling as evident by word choice, lack of detail, etc.

A stranger, not knowledgeable about the course or course content, would struggle. Cites origins of ideas, paraphrases, and/or quotations. Avoids inauthentic paraphrasing or plagiarism.

7-8 points

Recognizes and explains clearly the most essential points of the historians’ interpretations.

Answers all questions posed evenly and convincingly. Makes no errors in interpreting the historians’ work. Supports responses to questions with relevant examples from the secondary sources

that are thoroughly explained. When asked to give his/her opinion, student does not ignore historians’ ideas that

may undermine his/her interpretation. A stranger, not knowledgeable about the course or course content, would not

struggle. Cites origins of ideas, paraphrases, and/or quotations. Avoids inauthentic paraphrasing or plagiarism.

9-10 points

Fully, convincingly answers all questions posed. Supports responses with examples either by quoting or summarizing relevant

passages. Analyzes critically (i.e. recognizes strengths and weaknesses) the secondary sources

not just explains the historians’ interpretations. Student supports his/her opinions with evidence from assigned sources (any

relevant primary and secondary). Qualitatively better as evident in word choice, sophisticated thinking, articulation. Does not ignore evidence that undermines interpretation. A stranger, not knowledgeable about the course or course content, would have no

difficulty understanding your answers to the questions. Cites origins of ideas, paraphrases, and/or quotations. Avoids inauthentic paraphrasing or plagiarism.

TASS #1

1. Claudia Koonz dedicates this essay to answering the question, “How does it happen that people become things?” According to Koonz, in what ways did people get turned into things?

2. Eugenics movements existed throughout western Europe and in the United States, why is it only in Germany, according to Koonz, did it lead to genocide?

3. What groups were especially useful in propagating the “racial utopia” and why? 4. What did you find most confusing or difficult? If nothing was difficult, what did you find

most interesting?

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TASS #2

1. Gerald Fleming and Christopher Browning offer divergent interpretations of the origins of the “final solution”. Summarize, in your own words, each historian’s interpretations on the origins of the final solution and Hitler’s role. Then explain how they each support their thesis (a.k.a. interpretations) by summarizing the major parts of each historian’s essay and their use of evidence.

2. Which of these two historians, if either, do you find most convincing? Explain why. 3. Why does each historian arrive at different conclusions even though, to some extent, they

reference some of the same facts or documents? 4. What did you find most confusing or difficult? If nothing was difficult, what did you find

most interesting?

TASS #3

1. In Ordinary Men, how does Christopher Browning attempt to convince the reader that the Battalion 101 was composed of “ordinary men.” In his interpretation, what made them ordinary?

2. What are the implications of Browning’s conclusion that the men were ordinary? 3. Browning writes, “A number of explanations have been invoked in the past to explain

[why most men in Battalion 101 killed]: wartime brutalization, racism, segmentation and routinization of the task, special selection of the perpetrators, careerism, obedience to orders, deference to authority, ideological indoctrination, and conformity.” What three factors appear most important to Browning in explaining why Battalion 101 killed Jews?

4. What do you believe was the most important factor? 5. What did you find most confusing or difficult? If nothing was difficult, what did you find

most interesting?

TASS #4

1. Raul Hilberg writes that the Jewish reaction pattern was marked by “almost complete lack of resistance”. How does he arrive at this conclusion?

2. Summarize in your own words, how Yehuda Bauer arrives at his thesis that given the obstacles, Jews resisted far more than is often presumed and in a variety of ways.

3. Which historian, if either, do you find more convincing? Support with examples from Bauer, primary sources, lecture, etc.

4. What did you find most confusing or difficult? If nothing was difficult, what did you find most interesting?

TASS #5

David Wyman argues that the US could have done more to rescue Jews, while William Rubinstein argues the opposite. Both engage in counter-factual history to support their interpretations. Conversely, Yehuda Bauer describes ransom opportunities that were understandably rejected by the US government. 1. In your own words, summarize each historian’s interpretation and how he supports his

interpretations. 2. Do you believe that the United States did all it could to aid or rescue Jews during the

Holocaust? Explain your response by supporting with examples from the readings and recorded lectures.

3. What did you find most confusing or difficult? If nothing was difficult, what did you find most interesting?

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Final – What have you learned? Two Parts

Part 1: PowerPoint Slide & Presentation worth between 0-5 points

You must be prepared to explain your answer to the following question in less than five minutes and communicate visually with a single PowerPoint Slide responding to the following question:

o Given what you have learned in History of the Holocaust, what three lessons are most important and why?

Assessment will be based upon how well you explain the reasons for selecting the three lessons, you ability to explain them accurately, and how well you support your ideas with primary and secondary sources explored during the course.

Submit the PowerPoint slide to BOLT Dropbox by 3:00 PM on Thursday, 27 June Part 2: Short Essay about Lessons of Human Nature worth between 0-10

points We have studied perpetrators and victims of the Holocaust in a variety of contexts

and through a variety of primary and secondary sources. What lessons about human nature can mankind draw from the Holocaust? (Tip: do not make this essay a one-sided analysis of only victims or only perpetrators. Provide concrete examples from primary and secondary sources to advance a convincing interpretation.)

Guidelines for submitting essay: o Know your Audience? Your essay should be written so that any intelligent

person having a limited understanding of the era could read it and comprehend the subject matter. Do not assume the reader knows the essay question or is your professor; still understand that the primary reader of your essay, me, knows what kind of evidence you had at your disposal.

o Unlike the DLE and TASS, you are writing a historical essay. o Your essay should have an introductory paragraph that ends with a thesis (not

focus) statement, a body of several paragraphs that begin with paragraph topic sentences that further your thesis, and a conclusion that restates the main points of your thesis. Be sure that your thesis answers fully the question being posed in each essay.

o Your essays must be plausible. Common factors that undermine plausibility: regurgitating lecture notes or a book to me; heavy reliance on a small number of sources; relying more heavily on secondary sources when primary sources are available; failing to contextualize the evidence; dumping quotations without analyzing them; ignoring primary or secondary sources that could undermine interpretations; telling a story rather than advancing an interpretation.

o No outside research is required; your assigned readings of primary and secondary sources will provide you with sufficient evidence to advance plausible interpretations.

o Direct quotations should be used but sparingly and judiciously to reinforce your interpretation.

o Be sure to cite any ideas, paraphrases, summaries, and direct quotations in a way that allows me to retrace the origins of the work. (I prefer footnotes.)

o Consult the handout in BOLT Content about Writing Conventions in History for ideas on how to incorporate a quotation into your essay, citing, etc.

o Must be submitted to BOLT as a Microsoft Word document, i.e. it should end with a .doc or .docx

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o DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON YOUR ESSAY OR IN THE HEADER/FOOTER o Not to exceed three-pages single-spaced. o TWLEVE-HOUR Rule: If you would like feedback, please share drafts (partial

or complete) with me at least 12 hours in advance in order to get feedback. Or at least discuss how you plan to tackle the essay. I am here to help, not so much to help you make the grade, but to help you improve your writing skills.

42.547 - Graduate Component: If you are taking this course for graduate credit and you are a teacher, then you will be asked to create an original unit plan to teach the Holocaust or to create learning modules (e.g. lecture capture, etc) on topics selected in consultation with the professor. I will distribute separate instructions. If you are taking this course for graduate credits in history, then you will be asked to complete a historiography on a topic selected in consultation with me. Grading Scale Total points are determined at the end of the semester (the points will approximately add up to 130 depending upon number of pop quiz questions). A letter grade will be based on the percentage of total points earned. A Range B Range C Range D Range E Range A 94-100% B+ 87-89% C+ 77-79% D+ 67-69% E 0-59% A- 90-93% B 84-86% C 74-76% D 60-66% B- 80-83% C- 70-73%

Policies

Integrity, simply defined, is doing what is right even when no one is looking.

Do not make a mockery of individual achievement. Take pride in your work and respect others' work.

Academic Integrity Bloomsburg University Policy and Procedures 3512

"Academic integrity refers to the adherence to agreed upon moral and ethical principles when engaging in academic or scholarly pursuits. The university's academic integrity is part of an effort to nurture a community where trust, honesty and personal integrity guide all of our dealings with one another. Personal integrity is vital to our pursuit of educating and becoming educated. This student academic integrity policy is only part of, not the entirety of, efforts to foster a community of trust; trust is built first on our actions toward each other. The responsibility to be honest, fair, and forthright with others is a responsibility that each member of the Bloomsburg University community must accept. . . . "The following types of behaviors are examples of academic dishonesty. This list is not, and cannot be exhaustive. Students who are unsure if an act is academically dishonest have a duty to consult their professor before engaging in the act."

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Academic dishonesty includes: cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, misrepresenting circumstances, impersonation, obtaining an unfair advantage, aiding and abetting of academic dishonesty, falsification of records and official documents, and unauthorized access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems. For detailed definitions of these examples of academic dishonest, consult Bloomsburg University's Academic Integrity Policy (PRP 3512) at www. bloomu.edu/about/govern/pol.3512.htm.

Attendance Policy

Bloomsburg University Policies and Procedures 3506

"Regular [Online Room] classroom attendance is expected of all students. However, a student will be afforded reasonable assistance by a faculty member when class work is missed as a result of extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control, such as but not limited to:

1. Personal illness. 2. Death or critical illness in the immediate family. 3. Participation in a university-sponsored activity. 4. Participation in a short-term, obligatory military or military reserve activity.

"Instructors may request the student to provide official documentation to verify the reasons for the absence. "Arrangements for assistance must be made by the student with the instructor as soon as the need for an absence is known. The instructor is not required to give makeup examinations or review other class work missed as a result of unauthorized absences. "A faculty member, with departmental approval, may adopt a reasonable alternative policy if class members are provided that policy in writing during the first week of classes."

Dr. Stallbaumer's Attendance and Assignment Deadlines' Policies

Regular Online Room attendance is mandatory. An absence is excused if you have a varsity sports event, funeral, religious holy

days, military and military reserve activity, and illness that is documented by the health center or a doctor. You must provide documentation that allows me to verify that your excuse is legitimate.

There is no makeup for unexcused absences; examples include logging in then leaving your computer (I will know), studying for other classes, family vacations (you can log in to the Online Classroom wherever you have internet access), even tending to a sick relative, etc. By the way, falsely representing why you are absent is a violation of academic integrity. I repeat, logging in to the Online Room then walking away from your computer constitutes an absence. If you fail to respond when I seek a response from all participants, I assume you have logged in and left.

It is the student's responsibility to contact the professor to make up work promptly.

Deadlines. You are required to turn in your assignments on time. Unless you have an excused absence, late work will only be accepted within 24 hours of the deadline; you will only receive half credit for any late work. You will need to contact me to request that I re-open the Dropbox.

BOLT Dropbox is set up to close when the timed deadline passes. Even 1 second pass the deadline is

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late. So be sure to allow sufficient time to upload to the dropbox and check your email for a receipt.

You should always have backup copies of your files. Do not send your assignments to me by email, unless I request you to or if you are proving that you completed the assignment on time.

You should always keep an electronic “mail trail” that indicates you have submitted assignments to BOLT Dropbox, etc.

Online quizzes also are shut down promptly, so be sure to begin the quiz in a timely manner.

This syllabus is subject to change.

Schedule of Assignment Deadlines, Readings, Class Meetings

All primary and secondary sources not purchased are located in: BOLTContentReadings

Before Class

Voluntary Participation in Test Drive of the Online Room When? 7 PM on Sunday, 19 May Course Introduction: Go to BOLT Content VoiceThread and record

responses to the questions while you meet & greet others through recordings.

Read and Make Notes: Bergen, War & Genocide, foreword, preface, and chapters 1-2

Monday, 20 May,

Online Room 6 PM

Course Introduction What questions do you have about course syllabus, assignments, and

expectations? Topics for discussion:

What is human nature? How do you effectively read primary and secondary sources?

Between Classes

Study and Make Notes from Recorded Lectures: Hitler and the Germans (70 minutes)

Read and Make Notes: Bergen, War & Genocide, chapters 3-4 Claudia Koonz, "Genocide and Eugenics: The Language of Power"

Post to BOLT Dropbox: TASS #1 submitted by noon, Thursday, 23 May Complete Online Quiz 1 BOLT Coursework by 5:00 on Thursday, 23

May (Bergen, ch 1-4 and Recorded Lecture Hitler and the Germans) View Optional Film Clips in BOLT Content Documentary Films: The Nazis Chaos and Consent (5 parts totaling 50 minutes) explores how the Nazis ruled. This

documentary might challenge preconceptions that you have of dictatorship. The Nazis did not rule solely by terror but also achieving conformity.

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Thursday, 23 May,

Online Room 6 PM

Discussion: How does Claudia Koonz answer her question: “How does it that people

become things?” How was a “media Blitzkrieg” conducted by the Office of Racial Policy? To what extent did physicians, clergy and women help promote and

enforce racial policies? How was “psychic numbing” encouraged by racial programs?

Friday, 24 May

11:59 PM

Deadline to resubmit your TASS #1 Resubmitting is optional; see assignment guidelines.

Between Classes

Human Nature VoiceThread Posting # 1 between Thursday, 23 May, 8:00 PM and Sunday, 26 May, 12:00 PM (located in BOLT Content)

Study and Make Notes from Recorded Lectures: Antisemitism, Racism, and Prejudice (32 minutes)

Read and Make Notes: "Documents on Creating a Racial State" Compose and Upload to BOLT Dropbox: DLE #1; deadline noon, 30 May Complete Online Quiz 2 BOLT Coursework by 5:00 on Thursday, 30

May (Recorded Lecture Antisemitism, Racism, and Prejudice) Optional Film Clips in BOLT Content Documentary Films: The Nazis Chaos and Consent (5 parts totaling 50 minutes) explores how the Nazis ruled. This documentary might challenge preconceptions that you have of dictatorship. The Nazis did not rule solely by terror but also achieving conformity.

Thursday, 30 May,

Online Room 6 PM

Discussion: How did Germany create a racial state? What techniques were employed? What groups were targeted? In what ways does the documentary evidence, found in “Creating a Racial

State,” support Koonz’s interpretation that between 1933-1939, “psychic numbing” was encouraged by racial programs?

Friday 31 May

11:59 PM

Deadline to resubmit your DLE #1 Resubmitting is optional; see assignment guidelines.

Between Classes

Human Nature VoiceThread Posting #2 between Thursday, 30 May, 8:00 PM and Sunday, 2 June, 12:00 PM (located in BOLT Content)

Study and Make Notes from Recorded Lectures: Search for a “solution” to the “racial problems of Germany” (88 minutes)

Read and Make Notes: Documents on the Origins of the Final Solution Bergen, War and Genocide, chapter 5-6

Compose and Upload to BOLT Dropbox: DLE #2; deadline noon, Thursday, 3 June

Complete Online Quiz 3 BOLT Coursework by 5:00 on Thursday, 3 June (Bergen, ch 5-6 and Recorded Lecture Search for a “solution” to the “racial problems of Germany”)

Optional Film Clips in BOLT Content Documentary Films: The Nazis The Wild East (5 parts totaling 50 minutes) examines the military campaign and

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occupation policies of the German army and SS upon entering Poland. It demonstrates that the war in the east was driven by racial theories of “subhumans”.

Monday, 3 June,

Online Room 6 PM

Discussion: What questions do you have about the documentary evidence? Who all made the decision and when to exterminate? When was the phrase "final solution" used and what did it mean in

context? Was the decision to kill all of Europe's Jews made incrementally or

intended from the time the Nazis came to power? Given the documents in this set, arrive at your own conclusions about

when the decision was made to kill European Jews and who made that decision.

What do you learn about human nature from examining the perpetrators’ words?

Tuesday, 4 June

11:59 PM


Between Classes

Study and Make Notes from Recorded Lectures: The Decision to Kill (50 minutes)

Read and Make Notes: Gerald Fleming, “It is the Führer’s Wish” Christopher Browning, “The Product of Euphoria”

Compose and Upload to BOLT Dropbox: TASS #2; deadline noon, Thursday, 6 June

Complete Online Quiz 4 BOLT Coursework by 5:00 on Thursday, 6 June (Recorded Lecture The Decision to Kill)

Thursday, 6 June,

Online Room 6 PM

Discussion: Why do historians disagree on the origins of the Holocaust? What was Hitler's role in the origins of the Holocaust? What are the differences between a functionalist and intentionalist

interpretation? Would you describe yourself as a functionalist, intentionalist, neither, both? Why do Fleming and Browning have such diverse interpretations of the

same documents?

Friday, 7 June 11:59 PM


Between Classes

Human Nature VoiceThread Postings #3 between Thursday, 6 June, 8:00 PM and Sunday, 9 June, 12:00 PM (located in BOLT Content)

Study and Make Notes from Recorded Lectures: Understanding Perpetrator Behaviors (57 minutes)

Read and Make Notes: Bergen, War & Genocide, pp. 167-193 Browning, Ordinary Men, prefaces, chapters 1-2, 5-9, 16, 18

Compose and Upload to BOLT Dropbox: TASS #3; deadline noon, Monday, 10 June

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Complete Online Quiz 5 BOLT Coursework by 5:00 on Monday, 10 June (Bergen, pp. 167-193 Recorded Lecture Understanding Perpetrator Behaviors)

Optional Film Clips in BOLT Content Documentary Films: Philip Zimbardo: Why Ordinary People Do Evil … or Do GoodI (20 minutes) The Nazi Perpetrators: Arthur Greiser (48 minutes) is a recording of a lecture by Dr. Catherine Epstein, who has studied how this leading Nazi in the Warthegau, part of occupied Poland, implemented racial policies (audio is good, but lighting is poor).

Monday, 10 June,

Online Room 6 PM

Discussion: Were the Perpetrators "Ordinary Men"? How did Police Battalion 101 become killers? Why were a minority able to

avoid killing? Why does Browning believe that "following orders" does not provide a

sufficient explanation for Battalion 101's behavior? What does Browning's research reveal about perpetrator motivations? Browning's work is a micro-history of perpetrators; what generalizations, if

any, can we make about perpetrators given his findings? What do you learn about human nature from the experience of Battalion

101?

Tuesday, 11 June

11:59 PM


Between Classes

Study and Make Notes from Recorded Lectures: Jewish Responses to Persecution in the Killing Years (69 minutes)

Read and Make Notes: Bergen, War & Genocide, pp. 194-203 Raul Hilberg, “Two Thousand Years of Jewish Appeasement” Yehuda Bauer, “Forms of Jewish Resistance”

Compose and Upload to BOLT Dropbox: TASS #4; deadline noon, Thursday, 13 June

Complete Online Quiz 6 BOLT Coursework by 5:00 on Thursday, 13 June (Bergen, pp. 194-203 and Recorded Lecture Jewish Responses to Persecution in the Killing Years)

Thursday, 13 June,

Online Room 6 PM

Discussion: What are some potential definitions of resistance? What were some of the practical obstacles to resistance? What explains the contradictory interpretations put forth by Raul Hilberg

and Yehuda Bauer?

Friday, 14 June

11:59 PM


Between Classes


Study and Make Notes from Recorded Lectures: Ghettos in Holocaust History (16 minutes) Remembering the Holocaust (105 minutes)

Read and Make Notes:

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Bergen, War & Genocide, chapter 8 Words to Outlive Us, Voices from the Warsaw Ghetto

Compose and Upload to BOLT Dropbox: DLE #3; deadline noon, 17 June

Complete Online Quiz 7 BOLT Coursework by 5:00 on Monday, 17 June (Bergen, Chapter 8 Ghettos in Holocaust History & Remembering the Holocaust)

Monday, 17 June,

Online Room 6 PM

Discussion: If you had to write a history of the Warsaw Ghetto, from its creation

through the resistance, describe the patterns that emerge from the variety of eyewitnesses (without ignoring contrary evidence or the diversity of experiences). Be sure to provide specific examples.

What do you learn about the human nature of victims and perpetrators from the experiences described in Words to Outlive Us?

What questions, if any, do you have about the meaning and context of the documents? Be specific and try to ponder why you are confused.

Tuesday, 18 June

11:59 PM


Between Classes

Read and Make Notes: Levi, Survival in Auschwitz, all (187 pages)

Compose and Upload to BOLT Dropbox: DLE #4; deadline noon, Thursday, 20 June

Thursday, 20 June,

Online Room 6 PM

Discussion: Levi's Survival in Auschwitz How does Levi account for his survival? What is Levi's "law of perspective"? What did Levi learn about human nature of Auschwitz inmates and German

guards from his experience in the camp?

Friday, 21 June 11:59 PM


Between Classes


Study and Make Notes from Recorded Lectures: The Politics of Rescue (84 minutes)

Read and Make Notes: David Wyman, “The Abandonment of the Jews” Yehuda Bauer, “Negotiating for Jewish Lives” William Rubinstein, “The Myth of Rescue”

Compose and Upload to BOLT Dropbox: TASS #5; deadline noon, Monday, 24 June

Complete Online Quiz 8 BOLT Coursework by 5:00 on Thursday, 6 June (Recorded Lecture The Politics of Rescue)

Monday, 24 June,

Online Room 6 PM

Discussion: Could Jews have been aided or rescued in larger numbers by the United States?

In what ways, if any, could the United States have extended assistance or help rescue European Jews? Be sure to distinguish between the pre-killing

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and killing years. How does a functionalist or intentionalist approach to interpreting the

Holocaust affect how a historian assesses the question of aid or rescue to Jews during the killing years?

Is Wyman correct, when he argues that the United States was morally obliged at least to explore rescue options if not attempt to rescue Jews?

To what extent, if any, did anti-Semitism in the United States affect how the government responded to news of killings and requests to rescue?

What are some challenges in setting forth a counterfactual historical interpretation of the past?

Tuesday, 25 June

11:59 PM


Between Classes

Read and Make Notes: Bergen, War & Genocide, conclusion

Submit your final to BOLT Dropbox by 3:00 PM, 27 June 2013. Complete anonymous survey in BOLT available between Monday, 8:00 PM

and Thursday, 6:00 PM Review what you have learned during the course of the semester.

Thursday, 27 June,

Online Room 6 PM

Given what you have learned in History of the Holocaust, what three lessons are most important and why?