GER 261

Spring 2024 All Classes

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The Holocaust in Context

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Credit: 3 hours.

Examines cultural representations of the Holocaust in literature, film, and critical essays.

Same as CWL 273, ENGL 269, and JS 261. Credit is not given for both GER 261 and GER 260.

This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in Fall 2022 for:

Humanities – Lit & Arts

Cultural Studies - Western

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GER 261 class schedule data for spring 2024
	CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
	60039	Lecture-Discussion	AL1	12:00PM -1:20PM	MW	113 David Kinley Hall	Hunt, A	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/16/24-05/01/24 Degree Notes: Humanities - Lit & Arts, and Cultural Studies - Western course. Section Title: Representing the Holocaust Section Info: This course is designed as an introduction to the study of literary, cinematographic, and theoretical representations of the Holocaust. Through close readings of texts and films, students will grapple with some of the fundamental concerns, challenges, and philosophical debates provoked by the Nazi genocide. By situating the Holocaust in the context of its literary, cinematographic, and theoretical afterlife, the course foregrounds the problem of representation. We will look closely at the way works of literature have testified to the impossibility of the task of representing the Holocaust and the necessity of nevertheless attempting it. World War II marked a dramatic shift in how we commemorate war. Focus moved from honouring the heroes on the battlefield to honouring the victims, a transition described as the “ethical turn in memory culture” or Erinnerungspolitik(memory politics). Trauma – and responding to catastrophic events – has become central to present-day politics, central to the constitution of the modern subject. This shift will take centerstage in our discussions of the difficulties encountered by museums and memorials in their attempts to commemorate victims. Central to these discussions will be the questions: Under what conditions do we fail to mourn others? and How should we mourn? The question of how will lead us into discussions of aesthetics. In many ways the works we will look at this semester will prove to be experiments in mourning an event that must not be forgotten. The course is organised into 6 units: Under What Conditions Do We Fail to Mourn Others, The Necessity and Impossibility of Testimony, Fascist Aesthetics, Holocaust Documentaries, Evil’s Banality, and Second-Hand Memory. Students will develop the following skills: close reading, film analysis, critical thinking, thesis formulation.