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Brandeis UniversityProfessor Sabine von Mering
Fall 2014Office: Shiffman 209
GECS 187bSeeking Justice: Germans and JewsPhone: (781) 736-3227
MW2-3:20PMe-mail:
Since WWII the relationship between Jews and Germans has been defined by the Holocaust. How could a modern civilized nation like Germany perpetrate the Nazi crimes? What led to Hitler’s success and how have Jews and Germans tried to overcome a history of injustice since 1945? We will investigate the past two hundred years of this relationship by looking at some of the most influential texts and films that address the question of seeking justice.
Tentative Syllabus
August28 Thu. Introduction
The German-Jewish “Symbiosis”
September01 Mon.Labor Day
03Wed.Amos Elon: The Pity of It Allp.1-148
08Mon.Amos Elon: The Pity of It Allp.149-221
10 Wed.Gotthold Ephraim Lessing: Nathan the WiseAct I-III
15Mon.Gotthold Ephraim Lessing: Nathan the WiseAct IV-V
17Wed.Amos Elon: The Pity of It All222-296
22 Mon.Franz Kafka: The TrialCh 1-5
24 Wed.Franz Kafka: The TrialCh 6-10
29Mon.First Draft of 5-page Paper Due
Seeking Justice under the Nazis
October01Wed.Amos Elon: The Pity of It All297-403
06 Mon.Film Thomas Carter: Swing Kids
08 Wed.Primo Levi: Survival in Auschwitz9-87
13Mon.BRANDEIS THURSDAY
15 Wed.Primo Levi: Survival in Auschwitz88-173
Second Draft of 5-Page Paper Due
20Mon.Film Michael Verhoeven: The White Rose
Seeking Justice in the Post-War Era
22 Wed.Film Istvan Szabo: Taking Sides
27 Mon.Documentary Film: The Eichmann Trial 29Wed. Hannah Arendt: Eichmann in Jerusalem. A Report onthe Banality
of Evil 3-193
November03 Mon.Hannah Arendt: Eichmann in Jerusalem. 194-289
05 Wed.Documentary Film: The Auschwitz Trial
10 Mon.Documentary Film: The Auschwitz Trial
12 Wed.W.G. Sebald: On The Natural History of Destruction
17Mon.W.G. Sebald: On The Natural History of Destruction
A ‘Positive’ Guilt? Germans and the Holocaust Today
19 Mon. Film Michael Verhoeven: Nasty Girl
Thesis and Outline for Final Paper Due
24 Mon.Documentary Film Malte Ludin: Two or Three Things I Know About Him
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
30 Mon.Jenny Erpenbeck: Visitation
First Draft of Final Paper Due
December02 Wed. Jenny Erpenbeck: Visitation
08Mon.Film Marian Marzynski: A Jew Among the Germans
15Mon.Final Draft of Final Paper Due
Texts
The required texts for this course are available at the bookstore and will alsobe available at the library reserve desk. Some additional articles may be made available on electronic reserve. All films will be streamed on LATTE.
Required Readings, ordered at the Brandeis Bookstore:
Hannah Arendt: Eichmann in Jerusalem. A Report onThe Banality of Evil. ISBN:9780143039884
Amos Elon: The Pity of It All. ISBN:9780312422813
Franz Kafka: The Trial. ISBN:9780805209990
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing: Nathan the Wise. ISBN:9780312442439
Primo Levi: Survival in Auschwitz. ISBN:9780684826806
Jenny Erpenbeck: Visitation. ISBN:9780811218351
W.G. Sebald: On the Natural History of Destruction. ISBN:9780375756573
Grading:
Grades for this course will be determined as follows:
Course Participation: 35%
OneOral presentation10%
Journal Entries10%
One 5-page paper20%
One 12-page research paper25%
Participation
This course is a seminar, and as such a shared learning experience. Your participation in discussion is a major part of your work for this course. Coming to class prepared is essential for meaningful participation. You must not miss class except for personal or medical emergencies. Unexcused absences are unacceptable. If you miss class, your grade will be affected.
Written Work
The dates for the first and final version of your papers are spelled out in the syllabus. Exact assignments will be given in class. Late papers will not be accepted. You will also be asked to submit journal entries infrequently throughout the semester. In all your writing please make sure you are being critical. Don't write things like "this book is really interesting" or simply that you agree or disagree with an author's perspective. Tell me about one thing you have learned from the reading, an idea or a question the reading raised for you, and present your thoughts in an eloquent, convincing way.
Communication
I will depend on you to let me know whether you feel the workload is reasonable, the course content interesting, life good. I hope that you will come by my office hours to discuss these issues. Please use e-mail as your major means of communication.
Anote on Academic Honesty
The work you submit for this course should be completely and solely your own. Any and all quotations from the works or thoughts of others should be appropriately acknowledged in your written assignments. Any evidence that you have failed to follow these rules will be immediately and thoroughly investigated according to University procedures. Be forewarned: I consider cheating to be a serious and utterly avoidable offense. Expect no leniency from me in cases of suspected cheating/plagiarism.
Special Needs:
If you are a student with a documented disability on record at BrandeisUniversity and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately.
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