Course Content Form 
	PIMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE  
								Effective Term:  Full Academic Year 2017/18
	HIS	274	The Holocaust
	Credit Hours:  3.00             Lecture Periods:      	3.00	Lab Periods:            

Description:
Examines the causes, events and legacies of the Nazi assault on humanity. Includes the history of 
hatred against the Jews and other ethnic, religious, and political groups in Europe, historical antecedents and preconditions of the Holocaust, the rise of the Third Reich and the creation of a racial state, the “Final Solution” and the aftermath.

Gen Ed: Meets AGEC – HUM or SBS and G; Meets CTE - A&H or SBS and G.
Course Learning Outcomes:   
Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
1.	Describe the history of hatred against the Jews and other ethnic, religious, and political groups of Europe, the origins of racism and anti-Semitism from antiquity to the 19th century, and social, political, economic and cultural developments in the 20th century that helped create a climate in which the Holocaust could occur.
2.	Explain the rise of the Nazi Party, Hitler’s ascension to power, and the creation of the racial state – the Third Reich, during the prewar period (1933-1939).
3.	Describe the processes which culminated in genocide during World War II, from the isolation of the victims to the “Final Solution,” and include reactions to the Holocaust by perpetrators, victims, rescuers, bystanders, and those who resisted (1939-1945).
4.	Describe the aftermath of the Holocaust, including for example the death marches, the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials, the United Nations Genocide Convention, and the return or resettlement of the Jews (1945-).
5.	Explain connections between the Holocaust and relevant events of the 1980’s, 1990’s, and the beginning of the 21st century, including Holocaust denial and deniers, racism, the value of diversity, and the legacy of the Holocaust for the future.

Outline: 
I.    The History of Hatred in Europe, Historical Antecedents, and Preconditions.
      A.  Jewish-Gentile relations and historical consciousness – religious background
          1.  Jewish difference in the ancient world
   2.  Hostility towards Jews in the medieval period
   3.  Origins of modern anti-Semitism
      B.  History of Anti-Semitism
          1.  Jewish emancipation
          2.  Racism and modern anti-Semitism in the 19th century
          3.  Anti-Semitism in Germany before the Third Reich
      C.  Origins of the “Final Solution”
   1.  German “Volkish” tradition – Nationalism
   2.  Nazi ideology – impact of propaganda
       a.  Stereotypes
       b.  Prejudice
       c.  Bigotry
              d.  Intolerance
II.    The Third Reich and the Creation of the Racial State – Prewar Period (1933-1939)
      A.  The rise of the Nazi Party
      B.  Hitler’s philosophy and “Mein Kampf”
      C.  The Nazi takeover of Germany, the racial state, and policies toward so-called “undesirables”
		1.  Jews
        2.  Roma
	  3.  Jehovah’s Witnesses
	  4.  Communists
        5.  Homosexuals
	  6.  The Disabled
        7.  The Mentally Ill
        8.  Other groups
III.   From Isolation of the Victims to the “Final Solution” – Genocide
      A.  Isolation of the victims and its consequences
      B.  Wannsee Conference and the “Final Solution”
   1.  Intentions and improvisation.
   2.  Bureaucracy and mass murder
      C.  Technologies of mass death and the murderers
          1.  Concentration camps – Auschwitz, Dachau, Buchenwald, Sobibor, Treblinka, others
          2.  The minds of the murderers – motivation, explanations, evidence
          3.  The murder of the Jews and others – Gypsies, people with disabilities, religious groups,  
                  political opponents, homosexuals, intellectuals, and more
      D.  Reactions to the Holocaust by perpetrators, victims, rescuers, bystanders, political 
          leaders
   1.  Resistance
   2.  Rescuers and “righteous individuals”
IV.   Closing months of World War II and the Aftermath (1945-)
      A.  Death marches, rescue, liberation of the camps
      B.  Nuremberg War Crimes Trials
      C.  United Nations Genocide Convention
      D.  Return or resettlement of the Jews to Palestine
      E.  Creation of the State of Israel
V.    The Holocaust and Relevant Events
      A.  Hate in the postwar period, 1980’s, 1990’s, and the 21st century
      B.  Racism and the value of diversity
      C.  Episodes of “ethnic cleansing”
      D.  Legacy for the Future
          1.  Warning against hatred because of race, gender, creed, ethnicity, nationality, or sexual 
              orientation
   2.  Appeal for equal dignity for everyone