Instructor: Dr. Daniel W. Skubik, PhD JD MDiv
Office: J266 / MW 2-4pm; T 4-6pm; F 2-4pm (Wanda’s)
Tel: 951.343.4288 / Fax: 951.343.4520
Web: http://www.calbaptist.edu/dskubik
E-Mail: dskubik@calbaptist.edu
Ethics After
the Holocaust
HIS 402
Tuesdays/Thursdays, 12:30-1:50PM
California Baptist University
Spring Semester, 2011
Course Description
This course is one in a developing series created
for those students wishing to pursue a concentration in Holocaust studies. This
particular course aims to introduce and explore the philosophical, social historical, and theological aspects of ethical theory since
the Holocaust. Specifically, after a
brief historical introduction to contemporary philosophical and theological ethics,
students will read and discuss a range of historical, philosophical and
theological materials that deal with ethics during and after the Holocaust. The
course will also address the contentious claim that the Holocaust actually
seldom directly enters into such normative discourse, and so the class will
then investigate the historical bases for that absence, with the aim of
understanding and critiquing that claim. The course concludes with an
investigation and discussion of forgiveness in the face of radical evil.
A combined socratic-seminar format will be followed, allowing students
to apprehend the flux and problems associated with normative theorizing, and
through case study to prepare students to do historical research on contentious
contemporary issues involving persons, groups and nations as perpetrators,
victims, rescuers and bystanders in the face of evil.
The course is open to all students able and willing to
engage in upper division study, and can be used to fulfill political science and
history major or minor upper division unit requirements, or general education
requirements.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course,
students should be able to:
1)
Analyze and
discuss the historical structure of philosophical and theological ethics, and
contemporary moral theories
2)
Recognize and
analyze the problems related to ethical and theological theorizing in relation
to the Holocaust
3) Analyze and discuss the application of various
normative theories to persons, groups and nations involving contemporary issues
of serious import, such as war and genocide in the post-Holocaust era
Required Texts
David H. Jones,
Moral Responsibility in the
Holocaust: A Study in the Ethics of Character (Rowman
& Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 1999)
[Jones]
John K. Roth, Ethics During and After
the Holocaust: The Shadow of Birkenau (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007) [Roth]
Simon Wiesenthal,
The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of
Forgiveness (Newly Expanded Paperback Edition) (Schocken;
Rev Exp Su edition, 1998) [SW]
Additional handouts on InsideCBU
George Kren, “The Holocaust and
the Foundations of Moral Judgment,” in The Journal of Value Inquiry Vol.21:55-64 (1987) [Kren]
“Introduction” in J. Geddes, J. Roth & J. Simon, The Double Binds of Ethics after the Holocaust:
Salvaging the Fragments (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), xi-xiii [Double Binds, Intro]
Beth Benedix, “Morality after
Jennifer Geddes, “Banal Evil and Useless Knowledge: Hannah
Arendt and Charlotte Delbo on Evil after the
Holocaust,” in J. Geddes, J. Roth & J. Simon, The Double Binds of Ethics after the Holocaust:
Salvaging the Fragments (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), 119-132 [Double Binds, ch.8]
Geoffrey Scarre, “Moral
Responsibility and the Holocaust,” in Eve Garrard & Geoffrey Scarre (eds),
Moral Philosophy and the
Holocaust (Ashgate, 2003), 103-116 [Scarre]
Eve Garrard, “Forgiveness and the Holocaust,” in Eve Garrard
& Geoffrey Scarre (eds), Moral Philosophy and the Holocaust (Ashgate,
2003), 231-245 [Garrard]
Berel Lang, Philosophical Witnessing; The
Holocuast as Presence (Brandeis University Press,
2009), selections from ch.7, ch.9 and Afterward [Lang]
Additional texts on reserve in Library
John K.
Roth (ed), Ethics After the Holocaust: Perspectives, Critiques,
and Responses (Paragon House, 1999)
Eve Garrard & Geoffrey Scarre
(eds), Moral Philosophy and the Holocaust (Ashgate,
2003)
Other books, handouts and websites also may be referenced throughout
the term, contents of which all students will be responsible.
Readings & Assignments Schedule
|
Week #1 |
Introduction to course, requirements and
expectations / Intro to normative ethics |
|
Week #2 |
Morality & Responsibility |
|
Week #3 |
Philosophical Ethics |
|
Week #4 |
Ethics and the Holocaust |
|
Week #5 |
Challenges to Ethics |
|
Week #6 |
Challenges to Theology |
|
Week #7 |
Is there a
Common Good? |
|
Week #8 |
Midterms
Week |
|
Week #9 |
Responsibility & Character |
|
Week #10 |
Spring
Break |
|
Week #11 |
Excuses & Deceptions |
|
Week # 12 |
Presentations, drawing from Jones, ch.6-7
(29th) and ch.8-9 (31st) |
|
Week #13 |
Philosophical Witnessing |
|
Week #14 |
Forgiveness |
Week #15 |
19 – Forgiveness discussion, con’t |
|
Week #16 |
Apr 26 – Review for final exam |
Assessment & Grading Scale
|
Participation = 10% |
90 - 100 = A range (90-94 = A-) |
|
Group Presentation/Individual Paper = 20% |
80 - 89 = B range (80-83 = B-
/ 87-89 = B+) |
|
Midterm Exam = 30% |
70 - 79 = C range (70-73 = C-
/ 77-79 = C+) |
|
Final Exam = 40% |
60 - 69 = D range (60-63 = D-
/ 67-69 = D+) |
|
|
0 - 59 = F |
Caveat
This syllabus schedule is
composed in good faith, with a schedule of readings and assignments that will
guide us throughout the term. Still, the instructor reserves the right to make
adjustments to this schedule as deemed necessary for the overall enterprise of
the course. Any changes will be communicated as far in advance as feasible, and
you are responsible for knowing if and when any changes have been made.
Formal Group
Presentation/Individual Research Paper
During Week 12, there will be 2 formal group
presentations during each class session: Mar 29th drawing from Jones,
ch.6-7 (ethical analysis of perpetrators); and Mar 31st drawing on
Jones, ch.8-9 (ethical analysis of victims, rescuers or bystanders). At least 2
and as many as 4 persons may combine their energies for a formal group
presentation. Each person present and participating in the group will receive
the same mark for the formal presentation actually made. If more people want to
form groups than there are presentations slots available, some sorting device (such
as drawing lots) will be employed to choose who presents. In the alternative,
individuals can elect to write an individual research paper on similar topics
(i.e. relating to Jones, ch.6-9).
All topics, whether in group presentation or
individual paper format, must be cleared with the instructor: first come, first
served. No more than 5 persons, in any combination of group plus individual(s),
may focus on identical chapters/topics.
Formal Group Presentations are expected to run ~40
minutes, including time (approx. 10 minutes) for concluding Q&A. Individual
research papers should run ~2000 words (~6-7 pages: more is fine; less is
problematic). Due dates for either are the class day assigned for the selected
topic. Presentations should include a hardcopy outline to the instructor at the
beginning of the presentation; papers should be handed as hardcopy (standard
APA/MLA format) to the instructor at the beginning of class.
Participation
Although speaking in class,
publicly putting and defending a position or interpretation, can be daunting,
you are strongly encouraged to learn to think through your own and others’
experiences and insights within the context of our discussions. In this
context, you are not being evaluated for reaching “right” conclusions, but for
demonstrating your facility in forming arguments for any conclusions put, given
the material we will cover in class. To give direct incentive to so engage, 10%
of your mark for the course will be comprised of my assessment of your
classroom participation during the semester. Participation includes in-class
and office hours discussions during the semester, and
does not include attendance. Regular and
timely attendance still is expected, and per University policy roll will be
taken at the beginning of each class session.
Midterm & Final Examinations
A midterm and final examination will be given in the
middle and at the end of the term, per the University schedule. The exams are
not comprehensive, each covering all but only those materials and discussions designated.
Specific guidance as to length and specific
requirements will be proffered before the test dates. Format will emphasize
short answer and essay questions, requiring application of cases, concepts and
principles in relation to the topics covered in class.
Each
exam is closed book/open notes. This means you are permitted to bring to the
exam one standard-sized page (8˝” x 11”) of notes you have personally prepared,
front and back, without regard to print-size or margins. Other materials, such
as website printings or professionally prepared texts or notes, are not
permitted.
CBU Statement on Academic Dishonesty
Faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)
have been asked to include the
following statement in all our syllabi. Do speak with your instructor if at any
time you have questions or concerns about this statement and its meaning for or
application in your classes.
Academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, copying,
and other forms) will be reported to the Dean of Students. Judicial sanctions
for offense are handled on a case-by-case basis depending on the seriousness of
the violation, prior violations and other factors. Judicial sanctions may
include, but are not limited to, loss of a letter grade or failure in the
course in which the offense occurred, suspension, and/or dismissal from the
University. A detailed discussion of academic dishonesty is located in the
Student Handbook.
Source: 2010-2011 Undergraduate University Catalog, at
p.53