Instructor: Dr. Daniel W. Skubik, PhD JD MDiv
Office: J266 /
Voice: 951.343.4288 / Fax: 951.343.4520
Web: http://www.calbaptist.edu/dskubik
E-Mail: dskubik@calbaptist.edu
The Holocaust:
A Christian View
HIS 402 (A) [Special Studies]
Tuesday/Thursday,
California
Baptist University
Spring Semester, 2008
This course is designed to
introduce the student to the extensive historiography covering the period of
recent history and associated events cumulatively nominated the
Holocaust/Shoah. It will provide opportunity for personal and in-depth analysis
of some of the causes and consequences of this “war against the Jews.” Items
for study and reflection will include dramatic literary and film narratives,
along with traditional historical analyses and documents. That the course is
subtitled “a Christian view” means to suggest that our investigations will
encompass both what it means to study these events as Christians, as well as
what these events can mean to Christians’ self-understandings, from
philosophical and theological—alongside historical—perspectives.
The course is open to all
students able and willing to engage in upper division study, and can be used to
fulfill history major or minor upper division unit requirements, or general
education requirements.
Required Texts
Rita Steinhardt Botwinick (ed), A Holocaust
Reader: From Ideology to Annihilation
(Prentice Hall, 1998)
David Engel, The Holocaust: The Third Reich and the Jews
(Longman, 2000)
Elie Wiesel, Night [any
edition will suffice, but either the 25th Anniversary edition by
Bantam in 1986, or the recently revised edition released by Hill & Wang in
2006, is recommended]
All books are readily
available, new & used, from web shops such as Amazon.com, or Barnes
& Noble. The primary texts are also available from the CBU Bookstore.
Other books, like those noted below, handouts and websites also will be referenced throughout the term, contents of which all students will be responsible.
Suggested
supplemental titles of interest
Lucy Dawidowicz,
The War Against the Jews: 1933-1945
(Bantam, 1986)
Lucy Dawidowicz
(ed.), A Holocaust Reader
(Behrman House, 1976) [an edited compilation of key
primary source documents relating to the Holocaust]
Walter Lacquer (ed.), The Holocaust
Encyclopedia (Yale, 2001)
Richard Rubenstein &
John Roth, Approaches to
Readings & Assignments Schedule
|
Week #1 |
Introduction to course, requirements and
expectations |
|
Week #2 |
Read Prologue,
from Rubenstein & Roth (pdf file on Bb) |
|
Week #3 |
Engel, ch. 1 and Botwinick, ch. 1 (22nd
– Begin adding website links/annotations) |
|
Week #4 |
Engel, ch. 2 and Botwinick, ch. 2 |
|
Week #5 |
Engel, ch. 3 and Botwinick, ch. 3 |
|
Week #6 |
Engel, ch. 4 and Botwinick, ch. 4 |
|
Week #7 |
19th – Review Session / Commit
to take the MidTerm or Final Exam |
|
Week #8 |
26th – no class meeting |
|
Week #9 |
Engel,
ch. 5 and Botwinick, ch. 5 |
|
Week #10 |
Engel,
ch. 6 and Botwinick, ch. 6 |
|
Week #11 |
Spring Break |
|
Week # 12 |
Engel,
ch. 7 and Botwinick, ch. 7 |
|
Week #13 |
Engel,
ch. 8 and Botwinick, ch. 8 |
|
Week #14 |
Botwinick, ch. 9-10 |
|
Week #15 |
15th – Two Team Presentations (tba) |
|
Week #16 |
Review Session |
|
Week #17 |
Final Exam period: |
Assessment & Grading Scale
|
Research Project = 20% |
90 - 100 = A range (90-94 = A-) |
|
Midterm or Final Exam = 25% |
80 - 89 = B range (80-83 = B-
/ 87-89 = B+) |
|
Reflective Essay = 10% |
70 - 79 = C range (70-73 = C-
/ 77-79 = C+) |
|
Quizzes = 25% (5 @ 5% each) |
60 - 69 = D range (60-63 = D-
/ 67-69 = D+) |
|
Participation = 10% |
0 - 59 = F |
|
Annotated Bibliography of Websites = 10% |
|
Research Project
Each student will choose by
March 6th whether s/he will commit to prepare a team presentation or
individual research paper on a topic arranged with the instructor. A team
comprises three students working together to prepare a detailed, full-form
outlined 35 minute presentation to the class, utilizing a variety of visual aids
to educate on the arranged topic. An individual research paper will be prepared
on an arranged topic, running ~3500 words (~10 pages). There is a limit of four
(4) teams that can be formed, and so a maximum of 12 people will be permitted
to commit to a presentation. Should more than 12 persons wish to participate in
teams, a lottery will be held to limit the field and choose team members. Presentation
outlines and research papers are due to Blackboard no later than
Reflective Essay
One reflective essay, on Wiesel’s Night is
set for the term. The essay should run ~1500 words (~4 pages), and should
comprise a combined analytical assessment and personal reflection on the
narrative involved. The essay should be structured in the following manner:
part I is a very brief summary of key elements of the narrative under discussion
and integration of selected materials we have covered in class with the
narrative (~1000 words); part II is personal reflection on what the narrative
has taught you—as an historian or human being—that goes beyond the material
covered in class (~500 words). Essays are due to Blackboard no later than
Quizzes
There will be at least 6,
and as many as 9, quizzes given during the term, though only your best 5
quizzes will count towards your final grade for the course. Students will form
small, stable study groups of 2-3 students each by the second week of classes
for the duration of the term. Quizzes will be taken by each group as a group,
with the quiz mark shared by those present and taking the quiz on any
particular class day. The quizzes are objective in nature (true/false, multiple
choice, fill-in the blank, matching, etc), concerning material most recently
covered in the previous class session or relating to material to be covered in
class that day.
Midterm or Final Examination
Students will commit to take
either the midterm or final
examination, but not both, by Tuesday, February 19th. Each exam will
be of similar format, with objective and essay components to be completed in
the allotted time. The final is not cumulative in any strict sense, so there is
no particular advantage to choosing one exam over the other for content
purposes.
Annotated Bibliography of Websites
Each student will contribute
addresses/links to three (3) unique
websites to Blackboard, along with one paragraph annotations providing guidance
as to what the site contains and an evaluation of its value for Holocaust
studies. Each student will also surf two
(2) sites provided by classmates, and offer a brief critique of the website
and annotation presented by the original submitter of the site (for example,
assessing the annotation’s accuracy and value of the site for Holocaust
studies). Sites with Annotations may be added to the list at any time beginning
no earlier than Tuesday,
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
is to include in-class discussions during the semester, and does not include
attendance.
Both because of the nature
of the course and its content, and the teamwork required to complete assigned
assessment items like quizzes, attendance is expected, with a simple threshold requirement:
we have 25 scheduled class sessions, and you are expected to attend at least 19
class sessions (~75%). Should you miss more than 7 class sessions, you must
speak with me before you will be permitted to complete the course.
Extra-curricular & Extra-credit opportunities
There are several events and field
trips to be scheduled outside of our normal class times. You are strongly
encouraged, but not required, to participate. These prospectively include Holocaust
Memorial Day activities, travel to the
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 [sic] 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: 2006-2007 Undergraduate Catalog, at p.80
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.