Learners in this course begin with an examination of the relationship between the individual and society, reflect on the way humans divide themselves into “in” groups and “out” groups.  Then, the course will take a dive deep into a case study of the Weimar Republic and the Nazi Party’s rise to power in Germany. Learners will examine the range of responses from individuals and nations to the genocidal mass murder of the Nazi regime. In the course's later lessons, learners will draw connections between this history and the present day, weighing questions like how to achieve justice and reconciliation in the aftermath of atrocities, how painful histories should be remembered, and how this history educates us about our responsibilities in the world today.

Learning Goals
Learners will:

Recognize the human tendency to create “in” groups and “out” groups and the consequences of that behavior for a society’s universe of obligation.

Understand the particular historical context in which the Nazi Party established a dictatorship in Germany, marginalized Jews and other minority groups within German society, and ultimately committed genocide under the cover of war.

Wrestle with the choices that individuals, groups, and nations made in response to the Nazi dictatorship and the violence and terror it caused, as well as the aspects of human behavior that contributed to those choices.

Make connections between universal themes related to democracy, citizenship, racism, and antisemitism that this history raises and the world they live in today. 

Understand their responsibilities as citizens of the world to make choices that help bring about a more human, just, and compassionate world


Weeks 1 -3:  During this first quarter of the course, learners will begin to explore the concept of identity in a culture, where and how they identify themselves, how stereotypes are built and developed through the concept of 'single stories', and our circle of obligation to each other in a global world. The concept of race and it's  use to justify exclusion, inequality and violence throughout history will be introduced.  This will be done through audio visual support, discussion and group activities.  

Weeks 4-6:  During the next three weeks, learners will immerse themselves in the history of the holocaust, first gaining an understanding of the roots and impact of antisemitism long prior to World War II.  World War I, the Weimar Republic, the rise of the Nazi party and the dismantaling of democracy will be analyzed, debated and discussed during this weeks.  Students will be introduced to 'evidence logs' helping them to track and consider where they are gathering their information from and how to analyze the information to inform their thoughts on the content of various sources of information.  

Weeks 7-9:  During these three weeks learners will critically analyze the tools used to influence human reaction to the atocities being conducted by the Nazi party as well as the reaction of societies to the atrocities.  The use of media and the power of propoganda will be studied along with the recruitment of youth movements.  The reaction of the world to the atrocities being committed and the varied reactions from governments and societies concerning Jewish refugees will be discussed and debated.  An understanding of how socieity reacted, of great heroism and silent failings and how they impacted the final results of the genocide will be explored.  Group projects centered around the use of media and propoganda will be introduced.  

Weeks 10-12:  The final fourth of this course will focus on the aftermath of the holocaust, how the world chose to respond to the horror of the truth.  Justice and accountability will be considered.  As well, a large emphasis will be put on how the holocaust has or hasn't impacted societies since World War II and into present day. Comparisons to other atrocities world wide will be considered.  We will explore why it is important to remember and to maintain an evidence-based recollection of the horrors of our history.  We will compare and contrast conditions in World War II era to present day and condiser our present in the context of our past.  

The class will be an active learning space each week, with various projects and discussions being and integral part of the learning process.  Beyond the learning that will take place within the class period each week, there will be homework reguarly assigned as well as a few larger projects due.  The homework is always optional and I never want to overwhelm, but I do try to provide active experiential learning opportunities throughout the course in order to help learners to more fully engage with the material in a thoughtful and more meaningful way.