HUM 264 : An Honors Interdisciplinary Seminar on the Holocaust

The Holocaust, or as it has come to be known, the Shoah, is one of the most horrific events in all of world history. Even more than 50 years after the fact, the world continues to struggle with the enormity of this human catastrophe. Nevertheless, a body of writing--both historical and literary--exists that enables us to confront this key moment in world history. This course serves as an introduction to this work. Students gain an understanding of the historical facts, including circumstances leading up to the Holocaust itself and the event's critical aftermath. In addition, students reflect on the role of literature, principally through accounts of that time written by survivors and the children of survivors in the struggle to represent an event that many have described as beyond the limits of language to capture. Three lecture hours per week. Prerequisite: ENG 101 and ENG 102. Open to Commonwealth Honors Program students and others with permission of instructor. Gen. Ed. Competencies Met: Ethical Dimensions, Human Expression and Multicultural and Social Perspectives.