Course Description
This course is designed to equip educators with resources, background knowledge, and confidence to teach about the Holocaust in their classrooms. Participants will examine and build upon their own knowledge of the Holocaust, discuss the importance of teaching about the Holocaust (and other genocides), create units or presentations for the classroom and collaborate with other participants on best practices in teaching about hard history.
Participants will have weekly readings, videos, and reflections posted in Google Classroom. In addition, participants will read one book and several excerpts that will add to their own knowledge of the Holocaust. Participants will meet synchronously on two Zoom calls as a group, with the option of additional Zoom calls upon request of the participants individually. Upon completion of the course, participants will be equipped with the necessary resources to teach about the Holocaust as well as have access to additional resources that they may use based on their individual need.
The work is designed to be largely independent reflection. Through weekly forums and optional Zoom calls there will be opportunity for reflection and brainstorming. This course is appropriate for classroom teachers (from all subject areas) from grades 5-12, specialists, and administrators. Participants are encouraged to find ways in their communities to share what they have learned upon completion of the course.
Course Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of Holocaust education
- Analyze appropriate resources to use in teaching about the Holocaust and genocide
- Build upon their knowledge of the Holocaust, how it happened, who was involved, and the dangers of an us vs them mentality
- Create units or presentations for their classrooms
- Develop confidence and skills in teaching about the Holocaust and other genocides
Materials Required:
The Holocaust A Concise History by Doris L Bergen (2009). Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-7425-5714-7.
Echoes and Reflections curriculum will be utilized weekly, participants will become familiar with the resources and materials it provides educators. https://echoesandreflections.org/teach/
Additional excerpts will be provided by the instructor from:
A History of the Holocaust by Yehuda Bauer (1982, 2001). Franklin Watts, a division of Scholastic, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-531-15576-5. *students may wish to purchase this text as well, but it is completely optional.
The Stroop Report: The Jewish Quarter of Warsaw is No More! Translated by Sybil Milton (1979). Random House.
The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal (1997). Schocken Books, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-8052-1060-1.
Why? Explaining the Holocaust by Peter Hayes (2017). W.W. Norton and Company. ISBN: 978-0-393-35546-8.
Holocaust A History by Deborah Dwork and Jan van Pelt (2002). W.W. Norton and Company. ISBN: 978-0-393-325249.
Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland by Christopher Browning (2017). Harper Perennial. ISBN: 978-0062303028.
*additional readings and videos will be provided throughout the course.