Module HIST3363: Beyond the Holocaust: Poles, Jews, Turks and Germans from the Late 19th Century to the Present

Department: History

HIST3363: Beyond the Holocaust: Poles, Jews, Turks and Germans from the Late 19th Century to the Present

Prerequisites

• A pass mark in at least TWO level two modules in History.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To develop an advanced understanding of facts and interpretations regarding the interaction between immigration, the exploitation of foreign labour and nationalism and racism in 19th and 20th-century Germany.
• To develop an advanced understanding of the special role of the Holocaust in relation to these themes.
• To encourage a critical awareness of the interaction between politics and the economy in historical development and explanation.
• To develop an advanced understanding of different types of primary historical sources.
• To fulfil the generic aims of Level 3 Special Subjects in History.

Content

• Starting with the beginnings of modern labour immigration in the 1880s, the module offers a thematic approach to late modern Germany history.
• Its main focus is an investigation of the conflicts which influenced state policies towards minorities in German society and the economy.
• Particular attention will be dedicated to how German nationalism and racism shaped the development of instruments to steer and control foreign labour and how ideology influenced the experiences of immigrant and minority communities.
• We will consider both similarities and continuities and changes which resulted from four fundamentally different social and political regimes: the German Empire, Nazi Germany, and the Federal Republic.
• The module will begin with an investigation of the role of Polish labour in the industrial workforce in the Ruhr and in East Elbian agriculture and the federal and Prussian governments' attempts at 'Germanizing' the Poles.
• The focus will then shift to the minority experiences of German Jews and immigrant Eastern European Jews in Imperial Germany in order to show that anti-polish attitudes and antisemitism cannot be separated.
• The 'Berlin antisemitism debate' will serve as a yardstick against which the subsequent shaping of modern racial antisemitism and the German extreme right in general until 1933 can be measured.
• In the second part of the module we will focus on the background and development of the Nazi concept of a ‘pure’ German race and its consequences for both foreign forced labourers and other minorities, such as disabled people, ‘asocials’, ‘gypsies’, people of colour and gays.
• In this context we will discuss to what extent the near total annihilation of European Jewry during the war can be linked to the main themes of the module or whether other interpretations of this event are more convincing.
• The third part of the module will focus on the interpretations of this event are more convincing.
• The third part of the module will focus on the resumption of labour importation into Germany during the post-war economic upswing.
• Particular attention will be dedicated to the experiences of Turks in West Germany.

Learning Outcomes

• understanding of the facts and interpretations regarding the interaction between immigration, the exploitation of foreign labour and nationalism and racism in 19th and 20th-century Germany
• understanding of facts and interpretations concerning the Holocaust
• critical awareness for the interaction between politics and the economy
• ability to handle different types of primary historical sources

• Challenging students’ assumptions about the past and reflecting on the nature of the discipline (and, where appropriate, interdisciplinarity) at an advanced level
• Appreciating how historical knowledge is produced, what forms it takes, and the purposes it serves
• Reflecting on students’ own historical consciousness and practice.

• The ability to employ sophisticated reading skills to gather, sift, process, synthesise and critically evaluate information from a variety of sources (print, digital, material, aural, visual, audio-visual etc.)
• The ability to communicate ideas and information orally and in writing, devise and sustain coherent and cogent arguments
• The ability to write and think under pressure, manage time and work to deadlines
• The ability to make effective use of information and communications technology.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Student learning is facilitated by a combination of the following teaching methods:
• seminars to allow students to present and critically reflect upon the acquired subject-specific knowledge, methodologies and theories, and to identify and debate a range of issues and differing opinions. The seminar is the forum in which students are given the opportunity to communicate ideas, jointly exploring themes and arguments. Seminars are structured to develop understanding and designed to maximise student participation related to prior independent preparation. Seminars give students the opportunity to develop oral communication skills, encourage critical and tolerant approaches to reasoned argument and historical discussion, build the students' ability to marshal historical evidence, and facilitate the development of the ability to summarise historical arguments, think in a rapidly changing environment and communicate in a persuasive and articulate manner, whilst recognising the value of working with others and, occasionally, towards shared goals;
• tutorials either individually or in groups to discuss topics arising from prepared work, allowing students the opportunity to reflect upon their personal learning with the tutor.
• Assessment:
• Unseen Examinations test students' ability to work under pressure under timed conditions, to prepare for examinations and direct their own programme of revision and learning, and develop key time management skills. The unseen examination gives students the opportunity to develop relevant life skills such as the ability to produce coherent, reasoned and supported arguments under pressure. Students will be examined on subject specific knowledge;
• Summative essays remain a central component of assessment in history, due to the integrative high-order skills they develop. Essays allow students the opportunity to recognise, represent and critically reflect upon ideas, concepts and problems; students can demonstrate awareness of, and the ability to use and evaluate, a diverse range of resources and identify, represent and debate a range of subject-specific issues and opinions. Through the essay, students can synthesise information, adopt critical appraisals and develop reasoned argument based on individual research; they should be able to communicate ideas in writing, with clarity and coherence; and to show the ability to integrate and critically assess material from a wide range of sources;
• Assessment of Primary Source Handling Students are assessed on their understanding of original primary sources, usually in print, their character varying according to the nature of the subject, and the students' ability to bring that knowledge to bear on 'cutting edge' research-based monographs and articles. Students are given the opportunity to discuss and articulate an understanding of changing interpretations and approaches to historical problems, drawing evidence from a body of primary source materials. Students are required to demonstrate skills associated with the evaluation of a variety of primary source materials, using documentary analysis for a critical assessment of existing historical interpretations.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One formative essay of not more than 2500 words (not including footnotes and bibliography), submitted in Term 1. This will be returned with written comments and a standard departmental feedback sheet. Coursework essays are formative as well as summative. They are to be submitted in two copies, of which one will be returned with written comments and a standard departmental feedback sheet. Preparation to participate in seminars and tutorials. At least one oral presentation in each term, and at least two practice gobbets in each term.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University