As a response to the horrors and destruction throughout Europe after World War II, the German-Jewish philosopher Theodor Adorno posited in 1949 that to write poetry after Auschwitz is "barbaric." In the decades that followed this now infamous and often misinterpreted dictum, it was a common belief that the systematic discrimination and mass extermination of European Jews and "undesirables" could not be represented, rationalized, or imagined. Despite this, there has been a steady stream of cinematic representations of the Holocaust extending through today. This course examines how these fictional and non-fictional stories are told mainly through film, starting at the end of World War II. Of particular interest is how filmmakers from Germany -- the land of the "perpetrators" -- try to make sense of these senseless events. During the first unit of the course, students engage with various theoretical and literary texts from contemporary writers and artists for context and background. Then, using a series of contemporary films from Europe, the US, and Israel, we will discuss different genres of Holocaust cinema. Class time will be a combination of discussion and short lectures in a supportive environment that will place films and readings in their respective cultural, social, and political contexts. No previous coursework in film studies or German is required.
Artistic and Humanistic Perspectives
Knowledge, Identity, and Power
Course UID
006569.1
Course Subject
Catalog Number
395
Long title
Holocaust in Contemporary Cinema