Unit name | History, Law and Memory: The Holocaust on Trial (Level H Reflective History) |
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Unit code | HIST38013 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Gryta |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This Reflective History unit explores the relationship between history, law and memory, by taking a series of high-profile trials related to the Holocaust as the starting point for broader reflection. The trials span the period from the immediate aftermath of the war, through Israel and West Germany in the 1960s, France in the 1990s and Britain at the turn of the century. These trials raise questions about the nature of evidence, the value of witness testimony, the ability of historians and lawmakers to know the minds of perpetrators, as well as the reasons for and nature of these different legal proceedings. Ultimately, they force us to range more widely and consider a host of bigger issues such as international and national jurisdiction, the instrumental use of trials by the state, media reporting, the nature of 'truth' for historians and lawyers and the relationship between trials, history, truth and memory. At its heart, we ask whether history and the law are equally about the telling of stories.
Seminars - 2 hours per week
2 hour exam (100%) [ILOS 1-5]