Unit name | Jewish Experience in Modern European History (Level I Lecture Response Unit) |
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Unit code | HIST20044 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | I/5 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Michlic |
Open unit status | Open |
Pre-requisites |
none |
Co-requisites |
none |
School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit examines Jewish life in Europe from the 19th century to the present day within a wide range of social, cultural, and political contexts and local, urban, and national settings. We will focus on the varying trajectories of the transition of Jews from the status of distinct "other"/”outsider” in European societies to the present day construction of Jewish hybrid identities. We will investigate how Jews responded to the call of modernity; how, as members of a minority, they contributed to and helped to shape the dominant cultures; and the ways in which majority societies perceived and treated them prior to the Holocaust. We will next consider the Nazi destruction of European Jewry, and the post-1945 trajectories of the political, social and cultural reconstruction of Jewish communities in Western and Eastern Europe. Finally, we will explore the complexities of the current boom of the memory of Jews, including the emergence of “virtual Jewish culture” and “nostalgia for Jews” in East-Central Europe, Spain and Portugal. Major topics to be explored include the relationship between cultural/ethnic diversity and nationalism; how gender intersects with antisemitism and with modern Jewish identities; the question of minority rights within a majority society and the exclusion/inclusion of Jews; the cultural memory of Jews and the revival of Jewish life after the fall of communism. Throughout, we will view the development of modern Europe through the lens of European Jewish experience. We will combine the use of secondary sources with study of memoirs, diaries, letters, and documentary films.
On successful completion of this unit students will have developed 1. a wider historical knowledge of the experience of Jews in Europe since the nineteenth century. 2. a deeper awareness of how to approach a long term historical analysis; 3. the ability to set individual issues within their longer term historical context; 4. the ability to analyse and generalise about issues of continuity and change; 5. the ability to select pertinent evidence/data in order to illustrate/demonstrate more general historical points; 6. the ability to derive benefit from and contribute effectively to large group discussion; 7. the ability to identify a particular academic interpretation, evaluate it critically and form an individual viewpoint; 8. the acquisition of key writing, research, and presentation skills.
1 x 2-hour interactive lecture per week.
One summative coursework essay of 3000 words (50%) and one unseen examination of two hours (50%). Both elements will assess ILOs 1-5 and 7-8.