About this Course

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The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry is an adaptation of an on-campus course that has been co-taught by Murray Baumgarten, Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature (Literature Department), and Peter Kenez, Professor Emeritus (History Department), for over 20 years at UC Santa Cruz. 
In this course, you will explore the Holocaust from the overlapping perspectives of literature and history—through memoirs, historical documents, poetry, documentary footage, filmic representations, and novels. You will expand your knowledge of the literature of the Holocaust, Eastern and Western European Jewish communities, the origins and development of antisemitism, the establishment of labor and extermination camps, resistance movements, and the Holocaust as a problem for world history. 

There is more than one way to take this course: You can complete all of the activities (and earn a Verified Certificate) or only the activities that are most interesting to you. Whatever you choose to do, we encourage you to find a havruta (a study partner) in your community or in the Coursera community so that you can experience the course in a more interactive and meaningful way.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 30 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 30 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.33/5 (15 Ratings)

Murray Baumgarten

Distinguished Professor of English & Comparative Literature

Literature

19,915 Learners

2 Courses

Peter Kenez

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(3,987 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

4 hours to complete

Who were the Jews?

4 hours to complete

13 videos (Total 161 min), 7 readings

13 videos

1.1.1 Introductions14m1.1.2 Who were the Jews?7m1.1.3 Why do we study the Holocaust?12m1.1.4 Poetry and perspectives16m1.2.1 Western European Jewry in the 19th century9m1.2.2 Jewish success and European antisemitism14m1.2.3 Jews in French society14m1.2.4 Roots of modern antisemitism6m1.2.5 Theodor Herzl11m1.3.1 Expectations of reality13m1.3.2 Hier ist kein warum11m1.3.3 Yiddish culture13m1.3.4 On Account of a Hat18m

7 readings

Description10mBooks and films10mWriting assignments10mAcknowledgements10m1.0.1 Topics, readings, and films10m1.1.5 Written in Pencil in the Sealed Railway-Car (English translation)10m1.3.5 On Account of a Hat (English translation)10m

Week2

Week 2

4 hours to complete

Prelude to the Holocaust

4 hours to complete

19 videos (Total 231 min), 1 reading

19 videos

2.1.1 Eastern Europe in the 20th century9m2.1.2 Poland, part 110m2.1.3 Poland, part 27m2.1.4 Hungary, part 110m2.1.5 Hungary, part 212m2.1.6 Fear and hatred5m2.2.1 Liberal European culture9m2.2.2 Night, part 111m2.2.3 Night, part 214m2.2.4 Life in the Arbeitslager14m2.3.1 Jewry of the Russian Empire18m2.3.2 The Russian state16m2.3.3 Changing demographics9m2.3.4 Pogroms in the Russian Empire and the USSR13m2.3.5 Jewish identity7m2.4.1 The Bildungsroman, part 17m2.4.2 The Bildungsroman, part 218m2.4.3 The Bildungsroman, part 320m2.4.4 The Bildungsroman, part 412m

1 reading

2.0.1 Topics, readings, and films10m

Week3

Week 3

4 hours to complete

Rise of the Nazis

4 hours to complete

14 videos (Total 173 min), 7 readings

14 videos

3.1.1 Fascism12m3.1.2 Hitler and the Jews14m3.1.3 Germans and the Jews13m3.1.4 The rise of the Nazis11m3.1.5 Nazism in German culture5m3.2.1 Poetry and evil, part 113m3.2.2 Poetry and evil, part 215m3.2.3 Poetry and evil, part 37m3.2.4 Todesfugue (Death Fugue)16m3.3.1 Intentionalism and functionalism20m3.3.2 What do we do with the Jews?15m3.3.3 Why didn't they leave?13m3.3.4 The Anschluß and German pogroms5m3.3.5 Passing and not passing8m

7 readings

3.0.1 Topics, readings, and films10m3.2.5 Kaddish10m3.2.6 Nightsong (English translation)10m3.2.7 Death Fugue (English translation)10m3.2.8 Todesfuge (German)10m3.2.9 Memento Mori (English translation)10m3.2.10 Memento Mori (Yiddish)10m

Week4

Week 4

4 hours to complete

Beginnings of war

4 hours to complete

15 videos (Total 188 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

15 videos

4.1.1 Questions for the Jews14m4.1.2 Direct acts of violence14m4.1.3 Fight for what?13m4.1.4 Eroticization of violence13m4.1.5 Resistance and agency5m4.2.1 Beginnings of war9m4.2.2 German war aims10m4.2.3 Ghettoes16m4.2.4 Jewish leadership14m4.2.5 What did the neighbors say?12m4.3.1 Language of trauma15m4.3.2 Banality of evil15m4.3.3 Schindler's List, part 110m4.3.4 Schindler's List, part 216m4.3.5 Guilt and responsibility4m

1 reading

4.0.1 Topics, readings, and films10m

Week5

Week 5

3 hours to complete

Witness to trauma

3 hours to complete

16 videos (Total 185 min), 1 reading

16 videos

5.1.1 Wartime lunacy6m5.1.2 Einsatzgruppen, part 113m5.1.3 Einsatzgruppen, part 214m5.1.4 Pogroms in the east7m5.1.5 Forms of resistance17m5.2.1 Witness to trauma, part 113m5.2.2 Witness to trauma, part 214m5.2.3 Witness to trauma, part 317m5.2.4 Witness to trauma, part 411m5.3.1 Dora Sorell, part 19m5.3.2 Dora Sorell, part 27m5.3.3 Dora Sorell, part 38m5.3.4 Dora Sorell, part 48m5.3.5 Dora Sorell, part 59m5.3.6 Dora Sorell, part 613m5.3.7 Dora Sorell, part 711m

1 reading

5.0.1 Topics, readings, and films10m

Week6

Week 6

3 hours to complete

Establishment of the camps

3 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 121 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

11 videos

6.1.1 The heart of the matter10m6.1.2 From labor to extermination13m6.1.3 Bełżec, Sobibór and Treblinka11m6.1.4 The task of killing6m6.1.5 Auschwitz11m6.1.6 Who knew about the murders?8m6.2.1 This Way for the Gas, part 112m6.2.2 This Way for the Gas, part 26m6.2.3 This Way for the Gas, part 320m6.2.4 This Way for the Gas, part 411m6.2.5 Memorials and understanding7m

1 reading

6.0.1 Topics, readings, and films10m

Week7

Week 7

4 hours to complete

Deportation and extermination

4 hours to complete

20 videos (Total 233 min), 3 readings

20 videos

7.1.1 The Wansee Conference15m7.1.2 Denmark and Norway17m7.1.3 Belgium and Holland8m7.1.4 France and Italy16m7.1.5 Nazi looting8m7.2.1 Fatelessness, part 17m7.2.2 Fatelessness, part 26m7.2.3 Fatelessness, part 313m7.2.4 Fatelessness, part 413m7.2.5 Fatelessness, part 56m7.3.1 Deportation and extermination16m7.3.2 Antisemitic laws7m7.3.3 Germany and Hungary19m7.3.4 Separate peace11m7.3.5 Ambiguities7m7.4.1 A Scrap of Time, part 18m7.4.2 A Scrap of Time, part 215m7.4.3 A Scrap of Time, part 310m7.4.4 A Scrap of Time, part 410m7.4.5 A Scrap of Time, part 510m

3 readings

7.0.1 Topics, readings, and films10m7.2.6 Never Say/Partisan Song (English translation)10m7.2.7 Zog Nit Keyn Mol/Partizaner Lid (Yiddish)10m

Week8

Week 8

3 hours to complete

The perpetrators, the neighbors, and the outside world

3 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 107 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Reviews

4.5

54 reviews

5 stars
75.28%
4 stars
16.66%
3 stars
1.14%
2 stars
1.72%
1 star
5.17%

TOP REVIEWS FROM THE HOLOCAUST: THE DESTRUCTION OF EUROPEAN JEWRY

by RKSep 22, 2015

This was an excellent historical account of the Holocaust. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and personal accounts of this event.

by LRJul 19, 2017

Absolutely adored this class and the instructors!! So much valuable information and first-hand experience, delightfully delivered in these special lectures.

by GWOct 27, 2015

I found this course extremely informative. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a detailed history on the Holocaust.

by PGJun 26, 2020

Provided quite an insight into what was actually the scenario during the Holocaust.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
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The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry

The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry

About this Course