LFU:online

In this class, we will read a selection of works by authors who lived through the Holocaust, and others who have written about it from the perspective of hindsight. Central questions in this course will concern power, totalitarianism, fascism, and the danger of forgetting and rewriting history. We will discuss these readings in a contemporary context, including discussions about the way antisemitism has become normalized again over time, particularly in far right circles of US politics. We will also discuss the nature of colonialism at large, looking at work from theorists Franz Fanon, Umberto Eco, and Hannah Arendt to understand how it is that violent fascists come to power in democratic societies, and how they expand and maintain their power. This class will look at the Holocaust as written about in multiple genres, including poetry, theory, memoir, and a graphic novel. As we enter a world where the last generation of Holocaust survivors is passing away, it is more important than ever to reckon with the past and to insist on the importance of memory.

The University of New Orleans International Summer School program has a mandatory class attendance policy. All students are required to attend class for all morning classes and any required afternoon and/or weekend fields trips and lectures. No unexcused absences are allowed. However, LFU students who have to miss a UNO class due to LFU examinations in the first two weeks of our program, can receive one excused absence for this. Any further unexcused absences will result in an academic penalty. Each faculty member determines the penalty for missed classes. Most professors deduct a letter grade for each additional missed class day. For details, please refer to your course syllabi, which will be distributed on the first day of class. The listed ECTS credits are a recommendation by the University of New Orleans Innsbruck Summer School, based on contact hours, anticipated out-of-classroom requirements such as field trips, and projected workload for readings, assignments, and exam preparation. Mail: Center-New-Orleans@uibk.ac.at