Through this course, students will gain a better understanding of the history of the Holocaust through primary sources including photographs, newspaper articles, and survivor testimonies in addition to a variety of films like Schindler’s List (1993), Life is Beautiful (1997), and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) and works of nonfiction literature including Night by Elie Wiesel and This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski. Students will gain a foundational understanding of the events and factors leading up to the Holocaust including the history of antisemitism and eugenics; they will also explore, analyze, and critique Nazi propaganda and symbols and review different responses to the events of the Holocaust as they unfolded, with a particular focus on youth. Students will read works and view films and testimonial videos of those who experienced the Holocaust in hiding, concentration camps, and as spectators and witnesses, as well as read the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman, discussing and analyzing how the medium provides a powerful telling of the events. Finally, students will research and evaluate other genocides in history, creating a synthesized project that draws connections between them and the Holocaust. Through class discussions, lectures, and assignments, students will engage with these texts along with historical context and secondary scholarship, learning how to synthesize their own thoughts and ideas with those in the larger academic conversation. Students will also receive expert feedback on research-supported essays featuring textual analysis, interpretation, and persuasion.