THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2022/2023

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

University Homepage
DRPS Homepage
DRPS Search
DRPS Contact
DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Divinity : Religious Studies

Undergraduate Course: Visual Representations of the Holocaust and Religion (REST10033)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Divinity CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryA survey of visual representations of the Holocaust. These representations will be analysed with methods in Religious and Cultural Studies. Students will be introduced to a variety of representations of the Holocaust from the 1940s to the present. Representations discussed will vary each year, and may include photography, film, graphic art, theatre, memorials and museums. An analytic thread through this diverse material will be the identification of religious motifs and inscriptions of Jewishness.

Course description Academic Description:
This honours course allows students to engage with a variety of representations of the Holocaust from the 1940s onwards, and facilitate a critical analysis of historical and contemporary examples and the recurrent debates surrounding the representation of the genocide of Jews in Europe (1939-1945). Through a series of case studies, students will be introduced to the history of Holocaust representation, and historical, ethical, methodological, and religious debates surrounding these.

Syllabus/Outline Content:
The aim of this course is to chart a history of visual engagements with the Holocaust in a variety of media and to give students the opportunity to navigate historical, cultural, and religious studies methods in their analysis. Students will engage with a variety of case studies from the 1940s to the present. Representations discussed will vary each year, and may include photography, film, graphic art, theatre, memorials and museums. An analytic thread through this diverse material will be the identification of religious motifs and inscriptions of Jewishness.

Student Learning Experience Information:
The course consists of a lecture component and seminar discussion. The lecture component will be taught as a 'flipped classroom', either with an in-person lecture or with lecture materials provided online via Learn. During the seminar students will engage in a discussion of the source text(s) for the week. During the semester, students will write 3 discussion papers consisting of a source analysis of set primary sources that form the basis for class discussion. The discussion papers are a key part of the formative and summative assessment in this course. A class essay and a final exam test the learning outcomes for this course.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs Purchase of course reader
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should have at least 3 Divinity/Religious Studies courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate knowledge of major themes and works in the visual representation of the Holocaust in art, museum and film, and summarise key interpretive concepts in the theory of representation.
  2. Be able to apply methods of Religious and Cultural Studies to the analysis of visual representations of the Holocaust.
  3. Critically assess the function of religious motifs and inscriptions of Jewishness in visual representations of the Holocaust.
  4. Sensitively explore the religious, cultural and national contexts of production of visual representations of the Holocaust.
  5. Demonstrate an ability to identify key terms and their meanings, and show good judgment about how to judge the relative importance of items on course bibliographies.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills - Empathy and imaginative insight, with a tolerance of diverse positions
- Capacity for reflexive learning
- Ability to attend to others and respect others' views
- Ability to gather, evaluate and synthesise different types of information
- Writing skills, including clear expression and citing relevant evidence
- Electronic communication and interaction in various forms and accessing information from a variety of sources
- Awareness of the importance of contemporary media as both a study resource and a discussion medium
- Ability to engage critically with the meaning of documents and recognise that meanings may be multiple


KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Hannah Holtschneider
Tel: (0131 6)50 8933
Email:
Course secretaryMiss Rachel Dutton
Tel: (0131 6)50 7227
Email:
Navigation
Help & Information
Home
Introduction
Glossary
Search DPTs and Courses
Regulations
Regulations
Degree Programmes
Introduction
Browse DPTs
Courses
Introduction
Humanities and Social Science
Science and Engineering
Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Other Information
Combined Course Timetable
Prospectuses
Important Information