Holocaust & Human Behavior Seminar (closed event for Animo Ralph Bunche High School educators)
This seminar focuses on examining the conditions that led to the Holocaust, following the Facing History scope and sequence. Using Facing History’s principal resource book,
Holocaust and Human Behavior, as well as video, primary sources, and presentations by survivors and leading scholars of the Holocaust, participants will experience a rigorous encounter with this powerful history. We begin with exploring individual and group behavior. In sessions that follow we examine Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. How did choices made at this time lead to the failure of democracy in Germany and ultimately the Holocaust? What can we learn about democracy, responsibility, tolerance and courage from the violent history of racism? After examining questions of judgment and legacy, closing sessions return to earlier themes. What does is mean to participate responsibly in a democracy? What can we, as individuals and members of groups, do to make a positive difference in the world? At the conclusion of the seminar, participants leave with a thorough grounding on how to incorporate these teaching tools into their classrooms in ways that will help students connect the history of the Holocaust to the ethical choices they face today.
Please note that this professional development event is a closed event for Animo Ralph Bunche High School educators.
The twentieth century - one of the most murderous centuries in history- will forever be marked by the Nazis’ attempt to murder the Jews of Europe solely because of their ancestry. In no other history are the steps that resulted in genocide so carefully documented, not only by the victims, but also by perpetrators and bystanders. The events that led to the Holocaust raise profound moral questions about the consequences of our actions and our beliefs, and how we make distinctions between right and wrong, good and evil. While the Holocaust was unique, the questions remain universal.
Using Facing History’s principal resource book,
Holocaust and Human Behavior, as well as video, primary sources, and presentations by survivors and leading scholars of the Holocaust, participants will experience a rigorous encounter with this powerful history. During the Seminar, a wide range of innovative teaching strategies are used to help teachers confront the Holocaust. At the conclusion of the Seminar, participants leave with a thorough grounding on how to incorporate these teaching tools into their classrooms in ways that will help students connect the history of the Holocaust to the ethical choices they face today.
Participants at this Seminar follow Facing History’s scope and sequence. The Seminar begins with an exploration of questions of identity in our lives today and then moves to questions of group membership in history. These early sessions lay the foundation for an intensive examination of the steps that led to the Holocaust and the eventual mass murder of millions of Jews and other victims. The Seminar then asks participants to think about questions of judgment and memory, considering who bears responsibility for crimes against humanity, and how to confront or memorialize the past. The Seminar concludes by challenging participants to reflect on questions about what it means to participate responsibly in a civil society.
Following this Seminar, participants receive complete access to Facing History’s Educator Resources, including downloadable unit plans, lessons, and online conversations. In addition, participants are invited to borrow videos, dvds, and books from Facing History’s lending library. Finally, each participant is assigned a Facing History Program Associate, who is available to provide ongoing support services.
This seminar focuses on examining the conditions that led to the Holocaust, following the Facing History scope and sequence. Using Facing History’s principal resource book,
Holocaust and Human Behavior, as well as video, primary sources, and presentations by survivors and leading scholars of the Holocaust, participants will experience a rigorous encounter with this powerful history. We begin with exploring individual and group behavior. In sessions that follow we examine Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. How did choices made at this time lead to the failure of democracy in Germany and ultimately the Holocaust? What can we learn about democracy, responsibility, tolerance and courage from the violent history of racism? After examining questions of judgment and legacy, closing sessions return to earlier themes. What does is mean to participate responsibly in a democracy? What can we, as individuals and members of groups, do to make a positive difference in the world? At the conclusion of the seminar, participants leave with a thorough grounding on how to incorporate these teaching tools into their classrooms in ways that will help students connect the history of the Holocaust to the ethical choices they face today.
Please note that this professional development event is a closed event for Animo Ralph Bunche High School educators.