War, Genocide, and their Aftermath

This course examines how societies grapple with the legacy of mass violence through an exploration of historical texts, memoirs, novels, films, textbooks, litigation, and media reports and debates. Focusing on case studies of the Herero Genocide, the Armenian genocide during WWI, and the Holocaust and “Comfort Women” during WWII, students will investigate the crime and its sequelae. We will explore how societies deal with skeletons in their closets (from engaging in a conspiracy of silence, trivialization, rationalization, and denial to acknowledgment and reparations); analyze texts of official apologies and non-apologies; survey responses of survivors and their descendants (with particular attention to post-memory, multidirectional memory, forgiveness, anger and resentment, and the pursuit of redress); and dissect public debates on modern day issues that recall past atrocities.