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A case study: using the lessons of the Holocaust to promote student learning in higher education

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A case study: using the lessons of the Holocaust to promote student learning in higher education

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Content STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 1

A CASE STUDY: USING THE LESSONS OF THE HOLOCAUST TO PROMOTE STUDENT
LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

by

Jeanne Herman

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2015

Copyright 2015 Jeanne Herman
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 2
Dedication
This dissertation is dedicated to all of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust,
including my husband’s parents who survived the Auschwitz Nazi death camp. May their
memories of courage and heroism forever be in our thoughts.
To my wonderful husband, David. I cannot begin to express my gratitude. Thank you
for loving me, believing in me and encouraging me. Thank you for the emotional support and
the sacrifices you made throughout my graduate program, especially during the many late nights
at the computer and my time away from family during the final months of writing. As a child of
two Holocaust survivors, I hope you will always carry the torch for your parents, so their lessons
of strength and endurance will eternally be remembered today and in future generations.
To my beautiful children, Rachel, Deborah and Sarah. I hope that my earning this
doctoral degree will inspire you to pursue your dreams and use education as a pathway to reach
your ultimate potentials. You have already changed the world with your goodness and
intelligence. I hope you will always challenge yourselves and understand your responsibilities in
making a difference in society today and in the future.
To my parents, whose wisdom, sacrifices, selfless choices and hard work have taught me
to believe in myself and continuously strive for success no matter what challenges I am faced
with. Thank you for being such positive role models in my life.
To my siblings who have made this degree possible. I give my deepest expression of
love and appreciation for your encouragement and for sharing this journey with me. Thank you
for allowing me to vent to you about my classes, papers and exams.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 3
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Rudy Castruita, my dissertation chair for his
guidance and commitment to this study. I would also like to thank Dr. Pedro Garcia and Dr.
Julie Marsh, members of my dissertation committee, for their mentorship and support these last
three years. It has been a privilege working with all of you.
I would like to acknowledge the invaluable interview and survey contributions from
students registered in the Holocaust class during the spring 2014 semester at the University of
America. In addition, I would like to acknowledge the professor of the course for allowing me to
observe her lectures and providing me with an interview. My sincere gratitude goes to the
Holocaust survivors and children of Holocaust survivors who through interviews and survey
responses willingly provided me with their personal insights and unique perspectives on
Holocaust studies in higher education today and in the future. I would like to acknowledge the
Holocaust Foundation and the Museum of the Holocaust for allowing me the time I needed to
tour the facilities and observe the many artifacts available for Holocaust research in the future.
I would especially like to thank my husband David for his unwavering support along with
my three daughters Rachel, Deborah and Sarah who have all stood beside me, inspired me and
encouraged me to pursue my education and follow my dreams. Thank you to my parents who
have taught me through example that hard work and a positive attitude can make dreams come
true, and to my siblings who have granted me patience and understanding every step of the way.
Finally, thank you to my friends, co-workers and colleagues who supported me throughout my
journey with support and encouragement.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 4
Table of Contents
Dedication 2
Acknowledgments 3
List of Tables 7
List of Figures 8
Abstract 10
Chapter One: Overview of the Study 11
Background of the Problem 11
Statement of the Problem 14
Purpose of the Study 16
Research Questions 17
Importance of the Study 17
Limitations 17
Delimitations 18
Definition of Terms 18
Organization of the Study 21
Chapter Two: Literature Review 22
History of Oppression 24
Native Americans 24
African Americans 25
Past Genocides 26
The Holocaust 29
Theoretical Literature Review 29
William Perry’s Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development 30
Carol Gilligan’s Theory of Moral Development 31
Logotherapy 33
Faith Theories 33
The Emotional Review 34
The Final Solution 35
The Aftermath 39
Prejudice Interchangeable Between Minorities 41
Viewpoints on Pedagogy and Practice 43
Conclusion 45
Chapter Three: Methodology 49
Purpose of the Study 49
Research Design 50
Sample 51
Method 52
Data Collection 53
Interview Protocol 53
Observation Protocol 55
Survey Protocol 57
Data Analysis 60
Step 1: Organize and Prepare Data 60
Step 2: Review Data 61
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 5
Step 3: Analyze and Code Data 61
Step 4: Generate Categories and Themes 62
Step 5: Representation of Description and Themes 62
Step 6: Interpretation of Data 63
Ethical Considerations 63
Validity and Reliability 64
Summary 64
Chapter Four: Findings 66
Rationales for Research Questions 68
Research Questions 70
Description of the Case 70
Data Analysis 71
Findings 72
Research Question One 73
Descriptive Characteristics of Respondents 74
Description of Themes and Sub-themes for Research Question One 75
Building Blocks of Oppression 76
Educational Strategies for Transformative Learning 86
Cross-Cultural Relations and Promoting Social Justice 97
Hope for the Future 103
Research Question Two 109
Descriptive Characteristics of Respondents 110
Description of Themes and Sub-themes for Research Question Two 112
Intellectual Curiosity of Holocaust Studies 112
Global Genocide Awareness in Higher Education 122
The Impact of Man’s Inhumanity to Man 133
Significant Lessons from Holocaust Survivors and Children of Survivors 141
Summary of Results: Research Question One 144
Building Blocks of Oppression 145
Educational Strategies for Transformative Learning 146
Cross-Cultural Relations and Promoting Social Justice 148
Hope for the Future 150
Summary of Results: Research Question Two 151
Intellectual Curiosity of Holocaust Studies 151
Global Genocide Awareness in Higher Education 153
The Impact of Man’s Inhumanity to Man 155
Conclusion 157
Chapter Five: Conclusion 158
Background of the Study 158
Statement of the Problem 160
Purpose of the Study 161
Research Questions 161
Review of the Literature 162
Methodology 164
Summary of Findings 165
Research Question One 165
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 6
Research Question Two 167
Implications 168
Limitations 170
Recommendations for Future Research 172
Conclusion 173
References 180
Appendix A: Student Survey Results 188
Appendix B: Holocaust Survivor Survey Results 190
Appendix C: Children of Holocaust Survivor Survey Results 193
Appendix D: Student Interview Protocol 196
Appendix E: Professor Interview Protocol 197
Appendix F: Holocaust Survivor Interview Protocol 198
Appendix G: Children of Holocaust Survivor Interview Protocol 200
Appendix H: Survey Protocol 202
Appendix I: Class Schedule – Spring 2014 203
Appendix J: Class Syllabus – Spring 2014 204

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 7
List of Tables
Table 1: Pseudonyms used to Identify Participants and the Educational Institution 67
Table 2: Participant Sample used to Answer Research Question One 73
Table 3: Coding of Themes and Sub-themes used for Data Analysis in Research
Question One 75
Table 4: Participant Sample used to Answer Research Question Two 109
Table 5: Coding of Themes and Sub-themes used for Data Analysis in Research
Question Two 112

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 8
List of Figures
Figure 1: Gender Distribution 74
Figure 2: Undergraduate Status 74
Figure 3: Enrollment Criteria 75
Figure 4: Responses to Survey Statement 4 78
Figure 5: Responses to Survey Statement 5 81
Figure 6: Responses to Survey Statement 6 84
Figure 7: Responses to Survey Statement 7 93
Figure 8: Responses to Survey Statement 8 96
Figure 9: Responses to Survey Statement 9 99
Figure 10: Responses to Survey Statement 10 101
Figure 11: Responses to Survey Statement 11 103
Figure 12: Responses to Survey Statement 12 105
Figure 13: Responses to Survey Statement 13 106
Figure 14: Responses to Survey Statement 14 109
Figure 15: In a Concentration Camp 110
Figure 16: Not in a Concentration Camp 110
Figure 17: Parent in Concentration Camp 111
Figure 18: Parent not in Concentration Camp 111
Figure 19: Responses to Survey Statement 19 115
Figure 20: Responses to Survey Statement 20 118
Figure 21: Responses to Survey Statement 21 122
Figure 22: Responses to Survey Statement 22 125
Figure 23: Responses to Survey Statement 23 128
Figure 24: Responses to Survey Statement 24 133
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 9
Figure 25: Responses to Survey Statement 25 136
Figure 26: Responses to Survey Statement 26 139
Figure 27: Responses to Survey Statement 27 141

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 10
Abstract
The Holocaust, which occurred at the hands of the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945 is the term
used to describe the systematic torture and murder of approximately six million European Jews
and millions of other “undesirables” (World War 2: Nazi Germany, 2010). The purpose of this
dissertation was to provide a deep understanding of student experiences and viewpoints on this
topic and to examine ways in which the lessons of the Holocaust might be used as a template in
higher education to promote student learning. The analysis focused on the concern that as this
generation of Holocaust survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost.
The study implemented a mixed-methods approach in which qualitative and quantitative
instruments were used to collect and analyze data in order to answer the research questions.
Twenty five undergraduate students enrolled in the spring 2014 Holocaust course at the
University of America, 10 Holocaust survivors and 26 children of Holocaust survivors responded
to three different Likert scale surveys designed to uncover degrees of opinions on student
learning ranging from one extreme to the other. Second, the interview protocol consisted of
semi-structured open-ended questions and was administered to three students, three Holocaust
survivors, three children of Holocaust survivors and the professor of the course. Finally, the
observation protocol consisted of several observations, including one pre-scheduled guest
appearance of a Holocaust survivor during the class period. Through the process of
triangulation, the study’s findings and implications indicated that in the 21st century and after
this generation of Holocaust survivors passes, there is hope that lessons about multicultural and
human awareness as well as tolerance, democracy and civil equality can continue to be taught to
college level students in order to combat crimes against humanity from happening in the future.
Keywords: Holocaust, student learning, 21st century
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 11
CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
The Holocaust, the systematic persecution in Nazi Germany during World War II
(WWII) was the annihilation of six million Jews as well as many other minorities who were
considered inferior (World War 2: Nazi Germany, 2010). Fuhrer Adolph Hitler used Germany’s
financial troubles as a tool to create a pure Aryan race and eliminate all European Jewry (World
War 2: Nazi Germany, 2010). Survivors after the war rebuilt their lives and recorded living
testimonies of their experiences during the Holocaust. While some lessons have been learned
from the Holocaust, there are still those yet to be taught. What is known is that after this
generation of survivors passes, lessons about multicultural and human awareness as well as
tolerance, democracy and civil equality should be developed and implemented by leadership in
higher education as a means to combat crimes against humanity from happening in the 21st
century and in the future.
Background of the Problem
Attitudes and acts of prejudice and discrimination are part of world history. Research
shows that “lessons can only be learned from history and if history is taught, then a vital aspect
of building the future is to face and learn from the past” (Caplan, 2004, p. 12). These chapters in
history play important roles in cross-cultural understanding. Even more important is that history
influences the present and the future. Culture, which consists of a system of practices with traits,
beliefs and values carried on from one generation to another, has an impact on students both
individually and socially (Nasir & Hand, 2006). Furthermore, Nasir and Hand (2006) add that
when educators and students engage in respectful dialogue and critical thinking through shared
listening, minority groups experience a personal shift in how they look at their own cultures, and
a shift in how they look at other cultures in the world. Leaders in higher education begin to
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 12
understand in historical, socio-political and cultural contexts how identities are formed. It may
be important to understand how these different identities will be preserved on university
campuses to combat discriminatory attitudes towards religion, race, ethnicity, gender and sexual
orientation. Capturing the setting or time in which something occurred in history and the
significance of those events will help students understand the evolution of inequality and
equality over time. Consequently, it will raise questions of justice, individual identity, peer
pressure, conformity, and obedience.
Ogbu and Simons (1998) describe a minority as a subordinate group who answers to a
dominant population in a particular place. Minority oppression and racial inequality existed
during slavery, World War I (WWI), the Great Depression, into the 1960s and continues to exist
today (Cheng & Lee, 2009). The Holocaust, which occurred at the hands of the Nazi regime
from 1933 to 1945 is the term used to describe the systematic torture and murder of
approximately six million European Jews and millions of other “undesirables” (World War 2:
Nazi Germany, 2010). After WWII, the United Nations created the word genocide and defined it
as the “deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, cultural, or religious group”
(Leventhal, 1995, p.1). It is true that minority groups in Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Sudan and
Darfur have experienced killings in massive numbers (The USC Shoah Foundation, 2005).
However, never before in world history has there ever occurred a mass murder campaign based
on race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation in such a systematic fashion with both
the support and collaboration from an entire country as with the Holocaust (The USC Shoah
Foundation, 2005). Specifically, it was the Nazi genocide of the Jewish people of Europe from
1933 to 1945 that remains for many the most memorable act of genocide in recent history.
Leventhal (1995) points out that the distinction between the Holocaust and other genocides is
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 13
“based on the systematic, bureaucratic, and technological nature, and is regarded as unique
because it was planned, organized and carried out by a modern nation-state in a willful, legal
manner” (p. 1). Leventhal (1995) adds that it was possible because of the “knowledge and
collaboration of the vast state bureaucratic apparatus, industry, the state operated train system
and the technological expertise of scientists” (p. 1).
After the end of WWI and the signing of the Versailles Treaty, a harsh peace settlement
stripped Germany of land, reducing its military forces and hurting Germany financially, resulting
in a change in the economic and social landscape of Germany (The USC Shoah Foundation,
2005). Adolph Hitler and his National Socialist Workers’ Party (Nazi) used world discontent to
attract popular and political support and to offer strong leadership and a national rebirth to
Germany. By taking advantage of a bitter and resentful German people, Hitler promised his
nation civil peace, an end to massive unemployment and a national re-unification (World War 2:
Nazi Germany, 2010). The Nazi party’s ideology was that of racial superiority, and the Jews of
Europe as a group were targeted as being inferior. According to Freire (1993), “oppression
exists when one group denies the other group from pursuing self-recognition” (p. 37). Jews were
stripped of all rights, transported to Nazi extermination camps such as Auschwitz and sent to gas
chambers and crematoriums where they were murdered, tortured and starved.

Those who survived are known as Holocaust survivors and their testimonies have been a
vital component of teaching real life diversity lessons, learning and respecting other cultures and
accepting the differences in mankind (Grahovac & Herman, 2006). For over 50 years, they have
shared their stories of survival firsthand, teaching lessons to students about tolerance and cultural
and religious diversity.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 14
On college campuses today, diverse student populations come with long cultural
memories. Educators may take advantage of the resources available to become institutional
agents for change to help students find their places on their maps of human geography. For
example, one way to overcome anti-Semitism (as well as the discrimination of other minorities) is
to use educators as vehicles to teach students about tolerance and non-judgmental behavior
through understanding history and by accepting human beings for their differences. Chávez and
Guido-DiBrito (1999) point out “persons from other groups and some white ethnic individuals
have experienced learning that is grounded outside their own cultural norms and have learned to
some extent to negotiate multiple cultural environments” (p. 45).
Differing views may persist on college campuses and conflicts may be part of those
relationships, but by accepting and appreciating these differences, students may be able to learn
to co-exist and build friendships together. With that being said, Chávez and Guido-DiBrito
(1999) believe that institutional agents or messengers of information such as counselors,
professors and community leaders can be trained and able to suggest appropriate interventions in
the community and in the college environment by teaching students the tools needed to become
part of multicultural societies. As summed up by Johnson (2006) “racism touches everyone” and
“to assume otherwise is to engage in wishful thinking in a world that doesn’t exist” (p. 106).
Statement of the Problem
The Holocaust was the systematic persecution of European Jewry by Nazi Germany
during WWII (Grahovac & Herman, 2006). From a historical perspective, the Jews of Europe
were considered inferior while the Nazis considered themselves to be racially superior (World
War 2: Nazi Germany, 2010). The Nazis kept records as though it was normal to carry out the
Final Solution or the elimination of all European Jewry (Grahovac & Herman, 2006).
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 15
In reference to the Jews’ ability to survive, Victor Frankl, a survivor of Auschwitz and
one of the most recognized psychiatrists of logotherapy, quotes German classical philosopher
Friedrich Nietzsche as saying “he who has a why to live can bear almost any how” (Frankl,
1984, p. 12). Many higher education institutions invite Holocaust survivors to visit college
universities to share their experiences and living testimonies and to describe how they were able
to survive the atrocities they were forced to endure (Caplan, 2004).
Director Steven Spielberg, founder of The USC Shoah Foundation (2005), advocates that
through living testimonies and accounts, survivors have become teachers of humanity:
In 1994, after completing the film Schindler’s List, Steven Spielberg established
the Shoah Foundation to collect and preserve the video testimonies of survivors
and other witnesses of the Holocaust. He envisioned that these eyewitness
accounts could have a profound effect on education, and that the survivors could
become teachers of humanity for generations to come. Today, the USC Shoah
Foundation Institute's Visual History Archive is one of the largest digital video
libraries in the world, with nearly 52,000 testimonies, in 32 languages, and from
56 countries (p. 1).
Although 6,000,000 Jews perished during the Holocaust, it is important to note that
gypsies, the disabled, homosexuals, non-Jewish Poles, Jehovah’s Witnesses and others also
perished at the hands of Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany (World War 2: Nazi Germany, 2010).
The hope is that future generations will never forget about the Nazi persecution during WWII,
and institutions of higher learning will continue to be one of the best choices to teach lessons of
prejudice and tolerance as well as power and government leadership, so history may not repeat
itself.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 16
Many survivors alive today are elderly, and the living memories and authentic accounts
are quickly fading. Holocaust testimony in higher education is a vital component of teaching
about tolerance and real life diversity issues, but there is concern that as this generation of
survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost. It is often taken for
granted that Holocaust studies at the university level provide a deep understanding of this
episode of world history, but what is missing from the literature is the extent to which taking a
college level Holocaust class promotes student learning and an understanding that there are gaps
in current empirical research on how current Holocaust courses affect student understanding.
Basically, Feinstein (2004) claims, “few studies have measured the long term results of
Holocaust education” (p. 62). Feinstein (2004) also claims that the long term impact of
Holocaust education at the college level is not known yet, since it has only been measured in a
few documented studies.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a deep understanding of student experiences
and viewpoints on this topic and to examine ways in which the lessons of the Holocaust might be
used as a template in higher education to promote student learning. The analysis focuses on the
concern that as this generation of survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will
be lost. The human rights discourse is a universal language in higher education, and through
interdisciplinary studies in areas such as the humanities, history, religion and philosophy, it may
be possible for students to learn that all people should be treated with dignity, not just because
they are human beings, but also because they are different from one another. Stakeholders will
consist of Holocaust survivors, children of Holocaust survivors, students enrolled in a semester
long Holocaust course taught at the university level and the professor of the course.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 17
Research Questions
The following research questions will be examined during the study:

1. How might Holocaust courses in higher education promote student learning, and to
what extent does this learning facilitate emotional awareness and content knowledge
about this part of history?
2. How might college level education alleviate the concern that as this generation of
survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost?
Importance of the Study
This is not an analysis of the Holocaust. Rather, it is about whether studying about the
Holocaust will promote student learning for college level students and will preserve the
memories of the Holocaust so “future generations will live in a democratic society where the
fundamental principles—human rights, democracy, tolerance, multi-culturality and multi-
diversity—will be the rule” (Caplan, 2005, p. 12). During class lectures, Holocaust survivors
will share their histories through eyewitness accounts and video testimonies. What might be
addressed in higher education is how the Holocaust could take place while the world stood by
and watched (Grahovac & Herman, 2006). This study is about whether errors of the past might
serve as historical warnings to assess whether prejudice against the Jews is interchangeable with
other minorities.
Limitations
1. It is unavoidable that a certain degree of subjectivity will be found in this study, since the
pre-test survey and post-test survey will be conducted by the researcher who is passionate
about the subject matter.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 18
2. One assessment technique will be interviewing higher education students before and after
taking a Holocaust course. One semester may not be a long enough time for the researcher
to observe learning outcomes for this study.
3. The population of the experimental group may not be large enough to represent how all
students feel about the subject. The questionnaire will be designed to measure the amount
of awareness before and after the course.
Delimitations
1. As many Holocaust survivors are elderly or sick and in their 80s or 90s, this study is limited
to interviewing only survivors who still have the capacity to give accurate accounts of their
experiences in the Holocaust.
2. This study does not create an action plan for teaching a zero tolerance policy toward crimes
against humanity in the future.
3. Since there are no clear cut answers, this study will not be able to answer the unopened
questions that will remain concerning human beings’ capacities to commit evil.
Definition of Terms
21st century skills: Ability to compete in a global economy beyond academic content
**Adolph Hitler: German dictator and Nazi party leader who led his country into WWII
Awareness: Learning from and working collaboratively with individuals with open dialogue
Beliefs: A habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing
Campus climate: Real or perceived measures of campus environment interpersonally and
academically
Cross-cultural understanding: Cultural differences between students of different ethnicities
Culture: Common system of values, behaviors and beliefs that create a sense of community
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 19
Dialogue: An exchange of ideas and opinions
Discrimination: The systematic, intended or unintended denial of recognition, power, privilege,
and opportunity to certain people based on the groups to which they belong
Diversity: Differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and
mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and other human differences
Dominant culture: Culture that is the most powerful, widespread, or influential within a social or
political entity in which multiple cultures are present
Ethical: The discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duties and obligations
Ethnic: Of or relating to large groups of people classed according to common racial, national,
tribal, religious, linguistic, cultural origin or background
Future generations: Future bodies of living beings who step in line of descent from an ancestor
Hatred: Prejudiced hostility or animosity
Genocide: Deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, cultural, or religious group
**Holocaust: Term used to describe the systematic torture and murder of approximately six
million European Jews and millions of other “undesirables” by the Nazi regime from 1933-1945
**Holocaust survivors: Persons, Jewish or non-Jewish, who were displaced, persecuted,
discriminated against due to racial, religious, ethnic, social, and political policies of the Nazis
and their collaborators
Inequality: Refers to the condition of being unequal or having social or economic disparity
Leadership: A process in which an individual influences a group in pursuit of a common goal
Minority: Refers to a group of people within a given society, which has little or no access to
social, economic, political, or religious power
Man’s inhumanity to man: The cruel behavior that people show to one another
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 20
Minority: A sociologically defended group that does not constitute a statistical majority
Multiculturalism: Respects the right of everyone to value their ethnicity and cultural
background and helps people of different cultures understand each other and live harmoniously
Prejudice: A judgment or opinion formed before facts are known. Opinions are often founded
on suspicion, intolerance, and irrational hatred of other races, religions, creeds, or nationalities
Racism: Systemic oppression of targeted groups who receive less of what society offers,
especially compared to non-target groups who receive unearned positive regard and better than
fair shares of what society offers
Race: Refers to a socially defined group, which sees itself and/or is seen by others as being
different from other groups in its common descent or distinct external features, such as skin
color, hair texture, or facial characteristics
**Shoah: The Hebrew word for Holocaust
Stereotype: Biased generalizations about a group based on hearsay, preconceived ideas and
opinions
Tolerance: Sympathy/indulgence for beliefs/practices differing from/conflicting with one's own
Testimony: Declaration usually made orally by a witness under oath in response to interrogation
by lawyer or authorized public official; firsthand authentication of fact; an open acknowledgment
**USC Shoah Foundation: Institute for Visual History and Education dedicated to making audio-
visual interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides
Victim: One that is subjected to oppression, hardship, or mistreatment
**Denotes Holocaust orientation
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 21
Organization of the Study
This study is organized into five chapters. To begin, chapter one introduces the area of
study with the background or overview of the problem and provides an argument for the study.
Next, the chapter presents the statement of the problem, the purpose of the study including
research questions and the importance of the study. It addresses the limitations and delimitations
of the study by exploring internal and external validity. Finally, in addition to all of these design
components, chapter one provides definitions of key terms used throughout the dissertation.
Chapter two presents a review of literature and relevant research associated with the
problem addressed in this study. The synthesis of current research on lessons from the Holocaust
and crimes against humanity critically evaluate and identify methodological problems with past
studies and areas of controversy in the literature. The literature review addresses the questions
for problems in the research that support the need for this study.
An outline of the research methodologies employed during the study is discussed in
chapter three. The type of sampling, the criteria for selection, the process of selection and the
population from which the sample was drawn are provided to interpret data collection and
analysis. The data report includes a discussion of the survey instruments used and how they
were administered, as well as a description of the relationship between research questions and
the instrumentation used.
Chapter four contains an analysis of the data and presentation of the results. The findings
and interpretations are organized by the research questions stated in chapter one. Included are
reflections on the findings and original insights about what the results mean. Chapter five offers
a concluding summary and discussion of the findings, implications and recommendations for
current research in the 21st century and in future generations.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 22
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
In this chapter, the researcher presents a review of literature and relevant research
associated with the problem addressed in this study. The synthesis of current research on lessons
from the Holocaust and crimes against humanity critically evaluate and identify methodological
problems with past studies and areas of controversy in the literature. This literature review
addresses the questions for problems in the research that support the need for this study.
The Holocaust, which took place from the early 1930s until 1945, was Adolph Hitler’s
plan to exterminate the Jews of Europe or the Final Solution, along with other groups including
Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, disabled people and gypsies (The USC Shoah Foundation,
2005). Primarily in Nazi-occupied Europe, the Holocaust resulted in 11 million deaths including
6 million Jews (The USC Shoah Foundation, 2005). While other genocides may not have been
of this magnitude, this dissertation is intended to produce research than can contribute to a deep
understanding of Holocaust education. For college age students to fully understand
discrimination, prejudice and violence in the 21st century, lessons of the Holocaust can be used
as learning tools to teach the lessons already known, those not yet learned and lessons that will
continue to be taught, so history does not repeat itself.
A report conducted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum found that out of
135,000 United States (U.S.) teachers of social studies and history in grades 7 through 12, fewer
than half made mention at all of the Holocaust in their teaching, and that the “overwhelming
majority devoted no more than three lessons of information about the Holocaust” (Goldenberg &
Millen, 2007, p. 7). Today, secondary schools in California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey and
New York have mandated laws to teach about the Holocaust, so students can deepen their
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 23
knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust and its moral lessons (Goldenberg & Millen,
2007).
According to Haynes (1998), “since 1979 when the first endowed university chair in
Holocaust studies was established, the number of teaching appointments in the field has
continued to increase, as has the number of publications, yet there still exists no comprehensive
listing of Holocaust educators at the university level, and no reliable estimate of the number of
courses offered” (p. 283). Over the past two decades, “Holocaust studies have become more
prevalent in fields of scholarly research, and is recognized as an important subject to be studied
by undergraduates” (Browning, 2004, p. 40). Records from the USC Shoah Foundation, Institute
for Visual History and Education (2006) prove that “a total of 371 courses at 45 universities have
drawn upon the institute’s testimonies in over 25 disciplines and fields” (p. 1).
The literature tells us that the “study of the Holocaust highlights the pro-social values that
form the fabric of humane societies and motivate persons to resist governments’ attempts to
persecute and destroy another” (Haynes, 1998, p. 303). This position indicates that college and
university students are not just learning to confront and object to the Holocaust, but are also
learning to comprehend the magnitude of the violation of human life and spirit. Although
Goldenberg and Millen (2007) do not reference fiction or non-fiction, they encourage education
through the “growing literature that seeks to explain how the Holocaust happened or could have
happened and literature that looks to the significance of the Holocaust for us as human beings,
individually and socially, as we struggle precariously to live with each other” (p. 12).
In order to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are not lost after this generation of
survivors passes, it is important to study how Holocaust courses are currently used in higher
education. Research may prove whether it is enough for students to question how it could have
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 24
happened rather than focusing on whether or not it was an inevitable part of history, which led to
legalized discrimination, prejudice, hatred and mass murder. This dissertation will examine
ways in which the lessons of the Holocaust can promote student learning in higher education and
to provide a deep understanding of student experiences and viewpoints on this topic.
This dissertation is intended to answer the following research questions:
1. How might Holocaust courses in higher education promote student learning, and to what
extent does this learning facilitate emotional awareness and content knowledge about this
part of history?
2. How might college level education alleviate the concern that as this generation of
survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost?
In the remainder of this chapter, the researcher will provide an overview of the history of
oppression towards Native Americans and African Americans as well an overview of past
genocides including the Holocaust. Although it is true that the Holocaust was a systematic
annihilation of the Jewish people, this chapter will make references to other dominant cultures in
history that have also oppressed those defined as minorities. This body of research will be
presented first with the history of oppression, followed by a theoretical literature review and will
conclude with an emotional review.
History of Oppression
Native Americans
“Colonization of the life world occurs when the colonizers interfere with the mechanisms
needed to reproduce the life world domains - culture, social integration and socialization - of the
colonized” (Duran, Duran, & Braveheart, 1998, p. 62). Native Americans in North America
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 25
were colonized on their own land and were deliberately dislocated from their homelands and
uprooted from their social, cultural and religious ties (Duran et al., 1998).
Just as important, Vander Hook (2010) points out that the Trail of Tears, which occurred
during U.S. President Jackson’s time in office, was the removal of the Cherokees from their
homeland in the deep south of America and the deaths of 4,000 Cherokees from diseases and
starvation. “By the mid-19th century, U.S. policymakers and military commanders openly,
clearly and in plain English stated that their objectives were no less than the extermination of any
native people who resisted being dispossessed of their lands, subordinated to federal authority,
and assimilated into the colonizing culture” (Jaimes, 1992, p. 34). Native Americans suffered
from mass starvation and economic uncertainty, and life disintegrated with the growth of the
Americas. Anthropologist Cook (as cited in Jaimes, 1992), claims the policy was to “wear the
Indians down by keeping them moving without sources of food and ammunition and preventing
the woman and children from resting” (p. 36).
African Americans
In the early 18th century, slave exports from Africa grew from 36,000 a year to 80,000 in
the 1780s (Miers & Kopytoff, 1977). The United States imported 500,000 of the 11 million
African Americans who arrived in the Americas between 1600 and 1900 (Miers & Kopytoff,
1977). The slave population, which was a highly profitable system in the U.S. grew and existed
as a legal institution. As noted in the research from Miers and Kopytoff (1977), a slave had no
rights to his property, no control over his child’s destiny and no freedom to choose his
occupation or employer. Slaves were physically restrained and made to wear shackles and
chains, and there was little regard for slaves’ feelings. In 1669, Virginia passed a law regarding
the casual killing of slaves, stating that “masters who killed slaves while correcting them would
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 26
be free from prosecution and whites could take the law in their own hands in order to deal with
lawless blacks” (Schwartz, 1998, p. 17). African Americans began to speak out to end racial
segregation and discrimination during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s.
“Come senators, congressman, please heed the call, don’t block at the doorway, don’t
block up the hall, for he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled, there's a battle outside
and it's ragin', it'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls, for the times they are
a-changin' ” (Dylan, 1964, The Times They Are a-Changin’, track 1).
These famous lyrics, sung by musician Bob Dylan in 1964, were his expressions of the
American unrest, the anti-Vietnam war campaign and the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s.
Dylan knew the world was changing at a rapid rate, yet the biggest challenge would be for the
world to accept these changes.
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. changed history when 250,000 people
gathered from different religious and ethnic backgrounds for a non-violent peace march in
Washington D.C. (Alvarez, 1988). This was a historic day in the civil rights struggle as Martin
Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech appealing to the American people to end
racism and recognize that all people are created equal (Alvarez, 1988). Alvarez (1988) cites
King’s words, “I have a dream that one day little black boys and black girls will be able to join
hands with little white boys and girls as sisters and brothers” (p. 337). Despite King’s dream and
strong message to the American people, African American communities today still struggle with
issues surrounding segregation, prejudice, discrimination and gun violence (Alvarez, 1988).
Past Genocides
It is difficult to report an accurate number of persons killed during genocide, whether it
be from shootings, hangings, gassings or other means of torture or persecution. This is because
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 27
the crimes vary enormously. To begin, there may be professional soldiers armed with lethal
weapons who kill single or groups of people. Second, there may be strategies for weapons of
mass destruction and chemical warfare. Finally, there may be acts of starvation, torture and
inhumane acts where large numbers of people are killed. It would be difficult to accurately
assess how many killers murder one victim, or how many victims are slain by one killer.
Holocausts are not accidents in history. They are rooted in histories of intolerance and
prejudice in individuals and societies (The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012).
Organizations and governments make choices, which not only legalize discrimination but which
also allow prejudice and hatred to persist. What follows is a timeline of past genocides, which
have taken place in the world since the early 1900s. The numbers of victims may not be accurate
as often records are incomplete.
First, beginning in 1915 and continuing through 1923, Armenians living in territories of
the Ottoman Empire in Eastern Europe and Western Asia were deported and executed on orders
of the government (Gavin, 2000). To summarize, Gavin (2000) claims that the combination of
massacres and deaths due to diseases in the concentration camps is estimated to have killed more
than 1,000,000 Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks. Next, from 1975 until 1979, 1.7 million
Cambodians in Southeast Asia died at the hands of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge leader who was
determined to establish a Communist society of peasant farmers (Gavin, 2000). Third, the Iraqi
government under Saddam Hussein’s rule, mass murdered more than 100,000 Kurdish rebels in
Northern Iraq and Kurdistan and displaced 3.5 million Kurds between 1986 and 1989 in an effort
to wipe out those who allied with the Iranians (Gavin, 2000). Additionally, from 1992 until
1995, Christian Serbs persecuted Muslims and Catholic Croatians in Bosnia in the southeastern
part of Europe, which resulted in 200,000 deaths, 2,000,000 refugees and 20,000 missing or
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 28
assumed dead (Gavin, 2000). Yanagizawa-Drott (2012) reports that in 1994, the military units of
Hutu, which made up 90% of the population in Rwanda, South Africa, fought against tribal Tutsi
citizens resulting in 800,000 Tutsi deaths. The Rwandan genocide, a nation-wide extermination
campaign reduced the country’s Tutsi population by approximately 75% (Yanagizawa-Drott,
2012). Finally, records to date report that the Arab Janjaweed militia with support from the
Sudanese government have murdered more than 400,000 innocent Darfur civilians and have
displaced hundreds more in Sudan, Africa (Hagan, Raymond-Richmond, & Parker, 2005).
History continues to repeat itself.
In November 2013, the U.S. claimed the Assad regime in Syria used chemical weapons
on its own people in a way that has not been seen in decades (NBC Nightly News, 2013). U.S.
Press Secretary John Kerry delivered a message to the American people, “the killing of women
and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity and anyone who
could claim that an attack on this staggering scale could be contrived or fabricated needs to
check their conscience and their own moral compass” (NBC Nightly News, 2013, p. 1).
In addition, Richard Engel from NBC Nightly News (2013) reported that “1,400 people
including hundreds of children, were choked to death, their nervous systems shut down by the
gas that seeped into their homes, and Syrian activists posted live updates as bodies were buried
in rows in mass graves” (p. 1). Instead of a U.S. military strike, Syria was ordered to give up any
chemical weapons and agree to an internationally supervised process (NBC Nightly News,
2013). President Bashar al-Assad’s punishment was to “stay in power and continue his war with
conventional weapons, including artillery and scud missile attacks on civilian areas, napalm
dropped on schools, and starving the opposition into submission” (NBC Nightly News, 2013,
p. 1). In 2013, the world stood by and watched this happen.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 29
The Holocaust
After the end of World War I (WWI) and the signing of the Versailles Treaty, Germany
was stripped of its power (World War 2: Nazi Germany, 2010). Records show that in addition to
4,065,000 soldiers wounded and 103,000 missing in action, Germany’s death toll during WWI
reached 1,600,000 (Duffy, 2009). Adolph Hitler knew that a strong leadership was his only way
to a national rebirth, and assured the German people that the only way they could have civil
peace, national pride and rid the country of inflation was to annihilate all Jews from Europe
(Collier & Pedley, 2005). The German middle class feared that Communism in Germany would
flourish and grow, so Hitler’s vision to eliminate both Communism and the Jewish people
became an ideological war against Nazism based on political opposition (The USC Shoah
Foundation, 2005). Hitler believed that this struggle was the means and the end to the birth and
salvation of a German nation and a pure Aryan race (Duffy, 2009).
Theoretical Literature Review
In this section, the researcher discusses several theories which may contribute to a better
understanding of why students behave in certain ways as it relates to student outcomes. Theories
are good tools in understanding the identity and intellectual development in college age students.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to use theoretical approaches to student learning to understand
the multiple points of views in diverse college populations. Corbin and Strauss (2008) point out
that faculty examine concepts from the literature and use them as comparative tools for relevant
material presented during class. What follows are the researcher’s reviews of William Perry’s
theory of intellectual development, Carol Gilligan’s theory of moral development, Viktor
Frankl’s logotherapy and a section devoted to faith theories.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 30
William Perry’s Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development
This theory “enhances our understanding and serves as a resource for appropriate ways of
responding to students’ differences in meaning making processes, including approaches to
assisting students with growth in cognitive complexity” (Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton & Renn,
2010, p. 84). In other words, the theory is useful because it sheds light on how students make
sense of information, experiences and opinions that confront them in college classrooms.
The first stage of Perry’s theory is dualism (Evans et al., 2010). Students listen to the
professor’s lecture, learn that things are right or wrong, true or false or good or bad and there is
little capacity for dealing with conflicts (Perry, 1999). They may have a solid grasp on the
historical facts from 1900 until 1945 and try to absorb the meaning of conflict and moral and
ethical issues. However, students are unable to deal with critical issues at this point and
primarily see things in black and white.
As described by Evans et al. (2010), the second stage is multiplicity where students learn
that things are stated as right or wrong in a certain context, and even though professors are
experts in their subjects, student peers now become legitimate resources (Perry, 1999). In this
stage, students in the course realize that lectures are being presented accurately from a historical
context, and they now become part of dialogues on moral and ethical issues and begin to
appreciate each other’s differences. According to Nasir and Hand (2006), when students engage
in respectful dialogue and critical thinking, a personal shift takes place in how they view their
cultures and those of their peers.
Evans et al. (2010) describe relativism as the stage where everyone has his or her own
opinion and can be equally right. Knowledge and truth are relative to one’s experience and each
student learns to come to terms with his or her own point of view (Perry, 1999).
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 31
Finally commitment to relativism is the stage when students critically look at supporting
evidence in order to make commitments in their lives (Evans et al., 2010). Students begin to
determine their own fate and recognize that their personal identity is always evolving (Perry,
1999). Corbin and Strauss (2008) claim that it is “not the specifics of an experience that are
relevant, but the concepts of understanding what we derive from them” (p. 76).
Carol Gilligan’s Theory of Moral Development
This student development theory can be applied to moral and ethical behavior. Research
findings from Gilligan’s theory evolved from her studies on women, yet she does not address her
theory only from a woman’s perspective. Rather, she emphasizes the themes of care and justice
as opposed to only those themes related to gender (Evans et al., 2010). The theory, according to
Gilligan (2012), examines why some people are more responsive to other’s needs as opposed to
their own. Gilligan (2012) questions what the responsible thing is to do is when there is no right
way to act without someone getting hurt. In her YouTube presentation, Gilligan (2012)
describes one particular conversation she had with a woman. Gilligan (2012) asks her, “what do
you want” and the woman responds, “what’s wrong with being responsible to other peoples’
needs?” Here Gilligan (2012) points out the woman’s conflict is between self and others and
responds again to the woman, “but you are a person, what about your needs?” To illustrate this
further, Gilligan (2012) divides her theory of moral development into three levels and two
transitions stages.
The first level refers to the orientation to individual survival. Students in the Holocaust
course examine how 6,000,000 people were systematically murdered and begin to critically think
about their own individual survival should they find themselves in a similar situation in the
future. Between levels one and two, a transition from selfishness to responsibility occurs. Here
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 32
Gilligan (2012) describes the moral dilemmas of how others’ actions affect those they love.
Corbin and Strauss (2008) add how it may be difficult to decide what to do in a situation when
there is nothing good to do.
In level two, the individual engages in goodness as self-sacrifice. Students should not be
required to give up their religious differences, nor should women be expected to act like men.
Further, students should not feel pressure to compromise their racial, ethnic, or cultural beliefs
especially if they choose to participate in the common culture that makes them part of a
community. This stage touches on a form of social acceptance where personal judgment is
challenged in order to create a balance and connection between care for others and care for self
(Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Reliance on others creates the shift from being self-centered to
making moral decisions about hurting others. The second transition stage, which is between
levels two and three takes the student from goodness to truth. Students are torn between survival
and morality and question their own needs instead of the needs of others. Honesty to oneself will
strengthen students’ interpretations about putting themselves first. Here students analyze why it
is okay to think about themselves first when others are in need. How were moral decisions made
in the concentration camps? Did victims think of themselves or others first?
Finally, level three is the morality of non-violence. Here the focus is no longer on the
needs of others, but the students are now at the center of their own decision-making. This moral
action to avoid hurt often comes with guilt based on the expectations and definitions of goodness
(Evans, et al., 2010). To illustrate this further, a mother during the Holocaust might have
questioned whether she should escape to bring back food for her children or send her children to
safety and possibly never see them again?

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 33
Logotherapy
Renowned author and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl (1984) whose parents, brother and
pregnant wife perished at the hands of the Nazis in Auschwitz describes his theory of survival.
In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl (1984) discusses his discovery of logotherapy, a
theory dedicated to man’s capacity to understand that even in the most horrific of circumstances,
each man is responsible for something in life. From a YouTube video, he claims that “the lesson
one could learn from Auschwitz and other concentration camps in the final analysis was that
those who were oriented towards a meaning to be fulfilled by them in the future were most likely
to survive” (Frankl, 2012). This has also been confirmed by American navy and army
psychiatrists, in Japanese prisoners of war (POW) camps, in North Korean POW camps, and
most recently in North Vietnamese POW camps (Frankl, 2012). Frankl, (1984) discusses that
learning lessons from the past provides an optimistic future and gives meaning to life.
Faith Theories
These theories, which are under the guidance of spiritual and theological leadership, can
help eliminate intolerance between religions. Fowler (2004) says that “only through faithful
change at the global level can we turn the Titanic of our interest-driven, short-term policies and
charts toward a course where all can participate in sustainable life and the joys of trustworthy
communities and faithful governance” (p. 421). This example illustrates that secular education is
not the only venue for change. As evidenced by Blumenfeld (2006), interfaith dialogue must be
an ongoing process so understanding world religions, their histories and religious oppressions
becomes the norm in a globally changing world. The goal is to deepen the understanding of our
own traditions, as well as those of our partners, and to build a deeper understanding of the issues
that divide and unite us.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 34
The Emotional Review
Paulo Freire (1993) in his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed emphasizes that “fatalism in
the guise of docility is the fruit of a historical and sociological situation, not an essential
characteristic of a people’s behavior” (p. 43). Caplan (2004) adds that racism, terror, anti-
democratic legislation and propaganda were the real causes of the Holocaust and not the horrific
treatments between human beings. Just as a fight between two people may have sparked the
1943 Harlem riots, Lopez (2003) points out that it was actually the result of a struggle for justice,
racism and oppression and not about the African American community.
Hitler’s desire was to set up a totalitarian society consisting of only members from the
Aryan race and in similar fashion to Johnson’s (2006) research on power, this membership
consisted of only those from his defined privileged dominant society. With his power and
influence over the German people, Hitler was able to convince them that his radical solution to
the Jewish question would be in Germany’s best interests (The United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum, 2012). The separation of Jews as an inferior race from the Aryan
population, the systematic attack on Germany’s Jews and the euthanasia program were all
initiatives designed by the Nazis to eliminate European Jewry (The United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum, 2012).
As evidenced in Johnson’s (2006) summary, it is easy to be “off the hook”, look the other
way and deny that something exists. In the same way, by blaming the Jews for Germany’s
problems, Hitler and his forces were considered “off the hook” for any of the dehumanization
and oppression that took place. Jews were labeled as a minority and as Ogbu and Simons (1998)
insist, it was not because they were less in number, but because they were powerless. Simply
stated, Jews were stripped from their freedom and similar to Freire’s (1993) points of view were
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 35
no longer treated as humans, and there was no longer a place for them to exist in Germany.
Blumenfeld (1993) documents how the oppressed soon questioned their own sense of identities
by seeing themselves through the lens of the dominant group. Schlosser (as cited in Blumenfeld,
1993) makes a comparison that “Christian religious dogmatism contributes to persons from
minority religious groups feeling that their religious identity is not valued, and subsequently,
they feel discriminated and oppressed because of their religious group membership” (p. 199).
Although Judaism connected the Jews through a common religion and ethnic identity,
many were also German citizens. Ott (as cited in Chávez and Guido-DiBrito, 1999) references
ethnic identity as “a frame in which individuals identify consciously or unconsciously with those
with whom they feel a common bond because of similar traditions, behaviors, values, and beliefs
and assumptions” (p. 42). According to The USC Shoah Foundation (2005), any Jew who chose
to identify with the Germans through assimilation or converting to the dominant culture had no
protection. In fact, Hitler did not see them as members with cultural ties of multiple cultural
environments (Bennett, 2001). Anti-Semitism grew rapidly and Jews were not only told they
were dirty, sick and useless, but they were required to wear the yellow Star of David on their
clothing as a form of separation (The USC Shoah Foundation, 2005). According to Freire
(1993), oppression exists when one group denies the other group from pursuing self-recognition.
As anti-Semitic propaganda began to circulate, the Jews began to believe their oppressors and
question their own self-worth.
The Final Solution
Nazi propaganda portrayed the Jews as spreading vermin and other diseases in Germany.
School children in occupied Poland were told that Jews were health threats who carried lice and
typhus (The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012). Through the use of anti-Semitic
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 36
and pro-Germany propaganda, and as a means of deceiving the world of Germany’s real
intentions, the Jews became scapegoats for all of Germany’s problems (Caplan, 2004). It was
impossible for Jews to defend themselves. They were transported to Nazi extermination camps
and put to death by lethal gas and other means, and their bodies were thrown into open graves or
were burned in ovens (The USC Shoah Foundation, 2005). Collier and Pedley (1993) illustrate
that “the oppressed, who have been shaped by the death-affirming climate of oppression, must
find through their struggle the way to life-affirming humanization, which does not lie simply in
having more to eat” (p. 50). The Final Solution was Hitler’s guarantee that by enforcing the
systematic extermination of all Jewish populations, Europe would be free of all Jews (Cornell &
Hartman, 2007).
Towards the end of the war, some Jews began to fight back by way of organized
struggles or resistance against the Nazis (The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum,
2012). Some Jews hid themselves to conceal their own identities, some were hidden by non-
Jews known as righteous gentiles, and some Nazis risked their lives with moments of human
kindness (The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012). By comparison, in the Native
American population when oppressors cornered villages, resistance in the form of violence was
seen as a heroic act and direct confrontations were unavoidable (Stefano, 1996). In addition,
resistance from African Americans during slavery took on different form. There were day to day
acts of resistance, economic bargaining, running away and outright rebellions (Lovejoy, 2012).
Oppressive systems create situations where other members of society can merely look the
other way, stay silent and pretend that nothing bad is happening. These acts of taking the path of
least resistance make bystanders just as guilty as those who are actually giving the orders to
dehumanize their victims (Johnson, 2006). In other words, those in the White dominant culture
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 37
who witness acts of racism again minorities often remain silent in their everyday privileged life,
but they are really part of the overall problem as well (Johnson, 2006). This was evident as
many churches in Nazi Germany, Europe and across the globe chose to remain silent about the
persecutions (Lawrence, 2005). Some who were aware of the torture and starvation and mass
murders took little responsibility and simply became bystanders to what was taking place.
As an example, Pope Pius XII did not take a stand against Adolph Hitler during WWII,
because he feared that the Vatican might become a target if the church voiced any kind of
disapproval against the Nazis (Lawrence, 2005). However, the Pope did speak in general terms
of injustice and secretly sheltered a number of Jews asking diplomats to help them as well
(Lawrence, 2005). Ultimately, what was at stake here was the lack of accountability, and as
suggested in Johnson’s Privilege, power, and difference (2006), “passive oppression is a way to
let it happen and simply do nothing about it” (p. 106).
While it is true that Pope Pius XII did not support the Jews during WWII, there is
evidence that the Vatican II created the Nostra Aetate in 1965, a document repudiating anti-
Semitism and encouraging interfaith dialogue (The U.S. Congressional Record, 2005, p. 25792).
Documentation from The U.S. Congressional Record (2005) describes the Vatican’s intentions to
enrich and further promote mutual understanding and respect for each other’s religious
traditions. The Nostra Aetate “affirmed the respect of the Roman Catholic Church for Hinduism,
Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism and called upon the Catholics to engage in dialogue and
cooperation with the followers of other religions” (The U.S. Congressional Record, 2005, p.
25792). Equally important, in November 2013, The Holy Father Pope Francis addressed those
gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City with a strong message about Kristallnacht (night of
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 38
the broken glass). Kristallnacht was the result of the 1938 Versailles Treaty and a precursor to
WWII (The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012):
Today is the 75th anniversary of the so-called ‘Kristallnacht’, the night of
violence against Jews, their synagogues, homes and businesses [in Germany and
Austria] November 9-10, 1938. It marked a sad step toward the tragedy of the
Shoah. Let us renew our nearness and solidarity with the Jewish people, our big
brothers. And we pray to God that the memory of the past, the memory of past
sins help us to be ever more vigilant against every form of hatred and intolerance
(Pope Francis, 2013, p. 1).
Humans are not born prejudice and are taught through social influences and personal
experiences. Bennett (2001) claims that inaccurate and faulty information is taught and these
expressions of judgment become the norm for behavior. Bennett (2001) states that children are
taught through socialization to speak inappropriately and unfortunately, it is difficult to change
how children are socialized at home in the family unit. Along the same lines, Johnson (2006)
presents evidence that people are not bad, but are taught as children to hate and discriminate
against those who appear different and have strange habits and behaviors. Johnson (2006)
explores that “I didn’t mean it” often comes close to “I didn’t say it”, or “I didn’t do it” (p. 116).
Most of the time, the real message is “I did it, I said it, but I didn’t think about it” (Johnson,
2006, p. 116). This is illustrated in Blumenfeld’s (2006) explanation that oppressive dominant
cultures take little responsibility for their actions. After the war, balancing liberation with
accountability became a challenge for the survivors. Frankl (1984) quotes, “this time no orders
were shouted at us, nor was there any need to duck quickly to avoid a blow or a kick” (The
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012, p. 1). This began the healing process.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 39
The Aftermath
Liberation in 1945 came with lost lives and suffering. Lessons of survival can be learned
from those Jews who were not selected to die. To begin, survival depended on witnessing what
was happening to others, and having the ability to accept that things would never be the same.
One survivor described that “not only did the barbed wire surrounding Auschwitz tremble and
howl, but rather the tortured earth itself moaned with the voices of victims” (Caplan, 2004, p.
65). In addition, survival depended on having a valued skill, making a friend on the inside or
lasting through another cold winter in hard labor (Caplan, 2004). In short, survival depended on
being liberated and being lucky (Caplan, 2004).
The estimated pre-WWII Jewish population in Europe was 9,500,000 (Hexter, 2012).
Records show than an estimated 5,933,900 Jews were annihilated and an estimated 2,927,900
Jews survived (Hexter, 2012). Freire (1993) says that the oppressed have the ability to conceal
oppression for many years after the fact. As an example, after WWII ended and the liberation
began, the Jews had to deal with the reality of past brutality and dictatorship. At this point, it
was not uncommon for the oppressors to feel abused themselves (Freire, 1993). As Johnson
(2006) clearly explains, those blamed for the injustice are often the survivors while the dominant
culture remains blameless. In other words, some Nazis felt oppressed and held the Jews
accountable and responsible for all of the atrocities during the Holocaust (Johnson, 2006).
Ogbu and Simons (1988) suggest that, “it is a group's history, how and why a group
became a minority and the role of the dominant group in society in their acquisition of minority
status that determines its voluntary or involuntary status rather than its race and ethnicity” (p.
167). Some survivors willingly came to the United States hoping to find religious, political and
educational freedom after the war. Holocaust survivors came to America with resiliency and
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 40
determination to start their lives over with plans to provide an education for their unborn children
(The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012). Jews were voluntary immigrants who
came to America expecting a better life, a better education, economic success and political or
religious freedom (Ogbu & Simons, 1988). This is in contrast to the involuntary immigrants
forced to come to America against their will like the African Americans who were slaves or the
Native Americans who lost their homelands to colonization (Ogbu & Simons, 1988).
For the past 65 years, Holocaust historians have raced against time to record the stories of
survivors while they are still alive and have the capacities to accurately remember events (Ogbu
& Simons, 1998). Attempts have been made at documenting other accounts of oppression in
history as well. For example Swartz (as cited in Connor and Baglieri, 2009) discusses the
importance of documenting the accurate accounts of slavery and African American oppression in
history books. Furthermore, 300 interviewers employed by a federally financed job program
known as the Federal Writers Project questioned 2,200 African Americans in 17 states who were
former slaves between 1936 and 1938 (Lovejoy, 2012). While most were born during the last
years of slavery or during the Civil War, this still amounted to about two percent of all former
slaves surviving at the time (Lovejoy, 2012). The interviews were conducted 70 years after the
end of slavery, so most of those interviewed were in their 80s or older.
Native Americans make claims to their painful history of oppression though oral accounts
and storytelling (Jaimes, 1992). Firsthand accounts include narratives about colonization and the
horrific memories of dehumanization. In some communities, there is no collective memory
because families were systematically separated, children were removed for adoption, and
communities were separated across different reserves and boundaries (Stiffarm & Lane Jr.,
1992).
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 41
More than 52,000 Holocaust survivors have been interviewed through the Steven
Spielberg Project located on the University of Southern California (USC) campus at The USC
Shoah Foundation, The Institute for Visual History and Education, (The USC Shoah Foundation,
2005). Firsthand living testimonies of entire lives of Holocaust survivors have been recorded.
According to David (2012), survivor testimonies are illustrations of who they are as whole
people and not only about the events which took place during the Holocaust. The average
Holocaust survivor today is between 85 and 95 years old, and as long as survivors have the
capacities to remember, they will continue to provide rich data about the principles of good
versus evil and life versus death. Firsthand accounts are real and arguably a most significant
factor in providing evidence of what has been concealed, denied or minimized by those
responsible for this chapter in history.
Unfortunately, there are those who may challenge the fact that the Holocaust really took
place, and these deniers minimize or distort facts about the historical evidence from WWII. As
reported by The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (2012), “Holocaust deniers claim
that Jews needed the ‘Holocaust myth’ to extract huge payments in restitution from Germany and
to justify the establishment of the State of Israel” (p. 1). These deniers may not seem of concern
to some, but they should in fact concern those who learn about other genocides in an attempt to
combat crimes against humanity. There is no denying that the Holocaust occurred as decades of
research surrounding the Holocaust conclusively proves that 6,000,000 Jews were annihilated in
Europe at the hands of the Nazis (The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012).
Prejudice Interchangeable Between Minorities
Culture, which consists of a system of practices with traits, beliefs and values carried on
from one generation to another, has an impact both individually and socially (The USC Shoah
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 42
Foundation, 2005). Cornell and Hartman (2007) define race as a “human group defined by itself
or others as distinct by virtue of common physical characteristics that are held to be inherent” (p.
25), whereas ethnicity is “the unity of persons of common blood of descent; a people” (p. 17).
As illustrated by Ogbu and Simons (1998) no human is genetically superior to another human.
This contradicts the Nazi belief that Jews were singled out as being genetically inferior
(The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012). Victor (2000) quotes Hitler, “if I can
send the flower of the German nation into the hell of war without the smallest pity for the
shedding of precious German blood, then surely I have the right to remove millions of an inferior
race that breeds like vermin” (p. 84). Helms and Cook (as cited in Wilson and Wolf-Wendel,
2005) quote Abraham Lincoln’s opinion of institutional racism, “I am not nor ever have been in
favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races, I
am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of Negores, nor of qualifying
them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people” (p. 237).
In 2012, the Huffington Post released this e-mail that went viral by Harvard law student
Stephanie Grace, which read, “I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that African Americans
are, on average, genetically predisposed to be less intelligent” (Huffington Post, 2012, p. 1).
Through these illustrations Lopez (2003) concludes that today the dominant White society still
makes references to minorities, those with different sexual orientations, women, and the majority
of marginalized groups as being second-class citizens. “White has been the moral opposite of
non-White categories, and there is nothing inherent in Whiteness that produces such a difference;
other groups may make racial assignments that simultaneously define and positively value their
own races (Cornell and Hartman, 2007, p. 30). Cornell and Hartman (2007) discover in their
research that some hold on to their racial identities and are apprehensive about losing
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 43
themselves, while others pay little attention to learning about their roots. Capturing the setting or
history of the time in which something occurred and the significance of the events helps students
understand the evolution of inequality and equality over time. These findings illustrate how
prejudice is interchangeable with other minorities today.
Viewpoints on Pedagogy and Practice
Johnson (2006) defines racism as an “attitude, a collection of stereotypes, a bad intention,
a desire or need to discriminate or do harm, a form of hatred” (p. 104). This definition can be
applied to religious differences in people as well. Johnson (2006) adds that racism touches
everyone and “to assume otherwise is to engage in wishful thinking in a world that doesn’t exist”
(p. 106). Ng and Pak (2007) encourage faculty to teach the histories and cultures of all students,
recognizing that all are to be treated equally and are accepted for their differences and
backgrounds. Gurin, Dey, Hurtado, and Gurin (2002) assert that minority students sometimes
feel discriminated against by the privileged group of students in the classroom. Often, minority
students know a lot about their friends in school and their cultural practices, but few friends
really know about their lives as minorities or their cultural practices (Gurin, Dey, Hurtado &
Gurin, 2002). McEwen (as cited in Wilson & Wolf-Wendel, 2005) points out that “oppressed
groups are frequently placed in the situation of being listened to only if we frame our ideas in the
language that is familiar to and comfortable for a dominant group” (p. 19).
As Freire (1993) points out, diversity awareness cannot take place in a classroom
environment where instructors lecture and students simply deposit or bank information. As
suggested by Fowler (2004), students are encouraged to become full participants in class, ready
to share viewpoints based on evidence backed up with literature and make informed decisions
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 44
through research and reading from different perspectives. Rather than referring to dated books
or out of print publications, students are encouraged to participate in interactive learning, which
includes social networks and digital technology. Instructors will no longer be keepers of
knowledge, but rather facilitators of learning. Digital media will allow students greater access to
a deeper understanding of the universal occurrences of man’s inhumanity to man.
Bialystok (2004) suggests that teaching historical content first before addressing moral
and ethical issues gives students a solid grasp on the genesis of the Holocaust. Once they have
been introduced to issues of mass obedience, rescue and resistance, responsibility, anti-Semitism
and racism, students can approach dilemmas about human behavior. Garber (2004) describes his
methods of teaching about the Holocaust as “alternating between a historical and a thematic
course” (p. 73). From a historical context, students learn about WWII and Nazism, and
thematically, they begin to understand the nature of prejudice, anti-Semitism and mass murder
(Garber, 2004). In an academic climate where Holocaust studies is becoming a field of study,
inexperienced professors or those who focus more on tolerance than the actual events themselves
can seriously compromise the quality of instruction students receive (The United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012).
As Caplan (2004) points out, the bureaucratic killing machines from WWII were created
and run by men. If concentration camps and death camps were built with human hands, what is
to stop mankind from creating the unthinkable again and to run a similar campaign against an
oppressed group of people? With access to new and different technology, which was not
available during WWII, it might be possible for man to carry out acts of prejudice,
discrimination and violence at a faster rate today than in the past. On the other hand, would real
time events seen through social media make a difference in how the world reacts? Evidence
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 45
from NBC Nightly News (2013) reveals that the world did not intervene when Syrian children
were gassed but rather watched as bystanders during this period of oppression in Syria.
Blumenfeld (2006) asserts that students study about the social power and privilege to
understand why oppression occurs. There are times when students do not recognize their
privileged status. They are so accustomed to privilege that they do not recognize it as privilege.
Johnson (2006) refers to the White student as feeling innocent, sitting in denial from any wrong
doing and being free from guilt (p. 107). It is uncommon for a White student to be aware of
Black student inequities on campus, and it is uncommon for a White student to speak openly
about the many privileges received simply by being White. “I am who I think you think I am,”
describes how students shape their own self-concepts based on how they perceive how others
think of them (Cooley, p. 152).
Students find their places on their maps of human geography through diversity awareness
programs, while educators take advantage of the resources available to become institutional
agents for change. Johnson (2006) endorses the assumption that “he acts as though a lack of
conscious intent means a lack of effect, as if saying it was only a joke or only being aware of it
as a joke is enough to make it a joke” (p. 114). Johnson (2006) is quite convincing in his
statement, “all that’s required of most White people is for racism to continue - that they not
notice, that they do nothing, that they remain silent” (p. 106).
Conclusion
“Student affairs professionals appear to be the strongest and most consistent voice in
academics articulating concern for the human growth and development of students” (Evan, et al.,
2010, p. 84). In addition to Perry’s theory of intellectual and ethical development and Gilligan’s
theory of moral development, there are other bodies of rich development theories which focus on
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 46
understanding students with different cultural norms and identities. For example, racial identity
theories shed light on understanding the differences in cultural norms (Evan, et al., 2010). The
critical race theory encourages White students and students of color to share and recount stories
to create a healthy campus climate (Evans, et al., 2010). Ogbu and Simons (1988) also describe
how students share their own histories and use these opportunities in the classrooms to tell their
counter stories in response to the stories being told. Finally, Evans et al. (2010) define the social
identity theory as a tool in understanding backgrounds of students, the development of dominant
and non-dominant identities and why some students are defined as privileged and others are not”
(p.15). “As U.S. society has become more diverse, understanding students from a variety of
backgrounds has become increasingly important, and theories focusing on social identities are
appearing with greater frequency in the literature” (Evans et al., p. 15).
In addition to the Holocaust during WWII, literature analyzes the persecutions of African
Americans, Native Americans as well as other minorities subjected to discrimination. As
evidenced in recent literature, past genocides have occurred in Armenia, Cambodia, Bosnia,
Rwanda and Darfur (Gavin, 2000).
The Civil Rights movement in the 1960s brought attention to the Holocaust by focusing
on the loss of human rights and in the 1970s, the subject of genocide became more common in
academic circles (Goldenberg & Millen, 2007, p. 8). The end of the Vietnam War in the late
1970s brought up issues of moral choices (Goldenberg & Millen, 2007). Holocaust education is
a vehicle for promoting anti-racism and is an instrument to explore the universal issue of
oppression so as not to overlook the deeper problem of racism. According to Holocaust survivor
Elie Wiesel (2012), “whenever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion or
political bias, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe” (p. 1).
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 47
Every genocide is unique it itself, but the Holocaust stands alone from other genocides as
it was the “systematic, bureaucratic, state sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews
by the Nazi regime and its collaborators” (The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum,
2012, p. 1). Studying the Holocaust may be a starting point for educators and students to
understand other genocides and the violations of fundamental human rights. Past genocides are
interpreted through the lens of the Holocaust in order to identify stages and warning signs, which
may help prevent genocides in the future. Learning about the Holocaust may strengthen
awareness of the roles and responsibilities students have in a global world. For this reason,
educators are encouraged to teach students the events leading up to, during and after the
Holocaust and engage in dialogue about man’s inhumanity to man. Future ideas of education
and a pedagogy to benefit all students through active engagement still needs to be explored, but
with the evidence already available, there may be innovative and creative ways to promote
learning so history might not repeat itself. An emphasis on maintaining personal and cultural
identity like many Jews did as prisoners may be an objective for future education. Students
should not be required to give up their religious differences, nor should women be expected to
act like men. Furthermore, students should not be required to give up their racial, ethnic, nor
cultural differences while they choose to participate in the common culture that makes them a
community.
How can an entire people be eliminated without intervention from the rest of the world?
What prevented the prisoners from fighting back? How is it possible for six million people to be
systematically murdered? These questions provide insight into the universal experience by
calling attention to a specific holocaust. Change is difficult but not impossible, and students
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 48
bear the responsibility to respect each other as equal individuals and to find common ground on
which to create a healthy campus climate. Opportunities for creating healthy environments for
moral development contribute to student growth. “Higher level moral thinking and moral
learning across university campuses takes place through programming of diverse social and
intellectual climates” (Evans et al., 2010, p. 117).
Accepting things the way they are is a problem to be dealt with not only at an individual
level but at an institutional level as well. Institutions of higher learning may need to be
accountable for assessing the outcome of student learning and human impact when addressing
this era in world history. Whether students become better human beings or are not open to
change, the challenge for professors and institutional agents will be to “focus on the student
rather than the event and to heighten student’s awareness of ethics, morality and human tendency
towards prejudice” (Garber, 2004, p. 73). Holocaust narratives may need to be kept alive in
order for students to learn from sociological studies how the oppressed and the oppressors
interacted with one another in desperate situations. This can be done through viewing videos and
reading survivors’ testimonies on file at the USC Shoah Foundation. There are limits to what we
understand about Holocaust education and this research may address the particular gap
mentioned in chapter one regarding the current empirical research on how current Holocaust
courses affect student understanding. Some of these unanswered questions and research findings
will be discussed in chapter four.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 49
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
The Holocaust, which took place from the early 1930s until 1945 was Adolph Hitler’s
plan to exterminate the Jews of Europe, along with other groups including Jehovah’s Witnesses,
homosexuals, the disabled and gypsies (The USC Shoah Foundation, 2005). Primarily in Nazi-
occupied Europe, the Holocaust resulted in 11 million deaths, including six million Jews (The
USC Shoah Foundation, 2005). While other groups perished during the Holocaust, the Nazis
systematically designed the elimination of European Jewry. This dissertation is intended to
deepen the understanding of Holocaust education. For college age students to fully understand
discrimination, prejudice and violence, lessons of the Holocaust can be used as learning tools to
teach what is already known, what is not yet known and what still needs to be learned, so history
does not continue to repeat itself.
Records from the USC Shoah Foundation (2006) show that “a total of 371 courses at 45
universities have drawn upon the Institute’s testimonies in over 25 disciplines and fields” (p. 1).
After this generation of survivors passes, lessons about multicultural and human awareness as
well as tolerance, democracy and civil equality may continue to be developed and implemented
by leadership in higher education. This will be in an effort to sensitize college level students to
understand ways to combat crimes against humanity in the 21st century and in the future.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a deep understanding of student experiences
and viewpoints on this topic and to examine ways in which the lessons of the Holocaust might be
used as a template in higher education to promote student learning. Holocaust testimony in
higher education is a vital component of teaching about tolerance and real life diversity issues,
but there is concern that as this generation of survivors passes, the significant lessons of the
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 50
Holocaust will be lost. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (2012), it is
important to study how Holocaust courses are currently used in higher education, and the degree
to which student learning ends with questioning how it could have happened, rather than
focusing on a deep understanding of whether it was an inevitable part of history which led to
legalized discrimination, prejudice, hatred and mass murder.
This dissertation is intended to provide in depth information and detailed insights to
answer the following research questions:
1. How might Holocaust courses in higher education promote student learning, and to
what extent does this learning facilitate emotional awareness and content knowledge
about this part of history?
2. How might college level education alleviate the concern that as this generation of
survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost?
Research Design
The researcher chose to conduct this study on one Holocaust course, during one semester
of the academic year and in only one research university. As defined by Yin (1984), “the case
study research method is an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon
within its real life context” (p. 13). This case study design had no comparison group, so there
was no benchmarking conducted against other like institutions or organizations. Per the
recommendations of Bogdan and Biklen (2007), the names, organizations, and locations were
identified with pseudonyms to protect all respondents during the study. The researcher chose to
study a topic that was interesting and one that would elicit useful data about student learning in
post-secondary education. Finding the research problem that justified the research was the most
difficult task. The protocol of generating questions was an important part of the interview
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 51
preparation, and questions relevant to student learning without bias were developed, so
respondents’ answers were not predictable. The survey statements asked of each respondent
were challenging and intended to encourage meaningful answers. In the initial instructions, there
were no limitations or guidelines given to the respondents.
Sample
Three target groups were selected as the data sources. To begin, data was collected
through purposeful sampling, from three in-depth interviews with students (S1, S2 and S3)
between 18 and 22 years old who were enrolled in the spring 2014 Holocaust course at the
University of America (UOA) and their professor (PROF). Second, three Holocaust survivors
(HS1, HS2, HS3) between 75 and 85 years old were selected from Hungarian and Polish
survivor support groups. Finally, three children of Holocaust survivors (CS1, CS2, CS3)
between 40 and 70 years of age who were recommended by the Holocaust Foundation were
selected for the study. As listed in the spring 2014 schedule of classes, the Holocaust course was
offered through the Jewish Studies Department. Offered as a general education course in social
issues and connected to a mandatory English writing class, the course was open to undergraduate
students on campus through the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
The researcher requested permission to conduct the interviews from both the home
department and the professor of the course. Since the professor’s teaching assistants led the
smaller discussion sections for the course, she deferred to them for student recommendations.
Merriam (2009) suggests that when subjects know the purpose of the study in advance, and they
understand that they have been specifically selected, they are more likely to provide rich data for
the interviewer. Maxwell (2013) also advocates choosing participants who would most likely
answer the research question.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 52
Method
A mixed-methods approach of both qualitative and quantitative instruments was used to
collect and analyze data in order to answer the research questions. Interviews were used to
gather data from these groups. In addition, several observations (OBS) took place, one including
the day a Holocaust survivor attended the lecture as a guest speaker. Finally, a course syllabus
was analyzed as an official document, which listed units of study and topics for the entire
semester (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). The primary quantitative tools used for data collection were
three separate Likert scale surveys. The first survey was completed by 25 of 92 undergraduate
students in the Holocaust course at the beginning of the semester and was closed at 25 surveys of
92 students again at the end of the semester. It was unknown if the same 25 students completed
both surveys. The next survey sample was distributed to 10 Holocaust survivors who still had
the capacity to share their narratives with accuracy. Finally, the survey statements were given to
26 children of Holocaust survivors who had years of perspectives of their own and from their
parents on future Holocaust education. Both methods of research complemented each other.
The collection of qualitative data assisted the researcher in assessing the impact of student
learning, while the collection of quantitative data provided the tools to monitor that impact.
Qualitative interviews were used as a way to assess whether students were learning how
to balance the material between emotions and critical thinking on an academic level and to “join
historical knowledge with individual responses to historical facts” (Goldenberg & Millen, 2007,
p. 1). Drawing on William Perry’s theory of intellectual and ethical development as discussed in
chapter two, students may find themselves in one of the four stages throughout the semester.
They may start by seeing things in black and white and then begin to understand each other’s
differences. They may become aware of human suffering and learn to critically analyze
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 53
supporting evidence in order to form an opinion. In Carol Gilligan’s theory of moral
development, students may learn to conceptually understand the stages of individual survival,
self-sacrifice and the morality of non-violence.
In addition to three student interviews and one interview with the professor of the course,
three Holocaust survivors discussed the importance of teaching this part of history at the college
level now and in the future. Finally, three children of survivors of the Holocaust shared their
opinions from personal, moral and historical perspectives as to why it will be important to
continue Holocaust education. The interviews were conducted using a semi-structured protocol,
with a list of open ended and less structured questions (Merriam, 2009). Questions were
developed to elicit emotions and opinions of the respondents’ perspectives on “how power
relations advance the interests of one group while oppressing those of other groups” (Merriam,
2009, p. 35).
As evidenced by Bogdan and Biklen (2007), interviewers “have to be detectives, fitting
bits and pieces of conversation, personal histories, and experiences together in order to develop
an understanding of the informant’s perspective” (p. 112). The researcher conducted the three
student interviews on the UOA campus and interviewed the professor in her office. Holocaust
survivors and children of survivors were interviewed in the comfort of their homes.
Data Collection
Interview Protocol
According to Merriam (2009), the purpose of an interview in qualitative research is for
the researcher to take the experiences from the respondent’s world and make sense of them.
Data are collected through a purposeful conversation, where the interviewer seeks information
from the respondent (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). Just as important, Bogdan and Biklen (2007)
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 54
point out that the interview can be used alone to gather information or may be combined with
other instruments such as document analysis, observations or other mixed method techniques.
The interview protocol was specifically designed to answer the research questions, which
focused on student learning and the treatment of humankind. First as mentioned in chapter one,
this dissertation is not about the Holocaust. Rather it is an analysis of student learning in higher
education in an effort to preserve the memories and lessons of the Holocaust so “future
generations will live in a democratic society where the fundamental principles - human rights,
democracy, tolerance, multi-culturality and multi-diversity - will be the rule” (Caplan, 2005, p.
12). Second, it is an assessment of how our surroundings shape who we are and how we act as
human beings towards one another. Dexter (as cited in Merriam, 2009) suggests that personality,
skill and attitude of the interviewer are variables in every interview situation.
Prior to each interview, the researcher addressed the purpose of the study including the
data collection and the roles of each participant. Small conversations on various topics took
place in order to create a trusting environment. Following verbal consent from the respondent, a
digital recorder was used to be sure nothing was misquoted. Participants for each of the
interviews received the same questions targeted for their specific group and in the same
sequence. All respondents were given options of returning to prior questions for clarification
and reflection. During the interviews, questions and probes were framed in ways that
encouraged respondents to speak for periods of time uninterrupted. If something seemed
important, the researcher documented it as a marker and returned to it later (Weiss, 1994).
Descriptive and reflective field notes, which included non-verbal and verbal observations,
were taken during and after each interview. They included facts about body language, attitudes
and how respondents were dressed. A field journal with the time, place and purpose of the
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 55
interview was used for further documentation. Electronic data was transcribed by a third party to
a Microsoft Word document for analysis and coding. While student interviews were
approximately 30 minutes in length, the remaining interviews varied in time. All interviews took
place in 2014.
Observation Protocol
Merriam (2009) points out how observations differ from interviews. First, an observation
takes place in the natural setting of the phenomenon, and an interview takes place in a designated
location (Merriam, 2009). Second, observations give the researcher a firsthand account of the
phenomenon as opposed to looking at the world from the perspective of a respondent (Merriam,
2009). To address it another way, Maxwell (2013) states interviews help the researcher
understand from the respondent’s point of view, while observations describe actual events
including settings and behaviors of those being observed.
Merriam (2009) suggests that triangulation be used as a way to govern the type of data
collected when more than one research instrument is going to be used. As an example, field
notes from observations can be used alone to gather information or may be combined with other
strategies such as interviews with transcriptions or documents used as supplementary data
(Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). Maxwell (2013) adds that triangulation is always appropriate in
relationship to a study’s credibility.
There were several observations during the course of the semester, but one in particular
was the pre-scheduled guest appearance of a Holocaust survivor. This purposeful sample
identified student and professor behavior, the behavior of the guest speaker, their relationships
with one another and details about the environment. The researcher recognized some patterns
and themes throughout the survivor’s narrative, and impressions were made through the
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 56
collection of rich data of evidence and clues (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). The observation took
place in the lecture hall at UOA. The room capacity was limited to 100 students, and there were
11 rows of 14 chairs set up stadium seating style.
Bogdan and Biklen (2007) maintain that fieldwork is the place where subjects do what
they normally do, so it may be possible for an observer to come and go and slip in and out
without being noticed or disruptive. Furthermore, it was a good approach for the researcher to sit
back, observe, blend in and become part of the class study (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). The
professor did not take attendance during the lecture, and there was no way to know whether
everyone sitting in the lecture hall was officially registered in the class.
To collect field notes for the observation, the protocol consisted of a chart with columns
for observations and reflections as well as an area dedicated for the setting descriptions. The
chart was created to assist in collecting relevant data and to raise questions about student
learning in the class. This made it possible to go back and forth from observations to observer
comments.
Maxwell (2013) refers to the gatekeepers as those who must be negotiated with in order
to facilitate data collection or observing the class for the study. Bogdan and Biklen (2007)
emphasize that getting permission to conduct the study is the first step. As part of the design of
the study, it was essential to develop a working research partnership and “what you need are
relationships that allow you to ethically gain the information than can answer your research
question” (Maxwell, 2013, p. 90). In other words, as suggested by Bogdan and Biklen (2007), it
is important to establish a good rapport with those who will directly be part of your study, so
they feel they have a hand in your research.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 57
The researcher arrived a few minutes early to observe class on the day a Holocaust
survivor was invited to speak with the students. Descriptive field notes included non-verbal and
verbal observations such as demographic characteristics, direct quotations and observer
comments. Full narrative notes were written down in a field journal directly after each
observation about body language, attitudes and how the respondents were dressed. In addition,
Bogdan and Biklen (2007) suggest that labeling the first page of each protocol as a set in
numerical order, with the time, place and purpose of the observation helps to organize the study.
The class observations were approximately one hour and 20 minutes in duration.
Bogdan and Biklen (2007) recommend that observations only last as long as one’s
memory, so posted observation notes should also be included in this time frame. Likewise,
Merriam (2009) acknowledges that while it is true interviewers are able to play back a recording,
she also reminds us that observers only rely on their memory and notes for rich data. As the
instrument of data collection, the researcher remembered to jot down notes about personal
behavior, dress and conversations with students (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007).
Survey Protocol
In addition to the collection of data received through interviewing and observing, the
quantitative portion of the study involved the use of a survey instrument. Three different Likert
scale surveys were created, each including statements developed for rapid data collection from
multiple sources. Survey statements were used to measure emotional awareness and content
knowledge, which tied back to the research questions. Responses ranged from “strongly
disagree” to “strongly agree.”
As reported by Salant and Dillman (1994), “surveys can be used in a scientific way to
realize the great benefits of interviewing a representative sample instead of a whole population”
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 58
(p. 4). The first survey was administered to 25 of 92 undergraduate students who were officially
enrolled in the Holocaust course at UOA during the spring 2014 semester. Twenty five of 92
students were surveyed again at the end of the semester. Both surveys consisted of the same
statements. It was unknown if the same 25 students completed both surveys. This helped
analyze the learning outcomes for students in areas of emotional awareness and historical content
(Fink, 2013). Students evaluated the course and voiced opinions on whether they would
recommend the course to other students (Fink, 2013).
Questions and probes were carefully framed to collect information to describe a particular
population. The protocol was administered to 10 Holocaust survivors who provided their
perspectives on how to combat crimes against humanity currently and in future generations. The
selection of survivors was a delicate process, since some of the survivors today are in their late
80s and 90s and no longer have the capacity to provide accurate testimonies. Twenty six
children of survivors completed surveys and provided perspectives and viewpoints on the future
of Holocaust education at the post-secondary level.
The survey protocol began with a process for collecting, reviewing and confirming
statements prepared by the researcher. To be sure that the surveys would provide useful
information, the researcher prepared the protocol with two questions in mind: (1) what problem
is the researcher trying to solve and (2) what new information does the researcher need in order
to solve the problem? The statements in the Likert scale surveys were carefully phrased in order
to stay within a particular theme. The surveys were designed as a way to give respondents
opportunities to uncover degrees of opinion ranging from one extreme to the other.
The purpose of the surveys was to obtain data regarding individual or societal knowledge,
attitudes, beliefs, and feelings from respondents (Fink, 2013). All three survey protocols were
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 59
intended to understand a potential impact of present and future Holocaust education on post-
secondary students. The completion of 25 student surveys was requested twice during the
semester from the students, while the other two populations only had to complete the surveys
once. In order to elicit useful data, the focal area of assessment was one of relevance for each of
the three populations. The students were asked questions to determine student learning outcomes
during the semester. Holocaust survivors were asked questions about why the past should
remain a part of the future. Children of survivors provided insights on the lessons they have
learned over the years regarding the future of Holocaust education.
Prior to the actual surveys being available to the respondents, a practice survey was tested
by the researcher as part of a pilot study assignment in an inquiry course required for the doctoral
degree. This was a way to establish validity and to learn how to improve the format, questions
and the scales used on the survey instrument (Creswell, 2009).
For the purposes of this study, quantitative data was collected through a questionnaire
generated through Qualtrics. This survey instrument was designed as a cross-sectional survey to
collect data, which would be reported from all parties involved. In alignment with Creswell’s
(2009) recommendations for creating survey instruments, the instrument included different types
of statements generated from the review of literature and in alignment with the research
questions. Prospective participants were first contacted through e-mail, which included a
summary of the project and a personalized note and an invitation to participate. The student
sample was developed through e-mail addresses provided by the professor of the class.
Holocaust survivors were chosen from the two Holocaust support groups and children of
Holocaust survivors were recommended by the Holocaust Foundation. Once confirmed to
participate, another e-mail was sent with a link to the online survey. A follow-up thank you
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 60
e-mail was sent to participants who completed the surveys. Holocaust survivors were initially
contacted by telephone, and those who volunteered were included in the study.
While some students completed the surveys in the lecture hall, it was difficult to
determine in what context the additional students responded to the surveys. It was unknown
when the e-mails were opened and there was no way to know whether the respondents were
sitting or standing, in a quiet setting or in an area with many distractions. Surveys were not
timed but were prepared to complete in no more than 10 minutes. Other than the initial
instructions, there were no limitations or guidelines given to those who took the surveys.
Data Analysis
Creswell’s (2009) six-step process was used as a model to analyze the interview,
observation and survey data collected. The methodology employed in this research included
qualitative data from 10 interviews with open-ended questions and several observations during a
Holocaust course. Quantitative data included surveying 86 respondents using electronic
questionnaires from three carefully designed surveys dedicated to three specific populations.
Creswell (2013) claims that this mixed methods approach has been used to “broaden
understanding by incorporating both qualitative and quantitative research, or to use one approach
to better understand, explain, or build on the results from the other approach” (p. 204).
What follows is an analysis of collected data and how each step builds on the next step:
Step 1: Organize and Prepare Data
Creswell’s (2009) first step was to organize and prepare the data for general impressions
and analysis. Recordings from the interviews were uploaded to a website where the information
was professionally transcribed. On the official transcript, the researcher was represented as S1
(subject 1) and the respondent was represented at S2 (subject 2). Time was shown on the
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 61
transcription to the exact second. Lines were numbered for future reference and the margins
were formatted with a one inch space on the right side for coding. Field notes were typed and
prepared during and after each interview.
Step 2: Review Data
Prior to coding, the materials provided by the respondents were re-read by the researcher.
The 10 interviews were listened to again from the digital recorder, and the transcriptions as well
as the protocols and field notes from the observations were reviewed. In addition, the researcher
reviewed an official document in the form of a syllabus, which included a list of units of study
and topics and specific perspectives on the Holocaust (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). Data was
reviewed from the surveys to point out similarities that emerged from the respondents’ answers.
Synthesizing brought together themes from the different respondents, which were identified and
coded in final categories.
Step 3: Analyze and Code Data
According to Merriam (2009), a researcher thinks inductively by moving raw data into
abstract categories in data analysis. In an effort to answer the research question, responses from
the transcriptions were reviewed. Language from the actual open-ended questions helped the
researcher organize categories with similar ideas and concepts to create themes (Maxwell, 2013).
In an attempt to analyze the data, surveys were coded in numbers from all of the responses.
Responses were also coded according to categories created from selected participants from each
research instrument to reflect similarities and contrasting views of the data. Salant and Dillman
(1994) suggest that a “master list or codebook be created to keep track of all of the codes used in
the surveys, including the ones that appear on the questionnaires and those that the researcher
added” (p. 180). The first steps were to tally the results, cross-tab for frequency and translate the
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 62
information into percentages. A table was created, which also included general themes. On a
separate piece of paper, a list of words from all surveys was created, tallied and cross-tabbed.
The third step in analyzing qualitative procedures was to begin a detailed analysis with a coding
process (Creswell, 2009). Codes created from the words and content from the 10 interviews
were written in the right margins of the transcriptions.
Step 4: Generate Categories and Themes
Step four of Creswell’s (2009) qualitative procedures was using the coding process to
generate a description of the setting or people as well as categories or themes for analysis. Once
the coding was completed, the researcher went back to the original codes and grouped them
together into larger themes. The purpose was to integrate data from the surveys and gather them
together to interpret and make connections between the responses from the 10 transcriptions
(Glesne, 2011). Responses were not grouped together because they were alike, but more because
they had areas of commonality. Perceptions and levels of involvement from the researcher made
a difference in how the data was coded, so some words were either changed into sentences from
original remarks, or data was condensed to follow the coded categories.
Step 5: Representation of Description and Themes
As described by Creswell (2009), step five described how the themes were represented in
the qualitative narrative. Trends were represented from themes and sub-themes and through
multiple perspectives from the 10 interviewees. Patterns of themes were described in the
narrative from non-verbal language such as laughing and sighing, and reflective data included
observing emotions and listening to the respondents. Rather than relying on memory, data was
provided from the written field notes. Appendices were organized with illustrative visual aids
and tables.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 63
Step 6: Interpretation of Data
Creswell (2009) discussed his final step of data analysis, which is making an
interpretation or meaning of the data. Interpretation of the data depended on reviewing the goal
and assessing whether or not the prompts were worded in such a way to provide meaning. This
depended on the researcher’s perspective, so some of the narrative description came directly
from the observations. Based on prior knowledge in inquiry and assessment, the researcher
made assumptions and drew conclusions about possible action plans. In addition, data
interpretation was referenced from the literature of theories addressed in chapter two of this
study. Theory was useful because it shed insight on how students made sense of information,
experiences and opinions that they might be confronted with in college. After the collection of
data from the interviews, the observations and the online surveys, a report was written to
document findings from each data source.
Ethical Considerations
Interestingly enough, Diener and Crandall (as cited in Glesne, 2011) claim that the lack
of human welfare in the Nazi concentration camps is one factor that led to the formation of codes
of ethics in professional organizations. Ironically, the research for this dissertation is related to
the student learning of ethics and human behavior and is directly related to the treatment of
human beings during WWII. Merriam (2009) reports that qualitative research must be conducted
in an ethical manner in order to ensure its validity and reliability. The names of all participants
were given pseudonyms and it was the obligation of the researcher to respect the privacy of those
interviewed, observed and surveyed (Salant & Dillman, 1994). Second, no information was
published and will not be in the future without the consent of the individuals from whom it was
elicited. Finally, all transcribed interviews were stored in a secure location, and access will only
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 64
be limited to the researcher, the chairpersons and UOA’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). In
addition, the researcher successfully completed the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative
(CITI) required by UOA’s IRB.
Validity and Reliability
There is no guarantee that the conclusions for the study have credibility, but the methods
and procedures helped rule out any validity threats (Maxwell, 2013). “A key concept for validity
is thus the validity threat: a way you might be wrong” (Maxwell, 2013, p. 123). Triangulation
using interviewing, observing, analyzing documents and surveys allowed the researcher to cross-
check data sources against each other to confirm any emerging findings (Merriam, 2009). In
order to validate the study results, the researcher used a mixed methods approach, which
provided a picture of what was going on (Maxwell, 2013). Self-reflection about biases and
theoretical orientation were also strategies in promoting validity and reliability.
Summary
The research methodologies employed during the study were discussed in chapter
three. To begin, this chapter restated the purpose of the study and the research questions as
outlined in chapter one. Justification for the mixed methods approach was presented along with
sampling techniques and criteria for selecting participants. Next, the instruments used for data
collection and the rationales for choosing said instruments were also discussed. Finally, the
study was designed with a mixed methods approach, incorporating quantitative data from an
online questionnaire with closed-ended responses and qualitative data from open-ended
interviews and observations. These protocols evaluated the respondents’ abilities to think
critically, reason analytically, and communicate both verbally and non-verbally. The researcher
in this study relied on both the accuracy and completeness of data from all respondents.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 65
Both the quantitative and qualitative instruments used in this dissertation helped provide
information and “secure the resources to keep Holocaust memory alive as a force for change in
today’s world” (The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2013, p. 1). Chapter four
contains a report and analysis of the research findings from the data collection.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 66
CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS
The purpose of this study was three-fold. To begin, the study was designed to provide a
deep understanding of college level student experiences and viewpoints on Holocaust education.
Through purposeful sampling of interviews, surveys and observations, this case study of a
Holocaust course offered during the spring 2014 semester was conducted at the University of
America, a major tier one research university. The purpose of the study was to identify whether
the lessons of the Holocaust might be used to promote student learning in higher education.
Second, the study was designed to identify and produce rich data from three students,
three Holocaust survivors, three children of Holocaust survivors, the professor of the course and
observations at the Holocaust Foundation and the Museum of the Holocaust. This was to
provide awareness that Holocaust testimony in higher education is a vital component of teaching
about tolerance and real life diversity issues, and to provide data surrounding the concern that as
this generation of survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost.
Providing insight from Holocaust survivors and their children contributed to an understanding
that all people should be treated with dignity, not just because they are human beings, but also
because they are different from one another. Finally, this chapter presented and analyzed the
qualitative and quantitative data collected and reported the findings for each research question
presented in this study.
It is important to study how Holocaust courses are currently used in higher education, and
to the degree to which student learning ends with questioning how it could have happened, rather
than focusing on whether or not it was an inevitable part of history, which led to legalized
discrimination, prejudice, hatred and mass murder.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 67
This chapter will present the findings from four surveys, 10 in-depth interviews including
one from the professor of the course and several observations. It offers a detailed description of
a mixed methods case study of the Holocaust course taught during the spring semester 2014.
The narratives from the one-on-one interviews are divided into themes and sub-themes organized
according to each research question. This is in an effort to offer context and meaning to the
responses provided in the surveys, interviews and observations. According to Bogdan and
Biklen (2007), pseudonyms are used to protect the identity of participants in research studies.
The following table is formatted to emphasize the pseudonyms used for the study.
Table 1
Pseudonyms used to Identify Participants and the Educational Institution
_______________________________________________________________________
Subject Pseudonym Self-Identification

Student 1 S1 Freshman
Student 2 S2 Sophomore
Student 3 S3 Junior

Professor PROF Professor

Observation 1 OB1 Holocaust course
Observation 2 OB2 Holocaust course
Observation 3 OB3 Holocaust course

Holocaust Survivor 1 HS1 Hungarian
Holocaust Survivor 2 HS2 Polish
Holocaust Survivor 3 HS3 Hungarian

Child of Holocaust Survivor 1 CS1 Polish background
Child of Holocaust Survivor 2 CS2 Polish background
Child of Holocaust Survivor 3 CS3 Hungarian background

University of America UOA Case study location
_____________________________________________________________________________

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 68
Rationales for Research Questions
To address the first research question, “how might Holocaust courses in higher education
promote student learning, and to what extent does this learning facilitate emotional awareness
and content knowledge about this period of history”, findings were presented from students who
took the surveys both at the beginning of the semester and again at the end of the semester.
Students responded to the same statements on both surveys. This was in an effort to determine
possible changes in data, which may have occurred during the course of the semester related to
student learning and student outcomes. The study did not address whether the same students
responded to both surveys. To address the second research question, “how might college level
education alleviate the concern that as this generation of survivors passes, the significant lessons
of the Holocaust will be lost”, findings and an analysis of surveys and interviews completed by
Holocaust survivors and children of Holocaust survivors were presented. This was in an effort to
determine their different perspectives on whether studying about the Holocaust in higher
education may have an impact on student learning and outcomes today and in the future. All 10
Holocaust survivors had the capacities to respond to the statements, but only seven were able to
enter their responses on a computer. Three were given hard copies of the surveys, they verbally
responded to the statements, and then their answers were electronically submitted on the
Qualtrics site by a third party.
Research question one was analyzed using quantitative survey results from 25 students at
the beginning and again at the end of the course, three observations of lectures throughout the
semester, qualitative one-on-one interviews with three students from the course, and one
interview with the professor. One observation included a visit from a Holocaust survivor. The
document analysis consisted of the course syllabus, which provided the students with a list of
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 69
units of study, with specific perspectives chosen by the professor for the entire semester (Bogdan
& Biklen, 2007).
Research question two, “how might college level education alleviate the concern that as
this generation of survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost” was
analyzed using quantitative survey results from 10 HSs and 26 CSs and qualitative one-on-one
interviews with three HSs and three CSs. HS1 was a Hungarian female born in 1940 in a Polish
ghetto. Her father escaped and dropped her off at a police station to keep her safe. After the
war, he found her in a convent and identified her from a beauty mark on her hip. HS2 survived
the Warsaw Ghetto after living in one and a half rooms with her parents, uncle, grandmother and
another woman. After a year, the family escaped from the ghetto. HS3 was a survivor of two
concentration camps. She was originally taken to Ravensbrückin, Germany until the Soviet
army moved her to Bergen-Belsen, which was also in Germany. CS1’s parents were survivors of
the Holocaust from the city of Vilnius or Vilna, originally part of Poland and now located in
Lithuania. They suffered as victims of the German invasions in 1939. CS2’s mother was a non-
Jewish Polish survivor of the Holocaust. She was not in a concentration camp, but was on a
forced labor farm where she was raised Catholic. CS3’s parents were both survivors of multiple
concentration camps, including Auschwitz.
The mixed methods approach of triangulating the findings was used in checking for
consistency of findings between the literature, survey data, interview data and observations. A
single researcher conducted this study. The researcher was interested in analyzing the learning
outcomes of college age students in order to assess whether the lessons of the Holocaust promote
student learning for real life situations.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 70
All data was collected between January 2014 and August 2014. By identifying trends
which corresponded to each research question listed in chapter three, this chapter presented the
results of the surveys, observations and in-depth interviews, and presented reflections of the
findings including original insights about what the findings mean. Based on the literature
review, the following two questions have guided this study, the data collection, and the summary
and analysis of these findings.
Research Questions
1. How might Holocaust courses in higher education promote student learning, and to
what extent does this learning facilitate emotional awareness and content knowledge
about this period of history?
2. How might college level education alleviate the concern that as this generation of
survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost?
Description of the Case
The study took place at UOA, a tier one research university located in a diverse urban
city in Southern California. Undergraduate enrollment for 2013-14 was approximately 19,000
students (National Center for Education Statistics, 2014). Students identified themselves as
freshman, sophomore, juniors or seniors in college, ranging in age from 18 years old to 22 years
of age. The female professor was approximately 40 years old and has been the instructor for the
course for four years. Holocaust survivors ranged in age from 75 years old to 90 years old.
Children of Holocaust survivors ranged in age from 50 years old to 60 years old. S1 (female), S2
(female) and S3 (male) were officially enrolled in the Holocaust course during the spring 2014
semester at UOA. HS1 and HS3, both females had affiliations with a local support group for
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 71
Hungarian Holocaust survivors and HS2 (female) had an affiliation with a local support group
for Polish Holocaust survivors.
So as not to presume a narrative from previous knowledge or bias, the researcher relied
on the subjects to provide the master narrative. The researcher relied on thematic threads from
the data analysis, which directed the findings through these themes. Observation data was
collected in three separate lectures from the Holocaust course and from the Holocaust
Foundation and the Museum of the Holocaust. Conclusions were based on the analysis from the
four surveys, 10 face-to-face interviews and the observations from both the lectures and the
museums. Chapter five will include appendices with survey responses from students, Holocaust
survivors and children of Holocaust survivors. It will also include interview and observation
protocols and back-up documents related to the subject.
Data Analysis
To begin, as reported in chapter three, Creswell’s (2009) six step process was used as a
model to analyze the interview, observation and survey data. The methodology employed in this
research study included qualitative data from 10 interviews with open-ended statements, three
observations during the semester and two observations from the Holocaust Foundation and the
Museum of the Holocaust. Quantitative data included surveying 86 respondents using electronic
statements from four carefully designed surveys dedicated to the three specific populations.
Creswell (2013) claims that this mixed methods approach has been used to “broaden
understanding by incorporating both qualitative and quantitative research, or to use one approach
to better understand, explain, or build on the results from the other approach” (p. 204).
Second, Creswell’s (2009) step five described how the themes were represented in the
qualitative narrative. This was implemented by discussing common themes and sub-themes
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 72
through multiple perspectives from the respondents. Trends were represented from the
researcher’s reflective data and from observing emotions and values from the participants.
Patterns of themes and sub-themes were described in the narrative from non-verbal language,
such as laughing and sighing. Rather than relying on memory, themes were also developed from
written field notes, which provided a more accurate data base for the study.
Finally, as mentioned in chapter three, Creswell (2009) discussed the meaning of the data
as the final step of data analysis. Interpretation of the data depended on reviewing the goal and
assessing whether or not the prompts were worded in such a way to provide meaning. This
depended on the researcher’s perspective, so some of the narrative description came directly
from the observations. Based on prior knowledge in inquiry and assessment, the researcher
made assumptions and drew conclusions about learning outcomes. In addition, data
interpretation was evaluated from a literature of theories, which was addressed in chapter two of
this study. Theory was useful because it shed light on how students make sense of the
information and experiences they may confront in college. After the data collection was
complete, an analysis was written to document the findings from each data source.
Findings
The study explored Holocaust education and student learning at UOA. Merriam (2009)
suggests that richly descriptive and comprehensive findings in qualitative research are evidence
based and linked to the coded data. Quotes were also used to provide evidence. To help create a
wide spectrum of data and further identify methodologies and strategies, those selected for
qualitative analysis varied in profile and demography. The intent was to strengthen the
researcher’s findings and highlight potential learning outcomes, which are necessary to promote
student learning.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 73
The survey instrument used for both questions of the study was Qualtrics, an electronic
system with statements, which provided the number of responses and a percentage comparison
from a five point Likert scale survey designed especially for each profile of respondents. This
instrument included responses ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Qualitative data
for the study was produced from 10 open ended interviews, and was transcribed by the
professional organization Transcribeme. Qualitative analysis was conducted using Creswell’s
(2009) recommendations for data analysis, which were presented in chapter three. Observation
data was collected in three separate lectures throughout the semester.
Research Question One
How might Holocaust courses in higher education promote student learning, and to what
extent does this learning facilitate emotional awareness and content knowledge about this period
of history?
The following table is formatted to emphasize the participant sample for question one.
Table 2
Participant Sample used to Answer Research Question One
Participant Instrument Setting Access

Qualitative

Three students enrolled in class Interview Campus Professor
Professor of course Interview Private Office Professor
Class Lectures Observations Lecture Hall Professor
Holocaust Survivor Guest Lecturer Observation Lecture Hall Professor
Museum of the Holocaust Observation Museum Director
Holocaust Foundation Observation Foundation Personnel
Course Syllabus Document ------------- Document

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 74
Table 2, continued

Quantitative

Participant Instrument Setting Access

25 students Pre-Course Surveys E-mail Professor
25 students Post-Course Surveys E-mail Professor

Descriptive Characteristics of Respondents
The following graphs present data from the student population who responded to the
surveys at the beginning of the semester and then again at the end of the semester:

Figure 1. Gender Distribution

Figure 2. Undergraduate Status

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 75

Figure 3. Enrollment Criteria
Description of Themes and Sub-themes for Research Question One
The following table is formatted to emphasize themes and sub-themes coded for research
question one.
Table 3
Coding of Themes and Sub-themes used for Data Analysis in Research Question One
Themes and Sub-themes
Themes Sub-themes

Building Blocks of Oppression Leadership and Power
Fear Factor
Psychological Influences

Educational Strategies for Transformative Learning Dialogue-Lectures/Discussions
Historical/Emotional Contexts
Survivor Testimonies

Cross-Cultural Relations and Promoting Social Justice Cultural Awareness
Diversity and Respect
Prejudice and Discrimination

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 76
Table 3, continued
Hope for the Future Empathetic Awareness
Academic Preparation
Social Responsibility
______________________________________________________________________________

Building Blocks of Oppression
Leadership and power. The false belief that Jews were to blame for the problems of
Nazi Germany was essential in order for Hitler to sustain the oppression and maintain the power
and leadership in Germany. Whether it was Adolph Hitler’s Final Solution of the Jewish people,
Joseph Stalin's programs of political repression, Saddam Hussein’s executions of Iraqi Shiites or
Idi Amin’s countless human rights violations, these leaders worked to control or eliminate
something or someone seen as obstacles to their goals. Leaders such as these used the oppressed
as scapegoats or convenient proxies for blame, and with such hatred they caused damage to
individual cultures, societies, economies and foreign relations at a global level.
The researcher found that all three students agreed that leadership and power played a
significant role in understanding the context of the Holocaust. When asked why people follow
and obey a leader like Hitler, S1 explained, “the world was in turmoil, and Hitler humanized the
perpetrators of the Holocaust by getting people to react to him and the Nazi party, and then he
actually ended up coming to power”. In addition, S2 claimed “when people are desperate, they
follow that person automatically because they want everything to be normal, and Hitler was a
great speaker and he persuaded everyone”.
Additional student reflections on Hitler and genocide:
Hitler clearly was a smart guy and believed that the time when he took control was right
because society was at its lowest point. If you really think about that in perspective,
imagine in the 21st century if the economy were to fall apart like we've never
experienced before and the power is uncontrollable. I think people in situations when
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 77
they are paranoid don't know what their future is going to look like, so they just resort to
whatever everyone else is doing. If one starts to act a certain way, people follow. (S1)
What I found interesting was how I always thought Hitler was really just the main
person to pass blame, but there were others previous to him. Also, we just learned
yesterday in lecture that France had some ill feelings for a while too. Although obviously
Hitler was the one who facilitated the total annihilation of the Jews, it wasn’t only him. I
think it is a huge issue because people always think it was just this one guy. But it takes
a lot more than one person to create such an event. (S2)
With genocide, I think it's very interesting to get into the heads of not only the
leaders, but also the society that they're leading. It's presented in such a way that you can
see the general transitions of how Hitler comes to power and how each little step pushed
him further up into the political ranks. (S3)
As noted in Figure 4, the survey results indicated that at the beginning of the semester,
48% of the 25 students who completed the survey disagreed (16%) and strongly disagreed (32%)
that “oppression is necessary to strengthen a country’s government”. This was compared to 64%
who disagreed (28%) and strongly disagreed (36%) by the end of the semester. The data revealed
a 16 percentage point increase in the percent of students disagreeing with the statement at the end
of the semester compared to the beginning. The results also denoted that at the end of the
semester, 0% of the students strongly agreed and 16% of the students agreed with the statement.
Sixteen percent of the students surveyed at the end of the term still believed that “oppression is
necessary to strengthen a country’s government”.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 78

Figure 4. Responses to Survey Statement 4
Hitler’s fanatical proclamations of racial anti-Semitism were not enough to systematically
exterminate all of European Jewry. He also depended on the Nazi regime to help create the
stages of oppression which eventually led to the Final Solution of the Jewish people. His
charismatic leadership resulted in loyalty from the German people. It was only in the aftermath
of WWII that the world understood the magnitude of his leadership and power.
S1’s observation on leadership and power in the United States today:
I think that, especially in terms of government, America gets very threatened by others,
especially with China because it has become such an asset to manufacturing all kinds of
stuff and I think that economically, it is a huge threat to America. We just went through a
major downfall in our economy and if we go through a downfall again, I think in times of
despair, everyone would pick and choose who to blame. I feel like in the U.S., it would
somehow deal with the economy because people are so crazy about money and success.
Fear factor. In Nazi Germany, a fight or flight phenomenon existed for those who tried
to survive Hitler’s leadership. There were those who ran for their lives, and there were those
who fought for their lives. Unfortunately, there were also those who were unlucky and died at
the hands of their brutal leaders. Some feared that if they spoke out of turn, it would mean death
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 79
for themselves, their families and their neighbors. Many lived with sheer terror in anticipation
that terrible things would happen if they spoke out. Some were so afraid of Hitler that they
simply conformed and kept quiet.
When asked how a modern society could carry out a systematic murder of a people, S2
suggested that “everything came down to fear because of the unrest and political crisis and
people were afraid of the future, but in Hitler they saw an opportunity for hope”. S3 insisted that
the “German citizens were so fearful and so brainwashed, and no one was going to stand up to
the Hitler regime without an organized backup”. All three students expressed that personal
safety became the driving force behind obeying authority:
I think people obey authority and follow what everyone does because when they're going
into a vulnerable situation that they’ve never been in before, they just fall back on what
everyone does because they don't have enough strength to really carry forward and
believe in what they once believed in. I think everyone is just trying to save themselves
before saving others. (S1)
According to S2, “the reason so many people didn’t disobey the Nazis, the reason why
more Jews weren’t saved, the reason why there weren’t more rebellions, was because people
were so afraid that there would be repercussions to whatever they did”. S3 agreed that “today
when there is a struggle, people fear for themselves and their loved ones and hold on to hope”.
S1 also recognized the difficulty of this situation, “it’s hard to put yourself in that position but I
could absolutely see the reason why my family might do that, and I would not want to see my
children sent to a concentration camp or pretend to be non-Jewish to survive”. According to S3,
a person’s upbringing had a lot to do with it, “if your parents or your community from when you
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 80
were younger drilled into your head to avoid the police or something like that, then you’re less
likely to obey them because you have not been brought up this way”.
During the interview, S2 explained, “in some ways the class has made me nervous about
the world”. She added, “I know that there have been systematic genocides since the Holocaust
with lots of hatred” and “as long as Al-Qaeda exists, there’s still extremism”. She expressed
concern, “just because Hitler started out as someone who was not really respected or recognized,
he had such a high influential power that people followed him rather than go up against him” and
“I think that if there was another leader that was that strong with the growing technology that the
world has, it could be even worse”.
S3 admitted that he has “always recognized Hitler with fear - not hatred really, but it’s
not understanding how someone could be a whole new level of an awful person”. He claimed
that “Hitler was very persuasive and very kind to his own people”. On one hand, he noted that
some people “wrote him letters and asked him to be their son’s godfather, asked for advice and
joked with him”. On the other hand, he claimed “Hitler was ruthless to the people he didn’t
like”. In addition, S2 expressed that “saying the wrong thing often led to severe punishments
and sometimes even resulted in death”. S3 agreed that there was “intense fear” and even though
he knew it was not happening to him, it was difficult to, “imagine myself as a Jew in the streets
having to watch what was happening and not be able to predict my future”. Finally, he described
the one who showed no fear as saying, “it’s never going to happen to me, so I’ll just stay quiet”.
As noted in Figure 5, the survey results indicated that at the beginning of the semester,
20% of the 25 students who completed the survey responded that they strongly agreed (4%) and
agreed (16%) that “people by nature walk away when they witness someone being hurt”. This
was compared to 76% who strongly agreed (32%) and agreed (44%) by the end of the semester.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 81
The data revealed a 56 percentage point increase in the percent of students agreeing with the
statement at the end of the semester compared to the beginning. These statistics indicated that
course content had a direct impact on the student understanding of human reactions.

Figure 5. Responses to Survey Statement 5
Psychological influences. S1 shared her perceptions of the psychological influences that
surround Holocaust education:
I think that the psychology of it is probably the most important thing. In studying human
nature in general, I know that we’ve talked about different psychological studies, and this
study is about obedience and how people were willing to follow authority, just because it
was authority. That’s the way human nature is kind of brought up.
S2 shared her in-depth understanding of self-worth:
I’m kind of a pacifist, so personally, I don’t understand it. I guess, as far as I’ve learned
so far, some people just have this very intensive view of their own self-worth and their
people’s self-worth. I don't understand why. If you think you’re superior, does that
mean you need to destroy everyone else? But through their lens, if they want to go off
the deep end with extremism, then that’s their own psychological thing going on.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 82
When asked why she took the course, S1 responded, “I researched a little bit on what the
class actually covers and it’s more about the psychology of everything and about the dynamics of
societies” and includes “Hitler and the entire world, kind of placing it together like a puzzle,
and it just seemed really interesting”. Now that she has attended the class, she added “we’ve
just been learning about the psychology of the society and about the economic and political
factors with Hitler” and “I feel disturbed because I see room for it happening, not on the same
level, but for leaders that are similar to rise up today”.
According to S1, “lectures included the psychology of people and how people come to
make decisions”. S3 added, “we haven’t gotten into really specific people as much in the class
yet and about who may have stood up against him”. He noted, “I’m not a psychology major, but
I'm sure it has to do a lot with logic”. As an example, S1 argued, “I don’t always want to listen
to campus police because it doesn’t make sense all the time” and “I’m more willing to respect
them when I see that it actually makes a difference versus when they're just telling me not to ride
my bike somewhere”. In other words, S1 points out that “the education you get when you’re
younger has a huge impact on the rest of your life” and “the upbringing and environment one
grows up in and the way you have this preconceived notion about things you were taught from
your parents affects whether you will obey or not”. One Jewish student in particular talked about
her family, and the memories at home speaking about the Holocaust:
I don’t understand why the Nazis did what they did, but I understand why the citizens did
what they did, because if it were my family, and I were being told, ‘you do what I tell you
or I’m going to kill your mother, and kill your brother, and kill your whatever’, I might
feel like I had to do what they asked. (S2)

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 83
S2 added, “I think that it is definitely easy to be persuaded when everyone around you is
being swept up in an idea or in an ideology”. She claimed, “it’s easy to lose sight of your morals
before that ideology comes out, especially because anti-Semitism has been so rooted in German
culture”. To better illustrate obedience, S1 reflected back on learning about the famous Milgram
experiment and “how he told people to give electric shocks” and that “even though they weren’t
electric shocks, those being told didn’t know that and they still did it”. She expressed concern
that “even though they knew there will be no consequence, they were willing to follow authority,
just because it was authority”.
As noted in Figure 6, survey results indicated that at the beginning of the semester, 80%
of the 25 students who completed the survey responded that they strongly agreed (24%) and
agreed (56%) that “studying about the Holocaust may be a starting point in education for
students to understand about fundamental human rights”. This is compared to 88% who strongly
agreed (48%) and agreed (40%) by the end of the semester. The data revealed an eight
percentage point increase in the percent of students agreeing with the statement at the end of the
semester compared to the beginning. Results from the surveys did not show a major increase in
learning outcomes, and it may be possible that the majority of the students began the semester
with somewhat of an understanding of fundamental human rights.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 84

Figure 6. Responses to Survey Statement 6
Students were asked if Jewish students related more to the course content than non-
Jewish students. S3 thought it was “just going to be a course about the Jews, but I actually
determined that the course covers a lot of psychology discussing Hitler and the psychological
influence he had on the world”. To put it another way, S1 added, “it’s basically learning about
human motivation and human behavior”, but she also confirmed that “some students shy away
from taking the class because they believe that the Holocaust class is something that’s just for
Jews and if you’re not Jewish, why take the class”? She suggested that maybe “rephrasing the
name of the course would make students want to take the class” and expressed “my roommate
who is Christian is taking the class with me and she had no idea about any of it”.
S2 noted, “in my discussion section, our TA actually asked us all individually why are we
taking the course and there were about four out of about 20 people in my discussion section who
said it was because they were Jewish”. According to S2, “this is not to say that those who
weren’t Jewish didn’t want to learn more as well about something that they just didn't know
about”. S1 insisted, “I’m taking it because I needed a general education (GE) course in social
issues” and “I was already interested in the Holocaust to begin with, so I figured that would be
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 85
the best option for me to take as a GE requirement”. On the other hand, S3 agreed that “those
non-Jewish students who take the class and who have little background of the Holocaust learn a
lot about the broader idea of genocide”. He maintained that "there are genocides going on
everywhere and anywhere”, and he claimed how important it is “to recognize that genocide
could happen in America, even though there is a notion that it would be impossible”.
One Jewish student admitted, “I was thinking that I probably knew everything about the
Holocaust, but there is more to it”. She continued, “I researched a little bit on what the class
actually covers and it's more about psychology of everything, not only about the Jews”. S3
admitted, “I am a Jewish student here on campus and I honestly didn’t know a lot about the
Holocaust before this class”. He explained, “although I knew a little, I just kind of wanted to
learn more about something prevalent in the history of my people”.
I remember there was one question where one person asked, why have Jews been
persecuted for so long? Why the Jews; why not any other group? That really caught my
attention because I never thought about it. And as we go through this course, we’re
learning about the different events in history that led to that, but I never really thought
about, or I never found an answer I guess, to the reason why Jews have always been
persecuted, and it’s one thing that I’m trying to figure out in this course. (S2)
PROF expressed her feelings with a degree of certainty:
I don’t think that the Jewish students necessarily have that much of a better background
than the non-Jewish students, because I think much of the information students come in
with is through media. I think some Jewish kids feel a connection to the subject, because
of their past, or because of their families. The Jewish kids also come in thinking that
they’re just going to hear about the extermination and the gory details and they’re rather,
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 86
surprised, and hopefully pleased that we’re actually doing a lot of prelude, and trying to
understand context, and ideas, and politics. My goal is that the students don’t treat this as
sort of a morbidly fascinating period of history any longer, but they actually have a lot of
tools to understand how it happened.
Ultimately, what is at stake here is whether students, Jewish or non-Jewish, choose to
take a course on the Holocaust. According to S1, “I guess that if there is genocide to learn about,
it should be the Holocaust because it was the biggest one and there is value is studying about
mass murders”. She added above all, “it’s good we are not required, but only encouraged to
learn about the Holocaust”.
Educational Strategies for Transformative Learning
Open dialogue-class lectures and discussion groups. The professor of the university
course might stand at the front of the lecture hall or classroom and speak to students about course
material. In contrast, discussion sections are usually much smaller and are offered once a week
and students have a chance to discuss the course material with a teacher’s assistant. Attendance
may or may not be taken during a lecture, but discussion sections are usually mandatory.
Graduate students often facilitate the discussion sections, and the lectures are usually taught by
lecturers, visiting professors, tenure track or tenured faculty. In addition to exams, reading or
writing assignments given by the professor, students may be required to submit weekly
assignments in discussion sections. There are students who prefer the lecture style environment
and others who thrive better in a smaller group.
There is always the possibility that students come to lectures unprepared and have not
read the texts or articles in advance. This may be because students assume that they only need to
take notes on what the professor thinks is important to know. Discussion sections are smaller
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 87
than the lectures so it is more difficult to come unprepared. If students do not understand the
course material, they can either bring up issues in discussion sections, visit the professor and/or
teacher’s assistant during office hours or study from the actual text.
Through open dialogue, whether during the lecture or in small discussion sections,
students critically evaluated history and the psychology of the Holocaust. They examined how
genocides begin and develop, explored the role of citizens and questioned whether future
genocides are inevitable. Students critically examined historical, political, cultural and ethical
aspects of the Holocaust to understand the long reaching consequences and implications.
They compared their experiences between the large lecture and the smaller discussion
groups. S3 concluded that, “lectures are definitely more lecture style, whereas the discussion
groups are more like group work and our teacher’s assistant will call on us quite a bit”. Just as
important, S1 maintained “I definitely do talk more in the discussion section, but I raise my hand
in class often, because it is the way I express myself in lectures”. She admitted, “I doodle and
write stuff in parenthesis next to my notes so I can remember the facts for exams”. In regards to
the lectures, S2 claimed, “in every lecture, we're really understanding the facts and how people
responded, but then in discussion, we always debrief about what when on in a lecture, and then
we talk about how it made people feel”.
S2 enjoyed the discussions more than the lectures because “there is time to discuss and
go more into detail about how we feel about the text and what it means or how it led to other
events”. On the other hand, S1 noted that, “I’ve always been the type of learner that prefers a
lecture setting and I like talking about my opinions, my beliefs, and I like hearing what other
people have to say”. S3 argued, “well, I’ve never talked in lecture and I don’t think I ever will,
because there are too many people, and I’m more comfortable in a discussion setting where
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 88
everyone is sitting in a circle”. By the same token, he wished, “that my discussions were with
the professor herself” because “I never have the opportunity to react to her about the texts.”
Lectures were also venues for open dialogue. S3 commented on a situation when a
student challenged the professor, “there were a couple kids in my class who are obviously the
know-it-all, very strong opinions, playing devil’s advocate”. He continued with, “they were
bringing up information that was irrelevant, or bringing up different information about other
genocides or stuff that we weren’t talking about”.
On a different occasion, S1 remembered, “a really sarcastic student, and I think it’s
because she’s studied the Holocaust to such a great depth that she thought she know more than
us”. S2 shared, “one time in discussion section when we were studying the ideology of Hitler, a
student said things in a funny way to try to make us laugh about the horrible situation”. She
continued with, “not everything has to be so deep and so heavy, but I feel that especially since
my family was affected, you just don’t go around and say to kill everyone”. In other words, she
expressed that, “those are people’s lives that you’re talking about, and that’s not really something
that you would joke about”.
S1 indicated, “the lectures could have been more engaging and we are basically now the
torchbearers of telling people what happened and this class has endless opportunities to make us
understand”. She suggested, “instead of having the same format every single week which is
typical of most lectures, maybe we could try and mix it up a little with a piece of theater, a piece
of art - I don't know, maybe a trip to the USC Shoah Foundation”.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 89
Historical context and emotional context. Historical context and emotional context
were important sub-themes as they were directly related to research question one. One question
under examination was, “do students only begin to comprehend the tragedy of the Holocaust
after they give consideration to the sequence of events which led up to the Final Solution”? A
second question under examination was, “do students need to examine WWII in its larger
context or primarily focus only on the acts of oppression”? The data revealed that both the
history of anti-Semitism in the world and the power which led to the annihilation and persecution
of the Jews were examined.
PROF’s perspective on teaching the Holocaust to college age students:
It is one of the most important markers of the 20th century history and development, the
Holocaust is a profound study—and is really compelling to a lot of people, because of its
historical significance and the emotion that it adheres to. I think people are genuinely
interested in the subject. Although the subject matter has an emotional element, my
approach is non-emotional. My predecessors would get up, and they would cry as they
were lecturing to students. People can have their own feelings, but it’s just not a good
approach to take in an academic setting. As long as the material is presented with enough
feeling and passion, then it’s meaningful.
Students responded to the historical content in the class:
By the end of the sixth week, we weren’t even talking about the Holocaust. We were
talking about Germany, and the conditions in Germany and the conditions in Europe
before the Nazis came to power, and how those facilitated the up-and-coming Holocaust.
Then we talked about what happened post-Holocaust in other parts of the world, so I
think it gives a good and broad context. (S1)
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 90
The assigned readings in the New Testament, Gospels of Matthew and John, were
important so when the professor explained that the Christians blame the Jews for the
crucifixion of Jesus, it helped me to understand more clearly where the anti-Semitism is
rooted. (S2)
In every lecture, we learn more and more facts. I never knew anything about the
Holocaust or World War II, and now I am learning new ways of thinking. The course has
only a slight emphasis on the Jewish religion, and instead it focuses on the general human
behavior of human beings. (S3)
In addition, S3 communicated, “we’re learning about specific dates, specific people that
not only facilitated the Holocaust but also specific people who helped Jews in the Holocaust”.
He continued, “we are learning about people who historically motivated Hitler and the Nazi
ideas of racial ideology”. S2 was surprised at the “complexity of the Holocaust and the course in
general”. She never knew “there were so many perspectives and opinions”. To her, “setting up
context in order to understand the facts is the only way to learn about the Holocaust”. In
addressing why studying about the Holocaust is relevant today S3 claimed “there are still
marginalized people all over the world, maybe not at the genocidal level or by that definition, but
still enough that there's a leader who is too obsessed with his own views of how the world should
be, to be able to recognize he’s hurting his own people”.
Initially, S3 was hesitant to take the class because he was sure it was going to be about
the, “numbers of who died, where and what year during World War I to World War II”. He
admitted to being skeptical because, “I questioned how I could learn for an entire semester about
something that is just about the Holocaust”. Even more important, S1 added that “Hitler is dead
as are a lot of the perpetrators, but I just feel like although it happened and it’s over, it’s still
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 91
lingering on in a lot in people’s lives”. In short, she agreed that “although you can’t have one
class that every student in the university takes, I just feel like it needs to be talked about more”.
When thinking about the lectures, S3 recalled, “I’m sitting in class and I’m writing notes
or just listening to a lecture as if I’m just taking any history class”. He remembered, “once in a
while it will just hit me and it just takes you back and wow, this actually happened”. In addition,
S2 remembered how, “you have this really intense lecture and then you go to math”. She
explained, “it is hard for me, because I like talking about it after and then getting it all out, and
then you’re okay to go on to your next class”. “But, when I get back into class”, she discovered,
“it is kind of like a safe haven for me - and when I get in my seat and open my laptop and open
up a new document to take notes, it feels like I’m experiencing it again and again, which I love”.
The three students commented on the emotional content of the course:
The one thing that I kind of knew about but I was really shocked when I took the class
was the fact that people could just treat each other so badly, and just because someone
looks different, or someone you know believes in a different religion, it's just crazy to see
the length or the measures people will take to fight against this sense of otherness or
something that’s different. I just really took that into my life and try to not see others as
different, but just try to see their points of view so I can broaden my vision as well. (S2)
I think most people know six million Jews and other groups died in the Holocaust.
I also think learning about the Holocaust paints a picture in your head of the ghettos and
the individual death camps and all these images draw more emotion out of you. (S3)
I felt sad a few times, especially when I read the required book Mein Kampf. It
was eye-opening and that there was definitely a ‘heart string’ because my people were
referred to as maggots or vermin. When we watched a few videos briefly and I also have
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 92
seen a few of the propaganda posters and what not, most of it has been negative. I’m not
going to smile and be happy about that. (S3)
It’s just interesting to see the different levels of understanding of pre and post war
in this class. I think everybody has heard of the Holocaust. In our class at least, I haven’t
met people who haven’t, but just with different opinions. People can’t really visualize,
like six million and then the other five million, it's just a very large number. (S1)
When asked if acts of oppression can be transferred to other minority groups, S2
expressed, “well, we talk about other genocides in the class, like the Armenian genocide and a
little bit about the Rwandan genocide”. Just as important she suggested that, “learning about the
Holocaust definitely gives students a broader perspective about genocide, in general, and it
definitely promotes greater awareness”. S3 insisted, “I’ve heard that Cambodia was similar
because of the systematic nature of it, which is very alarming to me”. He maintained that, “it has
a lot to do with peoples’ foreign policies or different countries’ foreign policies of not wanting to
get involved in everything. I think it could be really scary”.
Students were asked about the balance between historical and emotional content:
I believe the course promotes awareness, because I’m sure that people who have taken
this class have either been ostracized, or have felt intolerance in their lives or both-- I'm
sure that everyone has, at least a little bit. I think it is going to make them more aware of
the way that we treat minorities, and the way that we, even if we do it subconsciously, the
way that we judge people. (S2)
I think that from what I’ve learned in this class, the way it’s been done throughout
history is to brainwash - I guess that's a loaded word, but it’s like making the masses
follow an idea that you have like nationalism, for example. Nationalism in America
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 93
sounds wonderful and something that you would be proud of, but there are many things
that come with that nationalism that reflect poorly on America. (S3)
As noted in Figure 7, the survey results indicated that at the beginning of the semester,
72% of the 25 five students who completed the surveys responded that they strongly agreed
(24%) and agreed (48%) that “teaching historical content first before addressing the moral and
ethical issues of the Holocaust gives students an understanding of its genesis”. This was
compared to the 72% who strongly agreed (36%) and agreed (36%) at the end of the semester.
The data revealed a zero percentage point increase in the percent of students agreeing with the
statement at the end of the semester compared to the beginning. In addition, 24% of the students
who completed the surveys were indifferent at the beginning and at the end of the semester. One
interpretation might be that students are looking for a course with answers to the “why and how”
it happened and not just the “what” happened during the Holocaust.

Figure 7. Responses to Survey Statement 7
Survivor testimonies. Listening to a Holocaust survivor’s testimony brings to life what
is learned from the lectures and reading materials. The human experience of the Holocaust is
told in the first person in order to re-humanize the victims as well as make the inconceivable
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 94
more tangible. A survivor’s testimony delivers moral messages of the human suffering from an
eyewitness account uniting personal experiences with history. Through narratives, Holocaust
survivors present moving and emotional testimonies about hope and persistence and human
resilience. These stories emphasize the importance of Holocaust education, so students can
recognize emerging patterns similar to the history of the Jewish people and Nazi crimes.
S3 lit up when asked how he felt about having a survivor speak to the class, “I’d never
really seen or talked with a Holocaust survivor - she said a lot of things about what we’ve
learned about in the textbooks and lectures”. He added, “we were able to hear her personal
account, and not only did it cement everything, but it definitely aroused new feelings”.
When asked if hearing a Holocaust survivor’s testimony added value to the class, S1
suggested, “well, I definitely think that it’s important for students to hear survivors come out and
talk about their experiences, and how it’s just this completely traumatic thing”. She verbalized
how it was “definitely more important to hear directly from a survivor than from a book”.
What follows are more in-depth reflections on hearing a Holocaust survivor speak:
She portrayed an image of herself as a regular person - her childhood and what kind of
person she was. She didn’t just come in and talk about the Holocaust, which I think some
of the students thought was going to happen. She talked about how a normal person, like
us, could be in that situation. I thought that was really inspiring. (S1)
She talked about it from her stories. I just think that was really effective, and since
that whole generation of people who survived the Holocaust is very quickly leaving us,
it’s really important that we focus on the primary sources that we have left before they
are gone. Then, all we can focus on our recordings and visual representations and
literature and stuff like that, which will make it harder to go up against deniers. (S2)
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 95
S3 remarked, “I think it was so awesome for the class, especially since the Holocaust
happened in the 1940s, and the people who remember are very old by now”. Second, he
recognized, “they must have a strong will to live and their testimonies become a service to
society”. Next, he suggested to those people who have not met a Holocaust survivor that they
should because, “they are all dying and they have amazing stories to tell”. In short, “they are
here now and some still can tell their stories, so take advantage of the experience while you can”.
The fact that she became a therapist afterwards is so unbelievable, because for someone
who went through the traumatic events that she went through and to be depressed through
periods of her life and to come out the other side and try and help other people with their
problems is something that I think is just incredible. (S1)
Obviously hearing about the things that she had to say, like seeing children's
heads get smashed into walls, that’s something that you could tell when you’re in lecture
that all these students are taking this in. They’re like ‘is she kidding?’ or ‘is that true’?
There is information that she leaves out, but you're able to understand based on what
she’s talking about. I think it so important to listen to Holocaust survivors because
you’re learning even more than what they’re talking about, and you’re gaining a broader
context based on what their lives are like. (S2)
As noted in Figure 8, results indicated that at the beginning of the semester, 40% of the
25 students who completed the survey responded that they strongly agreed (8%) and agreed
(32%) that “Holocaust survivors have an obligation to share their experiences with others”. This
was compared to 72% who strongly agreed (32%) and agreed (40%) by the end of the semester.
The data revealed a 32 percentage point increase in the percent of students agreeing with the
statement at the end of the semester compared to the beginning. Although no one can decide if a
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 96
Holocaust survivor is obligated to share stories, evidence from the data revealed that the guest
speaker had a great impact on the students.

Figure 8. Responses to Survey Statement 8
OBS2 was not an ordinary lecture, but a special presentation from a Holocaust survivor
who escaped from the Warsaw Ghetto. She put the students at ease as she told her story and
explained to the students that “the Holocaust is part of my history, and I am able to share my
story with others because it is ingrained in me”. She ended her narrative by giving an emotional
charge to the students, “listen to survivors who are here to let the world know….not only about
the Holocaust, but about the many lessons of survival and the strength we all have inside of us”.
S2 remarked, “every time I hear a Holocaust survivor, it’s so incredible to me the things
that everyone’s gone through, especially the woman who came to visit my class”. The professor
spoke about seeing and hearing Holocaust speakers and “making it real and relatable”. She
concluded, “I think the closest you can get trying to imagine it is to see it through a real person’s
eyes. It helps, it makes it real, and it helps them imagine”.
In contrast OBS1 was a lecture, which included descriptions of the sterilizations,
experiments and torture of innocent people. When students heard how the Nazi leadership not
only encouraged this behavior, but also had the power to enforce it, some were visibly disturbed
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 97
by what they heard. The need to balance between the emotional and historical contexts should
not be minimized because it is important for students to study the full picture.
Cross-Cultural Relations and Promoting Social Justice
Cultural awareness. Developing sensitivity for other ethnic groups increases awareness
of other cultures and a better understanding that all people are treated as individuals. Assuming
that one way is wrong and one way is correct only adds blame in cross-cultural environments.
Finding things in common with those who have different traditions and customs instead of
jumping to conclusions is a way to build cultural knowledge. One person’s meaning of
something does not always make sense of another’s reality.
Students were asked to comment on their individual responsibilities for respecting
another’s culture. S2 claims that “in order to respect another culture, a person must first have
cultural awareness”. She added, “not everyone is the same and because someone is different, it
does not make them a bad person”. S3 argued that he “has never felt any bias and although I’m
sure it is there somewhere inside of me, it has always been a non-issue for me because it’s not
that important to me”. S2 suggested that “there is a strong international presence at my
university, and although I do not attend many cultural events, I recognize the need to see
similarities in the community”. She insisted, “there are plenty of different groups and plenty of
different cultures on campus, so it is important not to use stereotypes but try to see everyone as
equal, respect everyone’s opinions and just really be open to everything else”. S2 candidly
remarked, “it’s definitely kind of opened my eyes really to see that racism throughout history has
been just – it’s really been subjective and how do I say this - just that no one group should really
dominate over another”.
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S3 discussed the concern over dominant cultures on college campuses. During his
interview, he elaborated on how a student may feel, “a lot of students are afraid of what they
don’t know, and that if you go to a school that’s 95% White versus 50% White, then your
viewpoints are going to be different. We all grow up differently”.
S1 was reminded, “people may not fully understand what other people are or what they
practice or believe, but it’s just got to be with mutual respect and with an open mind”. She also
added, “as far as an individual approach to other cultures, I don’t know. I think that every other
culture involves something different that people learn to accept and that’s perfectly fine”. On the
other hand, S3 reports, “I think that cultures are very different. There are practices, beliefs or
just ways people interact that another culture just would not understand in the slightest. He
noted, “I think it’s the responsibility of one culture to understand that you can’t immediately
judge a different culture based off of your opinion”.
When asked about freedom in America:
I’m the type of person who’s very strong in my opinions and strong in my beliefs. I’ve
always been pro-Israel, but I don’t see the need to challenge other people if I know that I
just don’t agree with them. Their rallying doesn’t hurt me. Their rallying isn’t going to
make Israel not a state. It’s not really necessary for me to challenge them unless they’re
doing something that’s directly harming me, or directly harming people I care about. (S2)
On the other hand, she argued that it could be potentially harmful:
I think that obviously at the University of America, we’re such a diverse body of students
and we’re such a diverse community of intelligent people that we should know how to be
tolerant and how to respect other people. The other day there were students having an
anti-Israel rally with huge posters. I didn’t know why they were able to do that and why
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 99
that was acceptable. Why is the university letting students with this incredibly biased
perspective rally on campus? I think that even though we can try and be respectful, there
are always things that go right up to the line of what’s acceptable even on a college
campus. (S2)
As noted in Figure 9, the survey results indicated that at the beginning of the semester,
72% of the 25 undergraduate students who completed the survey responded that they strongly
agreed (28%) and agreed (44%) that “interfaith dialogue will help build a deeper understanding
of the issues that divide and unite us”. This was compared to 68% who strongly agreed (28%)
and agreed (40%) at the end of the semester. The data revealed a four percentage point decrease
in the percent of students agreeing with the statement at the end of the semester compared to the
beginning. These results indicated that college age students had a prior understanding of the
benefits of interfaith dialogue.

Figure 9. Responses to Survey Statement 9
Diversity and respect. Examples of human diversity can be found in areas such as race,
religion, gender and cultures. People should not be judged for the color of their skin, their
spiritual beliefs, how they dress or their sexual orientations. Multicultural education teaches
students to respect their own individuality while promoting the respect for others. Exchanging
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 100
ideas through dialogue lends itself to an appreciation and respect of the similarities and
differences among people. Only in an environment where members of a community are valued
for their own perspectives with equal freedom of expression will there be a true support for
diversity and respect for one another.
S3 described her experience, “there are diverse types of foods on campus. Even though
you may not be open to trying the foods, it’s important to respect them and not to jump to
conclusions”. S1 suggested that a “diverse community just means that students on campus need
to learn what other people do”. S2 agreed that learning about ethnicity is relevant today because,
“the physical features such as skin color or ethnicity is the way someone looks”. She continued
and added, “if something is happening on campus, you don’t necessarily need to go over there to
stop it but give them the space and then try to learn about their differences to see where they are
coming from”.
As noted in Figure 10, the survey results indicated that at the beginning of the semester,
80% of the 25 students who completed the survey responded that they strongly disagreed (24%)
and disagreed (56%) that “tolerance and sensitivity is the same for all students”. This is
compared to 80% who strongly disagreed (12%) and disagreed (68%) at the end of the semester.
The data revealed a zero percentage point increase in the percent of students disagreeing with the
statement at the end of the semester compared to the beginning. These statistics may indicate
that college age students had a prior understanding regarding how sensitive and tolerant people
are with each other.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 101

Figure 10. Responses to Survey Statement 10
Prejudice and discrimination. Although prejudice and discrimination often go hand in
hand, they are not defined as the same. A prejudice person reveals a negative attitude towards
individuals and their membership in a social group, but does not necessarily act on it.
Discrimination involves a particular behavior or action towards individuals based on that
attitude. During WWII, the Nazis were prejudice against the Jews and considered them to be
inferior. As an example, Jews were discriminated against when they were singled out and
required to wear yellow stars for identification. The mass murder of Jews in WWII is another
example of prejudice and discrimination. There is still bigotry and hatred in America today, and
there are those who judge others based on their race, religion, gender or ethnicity.
Using the Hispanic community in America as an example:
They’re certainly a minority and even less so in government representation and often get
the short-end of the stick as far as legislation goes, it’s not like genocide-level
persecution or anything but it is an oppression in a sense so just by nature, a minority has
less of a voice. (S1)
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Students spoke about their perceptions of prejudice and discrimination on campus:
I am part of Greek life at the University of America and I think some members
of the fraternity feel like they are the most important people at the university. They look
down on people who are not in Greek life as subordinates and make them feel as though
they cannot be social or make friends if they are not part of my fraternity. (S3)
I grew up in a town that was a complete bubble. Everyone was Jewish, so coming
here was a big culture shock for me. I mean, I never even had a Christian friend before I
came here. I never really spoke to anyone who had black skin; this was totally, different
for me. But I think that this is what everyone needs to go through. I think that here on
campus, 100 % of the students respect each other. I think that people can wear head
dresses and are allowed to practice whatever they want. (S1)
S2 shared a different perspective about prejudice and discrimination at UOA:
There are students that are kind of prejudice towards other groups on campus because
there are so many different values. Everyone is different and everyone has their own way
of thinking. One group is often threatened or feels the other culture is different. No
matter what’s on the line, people are always going to want to do what’s right for them
and not what’s right for anyone else.
As noted in Figure 11, the survey results indicated that at the beginning of the semester,
60% of the 25 students surveyed strongly disagreed (12%) and disagreed (48%) that some
“humans are genetically superior to others” and 76% responded strongly disagreed (16%) and
agreed (60%) at the end of the semester. The data revealed a 16 percentage point increase in the
percent of students disagreeing with the statement at the end of the semester compared to the
beginning. Twelve percent of the students were still indifferent at the end of the course.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 103

Figure 11. Responses to Survey Statement 11
Hope for the Future
Empathetic awareness. Documentation in textbooks and visual presentations and
evidence that the Holocaust actually occurred does not mean that it was an inevitable act that was
destined to happen. It is possible that the Holocaust took place because individuals, groups, and
nations made decisions to act a certain way.
The researcher found that no one but a Holocaust victim can actually feel the suffering
the way a survivor can but through personally felt experiences, students may be able to
empathize with feelings such as sadness, grief and pain. Looking at images or pictures from the
Holocaust may stir up feelings and questions about compassion. Questions such as, “what would
you say if you could speak to a Jewish prisoner” or “what do you think the prisoner would say to
you” or “where is the rest of your family” or “where is your mother” may generate an empathetic
awareness into some of the torture and murder which took place during the Holocaust.
S2 suggested that, “students are the leaders of tomorrow and without empathetic
awareness, there is no personal level to open their eyes about the treatment of minorities
throughout history”. She also added, “I feel somewhat removed and although I understand how
horrible the Holocaust was, I don’t know how I can help except to be aware and empathetic that
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 104
this horrible thing happened”. S3 insisted that the study of the Holocaust is not a happy topic
and “I get nervous when I think about the ‘goose stepping’ and crazy people smiling. I try to
understand how it must have felt”. S2 admitted, “it’s definitely kind of opened my eyes really to
see that racism throughout history has really been subjective and it’s just that not one group
should really dominate over another”.
S1 agreed that “as we go through this course, we’re learning about the different events in
history that led to why the Jews have been persecuted, but I never really thought about or really
put myself in their shoes or never found an answer”. Finally S3 discussed how, “at the start of
the course, the amount of facts and the number of opinions and viewpoints about the Holocaust
are so different”. He claims that, “every week here with every lecture, I start to gain more and
more interest in the Holocaust and learn how the Jews were treated”.
As noted in Figure 12, the survey results indicated that at the beginning of the semester,
8% of the 25 paticipants who completed the survey responded neither agree nor disagree that
“every person is capable of being tolerant and sensitive to others”. At the end of the semester
36% responded neither agree nor disagree. The data revealed a 28 percentage point increase in
the percent of students who neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement at the end of the
semester compared to the beginning. As discussed earlier, indifference can be dangerous, and
even at the end of the semester, more than a quarter of the students still responded neither agree
nor disagree.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 105

Figure 12. Responses to Survey Statement 12
Academic preparation. At UOA, the Holocaust course fell under the general education
category of social issues. This involved examining a case study of something in detail and in
depth and to use the case study as an opportunity to make meaning of the contemporary world in
which we live. Courses in this category are designed to teach students to analyze compelling
local, national and/or international issues or problems. Students developed the basic critical
skills needed to keep open minds and to make meaning of the world.
To begin, S2 noted, “I think it’s definitely important academically to put a more global
context to the whole idea of genocide and to the Holocaust”. She added, “the Holocaust was
seen as this event that was so tragic, and that you can’t imagine what it would’ve been like, even
talking to survivors, it sounds like a story, and it doesn’t sound like it’s real”. It is for this
reason, according to S1, “that it’s important to focus on how these things are still happening in
modern society” and “to acknowledge that even though Holocaust was this seemingly crazy
event that can never happen again, it’s happening currently”. “It’s dangerous” admitted S3,
“how the Holocaust has become a genre, and how fictional books and fictional movies are
created and how it alienates the youth, and they see it as this fictional type of situation”.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 106
S3 acknowledged that “people start to lash out, not just have their ideas, but they start to
act on those ideas”. He added, “when we see one specific group getting hurt, we should start
taking action”. S1 expressed how important it is to study about slavery in America today. She
agreed that, “there’s just a huge part of history that still affects the world today. Slavery is such
an important thing to study”.
As noted in Figure 13, the survey results indicated that at the beginning of the semester,
68% of the 25 students surveyed strongly disagreed (56%) and disagreed (12%) that “it is not
important to re-visit slavery in history courses because it happened so long ago”. This is
compared to 76% of the students who strongly disagreed (60%) and disagreed (16%) with this
statement. The data revealed an eight percentage point increase in the percent of students
disagreeing with the statement at the end of the semester compared to the beginning. Twenty
four percent of the students at the beginning of the semester and 12% at the end of the semester
still responded with neither agree nor disagree. Indifference may be an issue.

Figure 13. Responses to Survey Statement 13
When asked about its relevancy in the 21st century, S1 agreed that “learning facts about
the Holocaust helps me realize that there are a lot of people who want power, even if it’s not the
same extreme as Hitler”. S3 responded, “I’m learning a lot and I like it and it’s very eye-
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 107
opening”. He agreed that the Holocaust, “was a terrible event but it helps me understand people
who want power”. In addition, S2 noted, “there are still mass genocides of people that are still
occurring in third world countries today”. S2 maintained that, “academically, students must be
prepared with facts and knowledge about the Holocaust in order to pass on the lessons in the
future”. S1 argued that, “it is called the Holocaust because it was so big, but there are still a lot
of college students who haven’t heard of it”.
Social responsibility. According to S1, students have a social responsibility to each
other now and in the next generation. She commented that, “everyone has the right to their own
opinions”. S2 described social responsibility as “understanding the many different aspects of
how and why the Holocaust took place” and also added, “if similar trends are occurring now or
in the future, we should try to intervene instead of letting it just play out”. S3 also stated that
“Hitler as an example, started out as somebody who was not really respected or recognized, and
then he had a high influential power and everyone followed him”.
This generation of higher education students has a responsibility to maintain a balance
between social, cultural, economic and environmental issues. Recognizing and accepting
individual and cultural diversity, recognizing and accepting consequences of actions and
decisions and recognition of basic human rights are all components of social responsibility.
With challenges facing their communities and around the world, the hope is that students learn to
be responsible for themselves in order to understand their obligations to be leaders of their social
and political communities.
Responsibility comes with understanding about other genocides in history:
We talk about Darfur. We talk about Rwanda and the Armenian genocide. It's
happening all over the place. Even if it’s not to the extent of the Holocaust, these things
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 108
are still happening. In the global sense, we can look at the causes of what led up to the
Holocaust. We can see that in different countries and with different leadership. These
things are a possibility, and we can’t just wait to see and say, ‘oh there’s a genocide
happening in Darfur’ and then try and stop it. We have to be aware that these things are
leading up to what could become a genocide. We have to go in before they become a big
problem, so we don’t have to fight it. We can just prevent it. (S2)
S3 had a different reaction to this:
I think that Americans are very opinionated, at least in the communities I’ve been a part
of, from my K through 12 education and even here at the university. It’s like people, they
might not like you, but when there’s a crisis, you get the community back. No matter if
there might be Republicans and Democrats in my community that don’t get along during
the day, but then, if there’s a crisis or like if a car accident or something, there’s so much
support and love all of a sudden. There are racist jokes and genocide jokes that go
around, but at the heart of it, the communities that I’ve been raised in so far would
definitely not allow something this bad to occur. I’m not sure about other areas of the
country.
As noted in Figure 14, the survey results indicated that at the beginning of the semester,
56% of the 25 students who completed the surveys responded that they strongly agreed (16%)
and agreed (40%) that “it is no longer important to hunt down Nazi criminals who have yet to be
brought to justice”. This is compared to 82% of students at the end of the semester who strongly
agreed (32%) and agreed (50%) with the statement. The data revealed a 26 percentage point
increase in the percent of students agreeing with the statement at the end of the semester
compared to the beginning. In addition, 28% of students surveyed at the beginning of the class
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 109
and 8% of the student population surveyed at the end of course responded with indifference.
Perhaps students become de-sensitized to some of the issues and may not feel that after so many
years, there is a benefit to bringing these criminals to justice.

Figure 14. Responses to Survey Statement 14

Research Question Two
How might college level education alleviate the concern that as this generation of
survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost?
The following table is formatted to emphasize the participant sample for question two.
Table 4
Participant Sample used to Answer Research Question Two
_________________________________________________________________________
Qualitative
___________________________________________________________________________
Participant Instrument Setting Access
_____________________________________________________________________________
Three Holocaust Survivors Interview Private home
Three Children of Survivors Interview Private home
Guest Lecturer Observation Lecture Hall Professor
Museum of the Holocaust Observation Museum Director
Holocaust Foundation Observation Foundation Personnel
Course Syllabus Document ------------- Professor
_____________________________________________________________________________
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 110
Table 4, continued
___________________________________________________________________________
Quantitative
______________________________________________________________________________
Participant Sample Instrument Setting Access
______________________________________________________________________________
10 Holocaust Survivors Surveys E-mail
26 Children of Holocaust Survivors Surveys E-mail

Descriptive Characteristics of Respondents
The following graphs describe the population of Holocaust survivors who completed the survey:

Figure 15. In a Concentration Camp

Figure 16. Not in a Concentration Camp
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 111
The following graphs describe the population of children of Holocaust survivors who completed
the survey:

Figure 17. Parent in Concentration Camp

Figure 18. Parent not in Concentration Camp

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Description of Themes and Sub-themes for Research Question Two
The following table is formatted to emphasize themes and sub-themes coded for question two.
Table 5
Coding of Themes and Sub-themes used for Data Analysis in Research Question Two
Themes and Sub-themes

Themes Sub-themes

Intellectual Curiosity of Holocaust Studies Holocaust Instruction in Higher Education
Critical Thinking and Writing
Historical and Emotional Contexts
___________________________________________________________________________
Global Genocide Awareness in Higher Education Uniqueness of the Holocaust
Dangers of Ignorance
Influences of Government
_________________________________________________________________________
The Impact of Man’s Inhumanity to Man Learning from History
The Last Living Testimonies
Lessons for Future Generations
___________________________________________________________________________
Intellectual Curiosity of Holocaust Studies
Holocaust instruction in higher education. Teaching college level courses about the
Holocaust often stirs controversial and emotional feelings. Studying key themes such as power
relations and systems of privilege and oppression may create environments for students to
engage in thoughtful analysis and reflection about their own social identities and values.
Students may question how to make sense of their own life experiences in the 21st century on
issues such as race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. These courses may help students develop a
better understanding of how this event in history was not only something that took place in the
20th century, but that it was also the largest mass execution of a people in the entire history of
humanity.
PROF commented on the relevancy of Holocaust studies in higher education:
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 113
I want students to think critically and complexly, and that’s what we want in university
education, and that’s what we want from study of history, and that’s what we want from
humanities. I think the most important thing about teaching - is to teach students who are
now just so immersed in media that they seem to have so little - even less critical
viewing, and hearing, and reading as maybe they even did in the past. I think that
because the Holocaust is such an extreme example - I think the material itself, hopefully,
may lead them to feel more of a conviction to think critically, because some of the things
that we’re showing in this course are how people didn’t think for the good. I’m not
saying if we don’t think critically, there will be another Holocaust. What I am saying is
that this study will hopefully lead and convince people that these are skills that are
absolutely crucial to a democratically functioning world.
HSs and CSs commented on the relevancy of Holocaust studies in higher education:
Throughout life, we all go through different stages and we have different levels of
comprehension and different experiences to relate them to. I think Holocaust studies is a
necessary and critical process that students must go through at the college level to better
understand the way government leaders can influence an entire world. (CS3)
I think that if I were to teach the Holocaust - I would first want to spend time
getting college students to understand the history, getting them to understand some of the
causes of anti-Semitism. But we have to learn, it’s not only anti-Jewish, it is anti same-
sex and other things that are happening where people have such negative feelings. We
really have to allow people to have religious freedom and choose the lifestyles they
desire. (HS2)
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 114
On the other hand, CS3 argued that “students can choose whether to study it or not”, and
that “most students would choose not to. It’s an ugly time. It’s an ugly experience. It may not
have direct impact on many people living today”. CS3 stated with confidence, “unless students
need to take the course to fulfill a general education requirement, I think most would choose not
to take it”. In addition, HS1 described why college level students might take this course, “first,
my experience has been that although Jewish students may be more familiar with the Holocaust,
non-Jewish students tend to have a huge amount of interest”. She added, “I’m finding young
people now are terribly focused on WWII, and this is a positive thing and it makes me feel good
to know that the story is studied in college level courses and not only told by Holocaust
survivors”. According to HS3, “when you become college age, I think you should have that
option to take the class and if you become connected to the story, then you want to hear more,
then this is where my testimony comes in.”
CS2 explained that she only heard her mother’s stories when she became an adult
because, “it’s very different to grasp information when you’re 19 or 20 years old than when you
are a child”. In addition, she claimed “if you go to college, your world becomes bigger and
there’s a different connection in college, and you process things differently which is why it needs
to be taught at this level”. HS3 validated CS2’s beliefs, “we try to protect our children from
cruelty. I know when my kids were young, I made sure that they didn’t see or hear anything
which might have had a strong negative effect on them”. She admitted, “I have a feeling that
once college age students are exposed to it, it’ll be a totally different route for them, because it is
really a difficult subject to handle”.
As noted in Figure 19, the survey results indicated that HSs were more likely than CSs to
strongly agree and agree that “focusing more on tolerance and prejudice, rather than the actual
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 115
events leading up to World War II, might compromise the understanding of the Holocaust” (50%
vs. 35% respectively: a 15 percentage point difference). This may be an indication that children
of Holocaust survivors are emotionally attached to their parents’ stories and may feel it necessary
to share those experiences with college students. On the other hand, HSs may see the need to
explore historical context as well, so history has a better chance of not repeating itself in the
future.

Figure 19. Responses to Survey Statement 19
During observations, the researcher took note that students appeared relieved that the
course was not just a story about suffering, torture, and death. The course also addressed the root
of how it happened and why Hitler’s Nazi regime was able to carry out the mass murder of
millions of Jewish people as well as others considered inferior.
It may not be as important for the teachers to learn from what the students are saying, but
more important for students to learn from each other and how their biases are formed from
families, churches, neighborhoods and friends. Students may learn to question their own beliefs
and as a result, learn to evaluate themselves more clearly.
Critical thinking and writing. The researcher found that through critical thinking and
writing, students in higher education begin to develop rational understanding and connections
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 116

between ideas. Students identify the inconsistencies and mistakes in reasoning and take
ownership of their own thoughts, beliefs and values. They challenge themselves in reflective and
independent thinking in order to find the answers to their questions regarding current events and
issues such as power, leadership or fear as well as humanity, compassion and justice.
The purpose of interviewing Holocaust survivors and children of Holocaust survivors
was to shed light on their perspectives of patterns of oppression and their opinions on whether
college age students need to be critical thinkers in order to preserve the memories and lessons of
this tragic period in history. Although the number of living Holocaust survivors is quickly
dwindling, students still have opportunities to experience face-to-face contact with the last living
survivors. According to CS2, “real life experiences give students multiple ways to approach the
Holocaust”. She claimed, “some of it can be written in books, some from listening to Holocaust
survivors and some from viewing the video testimonies online which are so meaningful”. CS3
agreed that “having a little bit of background is important because you can put it into context”
and insisted that “usually by the time students reach college level, they have some background
on WWII and what happened”.
CS1 makes his argument on whether a college level Holocaust course helps students
understand the cultural and historical contexts of their own lives:
When you study the Holocaust you do get a chance, particularly at a higher educational
level, to think about the social, economic, historical and personal issues that relate to
hatred and that relate to wanting to exterminate a certain group. And I think higher
education is the place to really understand that. If you look at people who go to college
for the most part, hopefully they’ll be in positions of significance, whether they be
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 117
doctors, lawyers, judges, politicians, engineers, managers, whatever they are. Those are
the people who can set tones within the community, and those tones have to be one of
acceptance. Learning acceptance and learning what the differences are and learning
where the anger comes from is going to be helpful.
CS1 describes in detail what issues he believes should be covered in a Holocaust course:
You’ve got to talk about all of the genocide. You’ve got to talk about the automatization
of the genocide. I mean - building gas chambers and trucking people in and pulling out
teeth and doing that hair shit and all the stuff that they did that is so inhumane. That is
beyond belief. But then you think about a Rwanda, going in there and just hacking
whole families in front of each other. I was reading about one guy who went in, raped
the 14 year-old daughter while the mother was watching, then had the 14 year-old tied up
to a tree and raped her mother, I mean who could think of shit like this?! Not everybody
is going to be educated there, and education does reduce killing in the average. It reduces
a lot of things. So if you can educate the leaders of these people about the horrors that
can really have a big impact. So learning about all these things is important.
HS2 expressed her desire for “students to hear about acceptance and how people easily
believed what was told to them and what was taught to them”. She argued:
Even education doesn’t prevent that. Her father said to her mother, you are bright, let's
not run away because after all, it’s the 20th century, it’s the western world. What are
they going to do? They’re educated. Are they going to kill us all?
CS2 remembered how her mother finally told her that she “was attacked and almost
raped” and how “she wasn’t going to tell me that when I was young”. For this reason, CS2
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 118
summed up, “I would like to see this put into the college curriculum for students to understand
the politics of economics and acceptance”.
As noted in Figure 20, the survey results indicated that HSs were more likely than CSs to
strongly agree and agree that “college students need to understand why America must keep its
borders safe” (90% vs. 69% respectively: a 21 percentage point difference). This may be an
indication that more HSs than CSs feel that through critical thinking and writing, students learn
about things they can relate to in their own lives as well as the implications of something like this
happening again. It is about understanding freedom in America and what it takes to keep that
freedom and what that means to students personally.

Figure 20. Responses to Survey Statement 20
Historical and emotional contexts. HS3 believed that, “focusing more on tolerance and
prejudice rather than the actual events leading up to World War II may compromise the
understanding of the Holocaust”. Although concepts such as obedience and authority,
discrimination and racism need to be addressed, the Holocaust is not a story about these issues.
The Holocaust resulted in a cumulative progression of historical events resulting in the mass
violence and atrocities which were afflicted on European Jewry. Students were encouraged to
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 119
see the Holocaust from both historical and emotional contexts. CS3 addressed his visual
thoughts on the Holocaust:
I think learning about the Holocaust paints a picture in your head so more emotion comes
out. I think most people know six million Jews died in the Holocaust, as well as other
groups that died. But actually, learning about all the worst, our ghettos and the individual
and all these things makes it more - you think about it more.
CS1 sums up perfectly the differences between the two contexts.
First from the historical perspective:
There are two aspects to context that come to mind easily. One would be the historical
background of anti-Semitism since the time of the Romans - a real course in what the
origins of anti-Semitism are and then a historical view of how that fits into the story of
the 20th century, meaning that Germany’s fall in WWI begot WWII. Germany needed to
place blame easily, and the Jews were an easy target. So by historical perspective, I
mean knowing all of the past history not just about the Holocaust. This is important to
give you a perspective of anti-Semitism as it comes from the time of Jesus and then anti-
Semitism related to the 20th century and where that stems from and all the economic and
social issues around that.
Next, from an emotional perspective:
I think emotional context is incredibly helpful. Knowing how hatred of groups occur
using the Holocaust - anti-gay, anti-dwarves, anti-everything, the entire German concept
of appropriate versus non-appropriate, of good and bad, helps us to really see that the
world really has shades of grey, and that’s probably the biggest benefit from an
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 120
intellectual standpoint emotionally, so that we can be in touch with our own emotions
when we see somebody who’s different and say, ‘I wish I was with my own kind’.
HS1 presented two interesting arguments about teaching the Holocaust from both
historical and emotional contexts. In her first argument, she expressed in detail, “the Nuremberg
Laws were a very good channel to understanding the progressive annihilation of a people who
were accepted to be extinguished, because they threatened the existence of everyone else”. She
added, “the Nuremberg Laws were written so Jews couldn’t practice certain professions, such as
law or education and Jews and non-Jews were prohibited from marrying”. In her second
argument, she disclosed that “in Europe today, there is still the widespread notion that the Jews
killed Christ, and Jews deserve anything that happens to them, so Christianity is a large
underpinning of anti-Semitism”. She further elaborated that, “some Catholic students are more
interested in Holocaust education than Jewish students”. Finally, “because in their theology,
there is a general recognition now that while the church did not cause the Holocaust, it would not
have been possible without the church”.
HS3 did not express or hint that the historical facts are unimportant. Instead, she
appealed to students to “look up certain information themselves” because she thought it was very
important that they know the historical facts. However, during her speaking engagements to
college age students, she admitted, “I don’t speak so much historically, but rather speak to them
about being a survivor, which has a totally different effect on them”. HS1 described how
students in the past have expressed to her that, “speaking from my emotional perspective often
gives students a very strong way of understanding what happened”. She continued by making a
second point, “the only way we can make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself is by learning
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 121
what happens when communities are ineffective and people become silent observers”. She
pleaded that “they really have to speak up when they see injustice”.
CS3 described the emotional context in this way:
I think that the ultimate challenge is not to just make it historical. I think by having the
life stories of Holocaust survivors explaining what they went through and certainly
meeting them face to face makes it emotional and there are a lot of people with very
emotional stories that touch your heart. It’s being able to convey that these are
individuals with real lives. Our parents, our grandparents and what they lived through
puts it into a whole different perspective. Meeting children of Holocaust survivors and
grandchildren who can talk about how it affected their lives is powerful.
CS3 shared a narrative as a child of a survivor:
Everybody would sit around the table. Invariably, it came to a story about their
childhood. The stories my parents have - especially my mother has - both my father and
my mother have incredible stories about surviving and saving siblings and what
happened. My father would wake us up in the middle of the night every night, from my
earliest memory. He would scream and yell with these nightmares and he would pound,
so my mother would have to roll off the bed because he would strike her in his sleep. It
wasn’t until he was dying that he finally told us what the dream was and we never
understood that’s what it was. He would always just tell us it was a Nazi beating him, but
in fact it was a story about seeing his family and not being able to save them.
As noted in Figure 21, the survey results indicated that HSs were more likely than CSs to
strongly agree and agree that “there are still Holocaust survivors who have never admitted to
being in the Holocaust” (80% vs 61% respectively: a 19 percentage point difference). These
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 122
statistics may indicate that children of survivors question whether there are still Holocaust
survivors who never came forward. This may be because their world has revolved around their
parents, and they feel that most survivors would be open enough to share their stories. On the
other hand, the data indicated that Holocaust survivors understand differently why some
survivors never came forward with their stories. If there are such survivors, chances are they
either no longer have the capacity to give narratives or they are deceased.

Figure 21. Responses to Survey Statement 21
Global Genocide Awareness in Higher Education
Uniqueness of the Holocaust. In order to encourage comparative thinking, other
genocides are introduced in college level courses when discussing the Holocaust. There are
often debates on whether the Holocaust was a unique event in history or if other genocides can
be compared to it. The planned annihilation of a people and the ideology that motivated the
persecution are both interpretations within the context of history regarding the uniqueness of this
event.
Once these survivors have passed, and their living testimonies are no longer available,
college courses will depend on the thousands of video testimonies of survivors as well as the
literature provided through years of research. In addition, children of Holocaust survivors may
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 123
be utilized as key witnesses to their parents’ stories and perhaps shed light on what was once a
living testimony to them as well. The following responses describe how Holocaust survivors
view their tragedy as being unique from other genocides:
College age students must understand that the intent was different with the Holocaust
than it was with Rwanda and Darfur. I’ve spoken before many university students who
find it exceptionally relevant to understanding human rights, to understanding genocide,
although I think the Holocaust is really something a little bit different than just genocide.
This was intended for the complete extinction of all Jews, wherever they were, so that is a
distinction. I think it teaches them about genocide, which is very relevant in today’s
world, and with the history prior to the Holocaust, it teaches them the small steps that
occur before people are willing to accept the total annihilation of a people. As far as
government laws, students should be aware that America has a very contentious
government, which is good. But we have to be very careful about the laws we pass. You
have to remember what the Germans did was legal and it was done incrementally. (HS1)
HS3 proudly shared, “I am pro-Holocaust because that’s my war…that’s my tragedy, you
know”. She claimed that, “after Rwanda and seeing all kinds of genocides, I’ve got to accept
that they will learn that it is not only the Germans who were the bad, the angry and the
aggressive”. During her interview, she relayed, “there is more personal stuff like literature,
speakers, movies that people can read about and identify with and feel about it”. She claimed,
“it’s not enough to speak about numbers and horrors. It’s got to be about the victims and why
and if this is what makes it different from other genocides”.
The Germans had an exceptionally good camouflage system. They were simply
relocating people, and those who believed it really wanted to believe. There was no way
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they could have not seen what was happening. I go to Auschwitz once a year now and -
the town - is within certainly smelling distance from the camp. Surely, they smelled what
was going on with the chimneys spewing human flesh. (HS1)
Response from CS1 regarding the uniqueness of the Holocaust:
It represents an attempt to automate killing, and when you automate killing you make the
political machinery so corporate that you - that it’s almost as if it's a goal to achieve - you
eradicate an entire group from children on down. I’m thinking about Rwanda. They
tried to eradicate a whole group - very systematically also. I don’t know that the
Holocaust per se is any more than some of the other genocides, but systematic
annihilation of a group is what the Holocaust represents and it can’t be extended to other
systematic annihilations. Sometimes, you just want to move a group out of your own
country. This was different—this was the extermination from the face of the Earth. The
Rwandan genocide is the other one that comes to my mind, where the politicians and the
government and the radio all got involved. It was very quick. It wasn’t as automated, but
it was still eradication. (CS1)
CS2 discussed that “the Holocaust was unique because of the magnitude of what
occurred, in its viciousness, in its ultimate objective and success”. She added that “it occurred in
very civilized countries - among civilized people - and the world didn’t do anything”. CS3
argued that “the only thing that really counts is that there has not been any genocide that has
gone from state to state”. He explained that being Jewish was a “good enough reason to be
eliminated”. CS3 insisted that “if your grandmother was Jewish, then you were Jewish no matter
where you lived in Europe”. According to CS1, “by the time the war started, one country after
another followed suit to eliminate all Jews” and the “difference between Rwanda and the
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Holocaust was that Rwanda was more local and no one traveled throughout Europe to eliminate
the Rwandans”.
As noted in Figure 22, the survey results indicated that while HSs were more likely than
CSs to strongly agree and agree that “lessons learned from the Holocaust are different than
lessons learned from other genocides” (60% vs. 43% respectively: a 17 percentage point
difference), CSs were more likely than HSs to neither disagree nor agree (35% vs. 30%
respectively: a five percentage point difference). Although these were small differences in
opinions, over 25% of those surveyed responded indifferent to the statement. Indifference
translates into ignorance, but it is obvious that this was not the case here. Perhaps the uniqueness
of the Holocaust is not discussed a lot with HSs and CSs.

Figure 22. Responses to Survey Statement 22
Dangers of ignorance. With regards to misunderstandings or trivializing the Holocaust,
the interviews reflected opinions in several forms. To begin, HS3 stated, “I really would love to
see college age students learn but, as I mentioned, I think it really has to start a little earlier on”.
With that being said, she hoped, “some of the gaps and the misinformation they picked up along
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 126
the way can be corrected in college”. HS1 shared her perception of the American people and
their ignorance about the Holocaust:
For one thing, Americans are totally geographically ignorant. I mean, I’ve met people
who thought, when I told them I was born in Warsaw, they said, ‘which state is that in?’
Of course, we do have some Warsaws, but then when I tied it in to being a Holocaust
survivor, they had absolutely no idea what that meant. I’m talking of people in their 30s.
I’m talking about people who are relatively well educated.
She (HS1) described her experience from a recent trip to Poland:
The Polish guide, who was a wonderful woman, took two days out of her schedule to take
me to my hometown, and to act as interpreter, because I don’t speak Polish anymore. I
told her about my father, and the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, and she didn’t say much. But
then on the way back to Warsaw, she’s driving and she says, ‘you know, those Jews
really should have coordinated their plans with the Polish resistance, because a lot of
what they did caused more Polish deaths’. So all of a sudden, she’s the victim. I realized
then that she did not understand the history of the Holocaust. This was unbelievable.
It makes no sense to deny that the Holocaust ever happened. Evidence of documents,
photographs, artifacts and testimonies exists in museums and universities around the world. HS2
explained how difficult it would be to deny that the Holocaust is a part of world history when she
stands up in front of a college class and describes it in first person, “this is my life and this is
what happened to me”. She shared a response she once gave to a denier, “you mean my family,
and 80 people just disappeared because they went on a picnic or something”? The denier
answered her with, “well, they went off and fought in the war’”. HS2’s family never fought in
the war.
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HS2 described how she gains strength when she sits in front of college students who are
“telling me with their eyes that they don’t want to destroy me”. She tells them, “the Germans
chased after me to kill me because I was a Jew and how they hated me, because I was vermin
and needed to be destroyed”. HS2 admitted, “I am exhausted afterwards, but it’s a high for me
because I feel safe. They are trying to understand the experience and are on my side”. Finally,
“I always dress up and fix myself up before a presentation, so students will have a picture of me,
and they will tell their families that they met a Holocaust survivor”.
HS3 learned a long time ago that “everything I see in print is not necessarily true”. She
added that “doing research to some extent to find out what happened” is necessary because “the
ugliness of what happened in Europe in the early 1930s is still going on”. Her parents told her
that, “it would never happen in Hungary because they are my neighbors. They know us. They
will never hurt us”. Her story continued as she revealed that, “these lovely neighbors are the
ones who turned us in and we ended up on the first forced labor march when my poor mother at
age 28 was killed”. HS3 argued, “there are a lot of people who know how to speak up and make
a difference. Being indifferent is a sign of ignorance”.
I’ve studied other genocides and I was just recently in Cambodia and Vietnam, and the
thing that was absolutely amazing to me - because there is no Holocaust education and no
genocide education - on the front page, they had a news item that Pol Pot’s daughter was
getting married and the Khmer Rouge were getting together for a reunion. I thought it
was a joke. Even though individuals told me about losing families, it had not entered the
general consciousness. That’s what happens when you don’t teach. (HS1)
Reflecting on her childhood, CS2 remembered, “I lived in a section where there were all
Armenians, and they would put up flyers remembering when the Turks - they call it their
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Holocaust - the Turks were wiping out the Armenians”. She admitted that she was ignorant
about this because, “I didn’t learn about it in school, so I read a book and learned how human
nature is… to think we’re either better than them, or we have to look down on somebody”. In
conclusion, she noted, “I just think there’s something in humans that allows us to act this way
and I wish that could change”.
As noted in Figure 23, the survey results indicated that HSs were less likely than CSs to
strongly disagree and disagree that “American society has enough stability that Jews and other
minorities are safe from severe persecution today” (50% vs. 84% respectively: a 34 percentage
point difference). However, the survey results also indicated that HSs were more likely than CSs
to respond neither agree nor disagree (40% vs. 4% respectively: a 36 percentage point
difference). This could be an indication that more HSs than CSs feel that a form of persecution
is possible in America today.

Figure 23. Responses to Survey Statement 23
Influences of government. In addition to the German government and the Nazi Party,
there were other officials who played a role in the Holocaust and helped plan and implement the
Final Solution. These were ordinary people like doctors, lawyers and civil servants.
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The question, “how was it possible that a modern society was able to carry out the
systematic murder of a people” continues to be asked over and over again.
CS1 delivered a candid, yet powerful response:
I have no fucking idea. It’s so beyond what I can comprehend intellectually. What helps
me is to look at the 20th century politics to understand where this came about. The
Germans and the French hated each other. They went to World War I. The Americans
joined. The Versailles Treaty annihilated Germany. The Great Depression came.
Inflation came. Germans were out of work and starving. Fifty percent of the population
was unemployed, and then Hitler comes up and says, ‘I’m going to change all this’.
People are happy, and all of a sudden things start to change. Germany was getting better
with building. It was strong, and Hitler would say, ‘This is the German belief, and every
problem we’ve had before this is because of the Jews’. And they said, ‘Oh my God, he’s
right. They control the banks, and they control this, and they control that and we’ve got
to get the Jews, and this can never happen’. It’s a good answer to people who are - in the
right setting. I think any citizen would do it. I don’t think you can ever stop it.
HS2 commented in disbelief, “people were educated and especially when you look back
at history and see the music, everything that was in their life, you would think they are really the
elite part of the world, yet they still allowed the hatred in”. CS3 agreed, “I guess that if we have
dynamic leaders in times that are very hard, then you believe a number of things”. He continued
to inform, “first you need to listen and next you believe it’s in your best interests because your
life will be better”. HS1 argued, “the local governments collaborated with the Nazis”, while CS3
added, “it’s amazing what somebody can do to influence you, and there must have been some
underlying anti-Semitism where people all of a sudden felt they were free to act on what they felt
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inside”. In addition HS1 noted, “people who were still looking out for some kind of equality
were pushed out of offices and the new members of the parliament came in and they were totally
collaborating”. CS3’s theory of “the perfect storm” was extremely useful because it shed light
on “how it all came together with opportunities, incentives, the political environment and the
emotionally charged nation, and nobody in the outside world was really doing anything about it”.
HS1 on the hatred towards Jews in other countries:
They used to have a joke in Hungary that you had to close the border between Germany
and Hungary because the Hungarians were bigger Nazis than the Germans. If you look
back at the historical aspect, they established a ghetto in Budapest in a little less than two
weeks because the local population was willing to do it. Why did they do it? Because
the government really helped them do it.
CS2 remembered how she felt when she took her own children back to Poland:
My uncle brought us through the field and into the woods. As we were walking, he told
us that there were numerous times when they got word the Nazis were coming and so the
whole family would run and hide in the field. And then this one time they were found,
and the soldiers took them and walked them through the forest to wherever the Nazis had
camped. They brought them to the general, and he looked at them and said, ‘Oh, these
aren’t Jews. Look at their shoes. Look at the shapes of their face. So you can let them
go. They are Poles’. That just hit me. They would just look at a person and - I mean
how horrific was that? I can’t imagine being marched as a teenager and an adult saying,
‘Oh you don't look Jewish. We’ll let you go’. My uncle is very anti-religion - he has no
faith. My two aunts were very religious - they became nuns. But that again was during
the war. I think part of that was protection.
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When asked whether it is possible to transfer acts of oppression to other minorities, CS1
argued, “any group can find that the other is no good - Israeli, Palestinian, Bosnian, Serbian, the
gay, non-gay, White-Black, Black-White”. First, he agreed how easy it is to find differences,
and “the more we understand that there’s humanity behind those differences, the more successful
we’ll be in controlling our own angst about the differences between people”. Next, he insisted,
“there are definitely people with fixed beliefs that are immovable, and you can never take - I
dont think you can take a bigot and un-bigotize them”. Finally, he suggested, “it is possible to
take people who are kind of on the fence about things and influence them one way or the other so
they might rethink their own beliefs”.
HS1 insisted that, “the condition today in certain parts in the world is not always about
anti-Semitism”. She reported, “if you look at the history, especially in Hungary - I do follow
what's going on - you can see that they pick on all kinds of minorities”. Her concern was that,
“once they pick on a minority, you never know who will be the next group of people they will
pick on”. “Before it spreads”, she warned, “we need to recognize the signs”.
Although CS3 did not believe that prejudice and discrimination are transferable to other
minorities, he did admit that “there are lessons that we learn from the Holocaust and the
oppression of Jews - before, during, and after - that are applicable to learning about other
genocides and other types of oppression”. He said, “If you don’t react and if you just let it
happen, it ultimately works its way to you, and ultimately it’s something you have to deal with”.
CS3 concluded by saying, “you can’t just look the other way and pretend it’s not happening”.
CS2 noted, “I cannot say if people would feel they have to take care of their families and that
their family comes first, their own interests come first”. She retold her mother’s story, “there
was a separation into neighborhoods, which I guess still happens in our cities today”. She
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remembered her mother saying, “everybody kept to their own group. The Jewish people had
their synagogue. She was Catholic. They had their Catholic faith”.
With respect to why some people resist and others obey authority, HS1 indicated, “there
are some cultures that are more prone to it than others, and the Germans, for one, were very
prone to that”. Although she believed that the German people “have tremendous - maybe
excessive - respect for authority”, she stated that this is not the case in America, because
“Americans question everything and we’ve got all kinds of movements, and a lot is accepted”.
She referenced some European countries, “they are not quite as open about it, and the more
authoritarian persons, systems and mind sets you have, the more likely they are to be closed”.
CS3 argued, “I would speculate that some of it is just how people are wired. Some people just
react to authority and obey”. In short, he noted, “with some people, if there was already some
bias against certain people, then it was easy to find somebody to blame”.
CS1 again speaks candidly with a powerful response about age and authority:
The first thing that comes to mind is as you get older you obey authority more. So people
who resist are typically young. College age students in their late teens and early 20s
resist everything, just from a developmental point of view. They are looking to resist.
What should one do when they see somebody being attacked? You can run in and fight
off the guy or the person. You can call the police. You can yell. You can scream, ‘help,
help’. You can throw stones, but there are lots of options. But for my family at least,
what we’re teaching is to be involved. You don’t have to be involved to the point that
you get hurt. But you at least have to make some effort, whether it’s just to dial 911.
As noted in Figure 24, the survey results indicated that HSs were more likely than CSs to
strongly disagree and disagree that “it would be impossible for a systematic persecution to occur
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 133
in America today” (80% vs. 73% respectively: a seven percentage point difference). In addition,
the survey results indicated that CSs were more likely than HSs to strongly agree and agree to
the statement (16% vs. 0% respectively: a 16 percentage point difference).

Figure 24. Responses to Survey Statement 24
The Impact of Man’s Inhumanity to Man
Learning from history. Through critical thinking, students learn how to make their own
decisions about what they choose to learn from history. With those choices come different
interpretations of the same historical events for students. The hope is for this generation of
students to take these interpretations and recognize the warning signs today and make good
moral choices both individually and for their communities.
Many people assume that humankind learns from history. There were different patterns
which emerged from the participants on this issue. While some answered yes, there were those
who answered no, and yet still some who were tentative and answered maybe. Although CS1
agreed up to a point, he did not accept the overall conclusion that humankind learns from history.
He argued from both sides since the answer to him was not black and white:
If you want to learn from history you can. Most people don’t care about history. Most
people just want to get through the day. It is a very small group of people, on a
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percentage, who really care, and I include my secretaries, my medical assistants. They
don’t care about history. It’s not that they’re bad people. They don’t have the time or
money to care. History - learning is really for the wealthy in a sense. You’ve got to have
the time and money to sit and have these conversations. It’s not available to the majority.
So you can learn from history. Most people don’t, not because they can’t - they need to
deal with paying the rent and taking their baby places and taking the day off.
Holocaust survivors and their children reflected on whether humankind learns from
history. HS3 commented, “I think that 200 years ago things were worse, 2000 years ago things
were even worse”. She explained more in detail, “I think the world is changing for the better.
We’ve learned from history, we’ve had brilliant minds work very hard to change the world for
the better”. Finally she noted that, “although far from 100%, there has been an accumulation of
mostly good laws and mostly democracy, like in this country”. HS2 believed that the “Jews have
learned, because they are the most accepted scapegoats historically”. According to HS2,
“historically in Europe, when something went wrong, the Jews were always blamed for it”.
Second, some Holocaust survivors were more skeptical in their assessment of whether
humankind learns from history. HS1 argued, “we are very far from perfection, because the same
forces of good and evil in men still are there, and will be there, and we are so far from being
perfect human beings”. In other words, HS1 argued, “it might take us another 10,000 years - if
we survive - to have the good outshine the bad, and I don’t know how it’ll be done”. CS3 spoke
out of concern that, “people are always plugged in to some music or machinery or visual things”
and “I think that they learn less now than they may have, because we have so many
distractions”.
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Some were not convinced that humankind learns from history. According to CS3, it is
true that, “knowledge is the first step, and if you don’t have the knowledge there cannot be a
second step”. In other words, CS3 noted that, “it’s taking that knowledge and being willing to do
something with it in the future”. CS2 was skeptical because “even if the U.S. has learned from
history, they are now faced with a different group of people, like the Muslims and people are
getting nervous”. She expressed concerns that, “if you are not careful, listening to only one form
of media might sway you in either direction”. CS2 added, “there are good people, there are evil
people - I don’t want to just judge people by what I read or what I hear”.
HS2’s opinion on whether humankind is capable of learning from history:
I’d like to say yes, but because of the current things that have happened in the last 10
years, it is questionable and I think that education really has to start way before college.
There is a Hungarian thing they used to say, which I really want to say now and that is
that anti-Semitism was sucked in with their mother’s milk. That’s what I learned. When
a baby sucks the mother’s milk, it is really the time when they learn a little bit about life
and what’s important. If from that early age on you are exposed to hatred against a
certain group of people, it is difficult to change.
CS1 discusses the possibility of genocide in America. He noted, “it would be like a
German genocide. They would organize it. It would be corporate. It would be corporate-
sponsored in some way”. On a positive note, he agreed that, “the fact that we don’t go chopping
each other up into pieces is actually a move forward, in a sense”.
In contrast, CS1 shared yet another viewpoint regarding genocide in America:
History repeats itself over and over because the majority of people don’t learn from
history, because they can’t learn - they’re not made like that. They’re not intellectuals.
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Now as we get a more college educated society, as more people go to school, you would
never, I don’t believe that you would see a Rwanda-like genocide in this country, ever.
As noted in Figure 25, the survey results indicated that HSs were less likely than CSs to
strongly disagree and disagree that “humankind learns from history” (30% vs. 42% respectively:
a 12 percentage point difference). Second, the survey results indicated that HSs were more
likely than CSs to strongly agree and agree (70% vs. 27% respectively: a 43 percentage point
difference). HSs may feel more optimistic than CSs that humankind learns from history.

Figure 25. Responses to Survey Statement 25
The last living testimonies. Listening to human stories and firsthand accounts from
Holocaust survivors are valuable and powerful tools for college age students to learn about the
Holocaust. Some survivors tell stories of personal abuse, while others show themselves as
ordinary people who were victims of Nazi Germany. Through unique and diverse perspectives,
Holocaust survivors mostly encourage students to understand the signs of discrimination and
oppression not only from a historical perspective but also from repeated genocides, which have
occurred and continue to occur in the 21st century.
HSs and CSs were asked to comment on whether college age students reflected on their
own values after listening to a Holocaust survivor’s testimony. The evidence denoted that
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sharing Holocaust memories with college age students was a useful tool. CS3 agreed, “It is very
important to validate it, and you can make a connection with a human being that’s difficult to
make with a video”. What follows are excerpts from Holocaust survivors who expressed how
useful their testimonies are:
I want them to walk through the Holocaust with me and see how many unfair, cruel
things happened to very nice people. So they have to care about the person, then tell
them what a terrible thing happened to that person and then - maybe I want them to be on
my side. I want them to understand the Jews want them to never hate Jews again. I want
to make this city - this world - respect and care about the Jews and not be anti-Semitic.
Single handedly, I want to change my environment to make it safer to live in and make it
safer for my children to live in. You hear the stories, identify with the person, identify
with some of the feelings the person has or the experiences the person has. (HS2)
I’ve watched people as I’ve lectured - I think that a great number of the students
listen and get a lot out of it, emotionally. I speak more about how a person - me - saw
what happened and how it affected me. If they identify with me even a little bit, then
they begin to have empathy. My first desire is to get them connected with me, the child.
I tell them what it was like to be a child. Once they identify with the person, then they
can emotionally understand the sadness and the happiness and the terror. (HS2)
I think it’s so important to see that the cruelty that happened during the Holocaust
and what these Holocaust survivors managed to do. I think it can be educational for
students because things happen in our everyday life and they have difficulty handling
them. For them to see that the Holocaust survivors really managed to create life and
enjoy life. I was liberated from Bergen-Belsen on April 15, 1945. I was bitten by all
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kinds of lice and I didn’t have any hair because my head was shaven. I was very close to
the end of life, and I didn’t realize it because, like I said, I must have been in a state of
shock. The day I was liberated I ended up with a delicious chocolate bar which was
given to me by a British soldier, and he had tears in his eyes. (HS3)
It has always been important to tell the story. Well it’s changed over the years, as
the survivors were young in the camps, they have gotten older. There are some very
amazing stories, and it’s helpful, but I think on a college level it is less impactful, because
what you’re really asking in the college situation is that students somehow intellectualize
what the causes of this are, so they can come away more learned, because stories are
good to make a quick impact. Schindler’s List tells the whole story beautifully if you
want an emotional impact. I don’t know that bringing in a person who went through it
can really help when you are talking about the politics, the economics and all the issues
leading up to the Holocaust. (CS1)
As noted in Figure 26, the survey results indicated that HSs were more likely than CS to
strongly agree and agree that “Holocaust survivors have an obligation to tell their stories”
(70% vs. 42% respectively: a 28 percentage point difference). However, it is important to note
that the survey results indicated that HSs were less likely than CSs to neither disagree nor agree
(10% vs. 35% respectively: a 25 percentage point difference). In addition, while there was not a
significant difference in numbers, the survey results indicated that CSs were more likely than
HSs to respond strongly disagree and disagree to the statement (23% vs. 20% respectively: a
three percentage point difference). While some children of survivors were happy that their
parents speak to college level students, others felt it was too painful to bring the memories up
over and over again. In addition, HS3 admitted that while her children’s friends want to hear all
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about it, her own children, “wish that I had not been through the Holocaust and they have
difficulty listening to my stories all of the time”.

Figure 26. Responses to Survey Statement 26
Lessons for future generations. The researcher found that one of the biggest lessons of
the Holocaust is learning not to be indifferent in the face of evil. The number of Holocaust
survivors is quickly dwindling and without living testimony, many of the lessons of human
behavior may disappear into small chapters in history books. Creating a generation of educated
college graduates who bear the responsibility of passing on the lessons of mutual understanding
and justice to the next generation may help combat the ideologies of hate in the future.
HSs and CSs were asked to respond to the question, “is there a fear that as this generation
of survivors passes, the lessons of the Holocaust will be lost"? To begin, PROF noted, “there is a
lot of survivor writing, and 52,000 testimonies at the USC Shoah Foundation”. She suggested
that “we can use these testimonies, and I think that was obviously the whole idea. It’s not the
same, but it does have the power”. She insisted that, “although the videos don’t replace hearing
testimonies because it is not a human relationship, it does provide that perspective”. In addition,
HS2 shared that, “people are more interested in the Holocaust now than they ever were before”.
However, she claimed that this was not always the case, “after we came here in 1949, we were
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shocked that nobody wanted to know anything, and that continued for many, many years”. She
remembered how it “was a hidden, shameful thing and no American Jew wanted to hear about it,
no non-Jew wanted to hear about it”. With that in mind, CS3 agreed that perhaps, “it was too
icky, too scary, too possible that other Jews thought it could happen to them”.
Although it is always in the back of her mind, HS2 was not really concerned that the
lessons of the Holocaust would be lost to the next generation because, “living testimony is
spreading all over the world”. She continued, “there are some amazing movies which have
taught the world better than anything else, because the 20th and 21st centuries are very movie
oriented”. She also remembered, “in the 60s, I sat next to a big time writer and asked him why
he doesn’t write about the Holocaust and he said no one would want to see a movie or read about
it”. She concluded by noting, “at that time, people said it was too awkward to speak about the
Holocaust, but luckily after time, people found a way to record what happened during WWII”.
In contrast, HS1 said:
There is no doubt in my mind that the lessons might be lost. First of all pay attention to
the laws, to your neighbors, to protecting life around you. If your neighbors disappear,
you’ve got to start asking why. If whole groups live in one area and you never visit that
area, you’ve got to ask yourself why. Hopefully as people are getting into higher
education, the ethics of human behavior is something that’s so central, and if that had
happened in Germany, it would not have been possible.
CS1 sent a strong message related to lost lessons of the Holocaust:
I don’t have a great personal fear about the history lessons of the Holocaust being lost. It
becomes history, and then it becomes a short amount of history, a short amount of time.
If you look at the Civil War, we give it a week in school, and then we move on because
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there is lots of history to learn. I think it’ll be looked at as an episode of human history,
something to talk about and then to move on to the next topic. I do think that the Jews
will spend a special effort to keep the idea of the Holocaust alive. The way synagogues
portray the Holocaust will be maintained, but in the general public, it will eventually
become a historical note and not considered a major lesson lost.
As noted in Figure 27, the survey results indicated that CSs were more likely than HSs to
strongly agree and agree that there is fear that as this generation of survivors passes, the lessons
of the Holocaust will be lost” (92% vs. 70% respectively: a 22 percentage point difference). The
data shows that well over half of the HSs and CSs responded that as this generation of survivors
passes, the lessons of the Holocaust may disappear in the next generation.

Figure 27. Responses to Survey Statement 27

Significant Lessons from Holocaust Survivors and Children of Survivors
Holocaust survivors and children of Holocaust survivors prepared a list of nine lessons
for college age students to carry with them today and in the future in hopes of making the world
a more peaceful place to live.

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Lesson #1
I want you to be the next generation when I’m no longer here, that you carry on and make
sure it never happens again. I usually ask students to become my ambassador. I ask
them to make sure that when somebody states that the Holocaust never happened, you
can look them in the face and state that you actually met a Holocaust survivor. (HS2)
Lesson #2
The world can easily turn bad, horrible, aggressive and unfair with people hostile to each
other. It’s a delicate balance. It’s important to care about the kind of government you
have, the kindness fostered in people. You can’t take it for granted that you live in a
peaceful place. Things can get worse. People are capable of horrors. You each have to
work at making the world a better place. (HS2)
Lesson #3
My mom always told me, don’t judge someone by the name that they have, or the way
that they look or the color of their skin. People are people. There’s prejudice
everywhere. I once asked my mother how can you have a German friend, when the
Germans were so mean to you? She reminded me that I had to forgive because not all
Germans were bad. You can’t just lump everyone into one big group. (CS2)
Lesson #4
There were righteous people who weren’t Jewish, and who made tremendous sacrifices.
There are many people we know about, people who really put their lives every day in
danger in order to save people. I hope that I would have this strength. I think after my
mother disappeared, I must have been in total shock for a long time. But I couldn’t be
here if there weren’t people who stepped in and took care of me. (HS3)
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Lesson #5
We learned strength from our parents. They were fighters through all of that. They still
came and started families, started new lives and found a way to make it all work and still
were very kind, sweet, good people - I don't know if I would have had the will to keep
going or not, or the strength or the courage to keep going. (CS3)
Lesson #6
Learning from the examples of the past is very important. There’s still a lot of
discrimination, a lot of oppression in today’s world. It hasn’t really changed. It might be
on a smaller scale, but it’s still there. (CS3)
Lesson #7
So I think you get a lot of this from your home, from having a belief of morality, a sense
of responsibility and that everybody has a right to survive. So youth are more resistant.
A sense of responsibility is important. And if it’s a healthier society, the society as a
whole is a more moral society, but if you lose morals, it is a difficult situation. (CS2)
Lesson #8
I think it’s important to remember but to move on. Moving on has a big significance.
You evolve. Your knowledge helps you to evolve. I don’t mean move on in the sense to
forget about it. I mean take that information and move on with it - move on to how you
treat other people, move on how you live your life, move on how you teach your
children. We had the Holocaust. It was terrible. I don’t want to obsess about the camps.
I want to know about the camps. And then I want to take that knowledge and move on
from it. So if you can learn that you have some anger about a group, then recognize that
you don’t have to hold onto that anger. We’ve got negativity coming at us all day long -
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death, cancer, money…. I think that’s what my parents did actually. They moved on.
My father couldn’t wait to assimilate, to be an American, to get out of that survivor
mentality. I mean he went back, and we know about it, and we have books on the
Holocaust. But day-to-day it isn’t who we are. It wasn’t who he was. It wasn’t who my
mother was. (CS1)
Lesson #9
I think the overall message would be, treat everybody well. There wasn’t a single person
or stranger on the street my parents wouldn’t stop and say hello to and talk to and treat
well because they felt that’s what should have happened with them and didn’t, so we
watched them smile at everybody and give of themselves. Just as a parent might talk
about how they played on the basketball team, my parents talked about their experiences
during the Holocaust in concentration camps. They told us the stories to be sure we
understood, we remembered, we would pass it on the next generation and others, having
heard it firsthand from them. They felt that it was critical for us and others to understand
what occurred on a personal basis and that hopefully that would influence those who we
spoke with to be sensitive about anti-Semitism and about treating other people. (CS3)
Summary of Results: Research Question One
How might Holocaust courses in higher education promote student learning, and to what
extent does this learning facilitate emotional awareness and content knowledge about this period
of history?
The four themes and twelve sub-themes used to answer research question one were:
building blocks of oppression (leadership and power, fear factor, psychological influences),
educational strategies for transformative learning (dialogue-lecture/discussion sections,
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historical/empathetic contexts, survivor testimonies), cross-cultural relations and promoting
social justice (cultural awareness, diversity and respect, prejudice and discrimination) and hope
for the future (empathetic awareness, academic preparation, social responsibility).
Building Blocks of Oppression
Leadership and power. There was a general consensus between the three students that
leadership and power played a significant role in understanding the context of the Holocaust.
Students struggled over concerns that Jews had no influence or control over their destinies. They
concluded that leaders like Hitler often use the oppressed as scapegoats. Equally important was
the study of Hitler’s behavior, since students saw parallels to other dictators in the world.
Students responded to the survey statement that “oppression is sometimes necessary to
strengthen a country’s government”. Evidence from the beginning of the semester and at the end
of the semester indicated a decrease in student opinions that oppression is a necessary component
of government control. Surprisingly, there were those at the end of the course who still believed
that oppression is sometimes necessary to strengthen a country’s government. In addition, close
to 25% of those who responded were indifferent on the topic of oppression and control.
Fear factor. Students responded to the statement, “people by nature walk away when
they witness someone being hurt”. Learning outcomes in the course were measured by a 56
percentage point increase in the percent of students agreeing at the end compared to the
beginning of the semester. This indicated that course content had a direct impact on student
understanding of human reactions. In other words, statistical evidence demonstrated that through
course content, students were provided with a deep understanding of why some find it necessary
to conform and be quiet rather than help others who are hurt. Relevant data from the interviews
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indicated that students understood why personal safety became the driving force behind
obedience.
One student expressed that when people are afraid for their lives and those of their
families, they are not going to disobey for fear of the consequences. Another student added that
learning about leadership and power allowed him to analyze more clearly why death became a
type of punishment to anyone who rebelled or disobeyed orders.
Psychological influences. In analyzing the data from the surveys and the interviews, it
was surmised that students learned a lot about the psychology of how and why people make
certain decisions. The data revealed that students recognized how easily humans can be
persuaded in spite of their morals and values. The course covered a lot about Hitler and the
psychological influence he had on the world, both economically and politically. The focus of the
course was not entirely about the persecution of the Jews, and the professor lectured a great deal
about the psychology of how and why one might get swept away in an idea or ideology, and how
one might become obedient regardless of values and morals.
Students responded to the statement that “studying about the Holocaust may be a starting
point for college students to understand about fundamental human rights”. Results at the
beginning and at the end of the semester indicated no major increase in learning outcomes. It
appears as though the majority of the students began the semester with somewhat of an
understanding about fundamental human rights, and there was no significant difference at the
end of the course.
Educational Strategies for Transformative Learning
Dialogue and lectures and discussions. There seemed to be distinct differences
between student experiences in lectures and discussion sections. To begin, one student shared
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how she learned from listening in lectures, raising her hand and asking questions. On the other
hand, another student admitted that she would never speak up during the lectures, but rather
enjoyed sitting in a circle during discussion sections and talking about interpretations of the texts
and the implications for future world events. The lectures seemed to be more conducive to
taking notes, whereas the discussion sections gave students more opportunities to participate in
open dialogue. Some students even suggested that field trips or visits to Holocaust museums
may add additional perspectives.
Historical and emotional contexts. Although all of the themes and sub-themes were
related to research question one, this sub-theme in particular was relevant, because the data
analysis examined learning outcomes from historical and emotional lenses. To begin, the
Holocaust course alternated between teaching students from a historical context to one of
emotion. Students studied the pre-WWII history, Hitler’s Nazi movement during WWII and the
genocide of the Jewish people. First, they learned about anti-Semitism, prejudice, intolerance
and other acts of oppression. Next, it was important to learn about the genesis of the Holocaust
before entering into discussions about how they felt. They responded to the statement, “teaching
historical content about the Holocaust may provide college students with an understanding of its
genesis”. The evidence showed no increase in agreeing to the statement from the beginning of
the course to the end of the semester. It is possible that students taking the course may have been
looking for a “why and how” approach as opposed to the “what” happened during the Holocaust.
After addressing issues such as racism and rescue and resistance, the class changed
course and the professor began addressing acts of human behavior. One student described how
some Christians still blame the Jews for killing Jesus, so by studying the roots of anti-Semitism,
he was able to understand the hatred from a new point of view. Having given full consideration
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to the sequence of events leading up to the Final Solution, another student was shocked to learn
how unhappy people were with the Nazi party in the beginning and how everything changed
once Hitler came to power.
Survivor testimonies. Students’ opinions varied on whether, “Holocaust survivors have
an obligation to share their experiences with others”. Although no one should force Holocaust
survivors to share their narratives about this period in history, there was evidence of a 32
percentage point increase in the percent of students that strongly agreed and agreed at the end of
the semester compared to the beginning. This statistic might have changed as a result of the
emotional impact the Holocaust survivor had on the students. “Rehumanizing” the victim
seemed to be a common theme during her presentation. She asked the students to speak out
about survival and strength on her behalf once she is gone, and to tell the world that she was just
a normal person who was used as a scapegoat because of her religion. Students agreed that her
presence aroused a lot of feelings, especially when she expressed how every human being has
untapped strength inside of them.
Cross-Cultural Relations and Promoting Social Justice
Cultural awareness. When addressing the subject of cultural awareness, students agreed
that everybody should be respected in spite of their differences in opinions, views and morals.
While some were convinced that certain actions on campus might cross a line of disrespect,
others maintained that speaking out about your beliefs does not make you a bad person. As an
example, one student was disturbed during a peaceful, anti-Israel rally, and even though there is
freedom of speech on campus, she felt the rally had the potential of creating bad feelings.
Students responded to the statement that “interfaith dialogue may help build a deeper
understanding of the issues that divide and unite us”. The survey results revealed very little or
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no difference from the beginning to the end of the semester, and indicated that the students had
somewhat of a prior understanding of the benefits of interfaith dialogue.
Diversity and respect. Students reported that UOA has many multicultural events on
campus. During the interviews, students claimed that getting a taste of the different cultures and
ethnicities gives them opportunities to learn about other people. It is not necessary to understand
each other’s practices, yet it is important to have a mutual respect for one another. Surveyed
students responded to the statement, “tolerance and sensitivity is the same for all students”. The
results indicated that tolerance and sensitivity is not the same for all students.
Prejudice and discrimination. The Holocaust may not make sense without exploring
the history of anti-Semitism. Learning about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism can help students
critically think about why different groups are persecuted and how others are enticed into
violence. Some students are convinced that the student population at the UOA is free from
prejudice and discrimination, yet others maintain that there are still groups who feel their
cultures are perceived as too different.
One student discussed his perceptions of how students are treated on campus if they are
not in a sorority or a fraternity. Although part of a Greek life himself, he sees how his friends
treat those who are not. He feels embarrassed when members of his group are walking on
campus feeling superior to others, yet he chooses not to react for fear that he will be asked to
leave his fraternity. On the other hand, another student claimed that the university allows
students the freedom to dress and practice how they choose without being ostracized for being
different. Students responded to the statement, “some humans are genetically superior to
others”. The data reflected indifference at the beginning and at the end of the semester. This
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indifference may explain why some students at the end of the course still felt that some humans
may be genetically superior.
Hope for the Future
Empathetic awareness. There were some arguments presented on how students
personally empathized with the Holocaust. To begin, one student suggested that in order to
relate to the horrible things that happened, he would need to put himself in the shoes of the
victims. A second student expressed how she felt somewhat removed from it all, while another
expressed feelings of helplessness. Students responded to the statement, “every person is
capable of being tolerant and sensitive to others”. The results indicated that at the end of the
semester, 20% of the students were still indifferent. It is possible that either students could not
or did not want to commit to their feelings about human sensitivity and tolerance.
Academic preparation. Students made their own choices on which lessons to draw
from the course. There were those who took the Holocaust course to fulfill a general education
requirement, while others took it for personal reasons. Academically, students learned about
genocides from a global perspective as well as about issues in the 21st century. In response to
the statement, “it is not important to re-visit slavery in college courses because it happened so
long ago”, over half of the students strongly agreed and agreed that slavery must be revisited in
college courses. There were a small percentage of students who were unable to form their
opinions.
Social responsibility. Students responded to the survey statement, “it is no longer
important to hunt down Nazi criminals who have yet to be brought to justice”. Over 80% of the
students surveyed strongly agreed or agreed with the statement. Perhaps students become de-
sensitized to some of the issues and may not feel that after so many years, there is a benefit to
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bringing these criminals to justice. In contrast, although small in number, the students who
disagreed and strongly diagreed argued that Nazi criminals or perpetrators should set examples
and be accountable for the crimes they committed regardless of how old they are today.
Summary of Results: Research Question Two
How might college level education alleviate the concern that as this generation of
survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost?
The three themes and nine sub-themes used to answer research question two were:
intellectual curiosity of Holocaust studies (instruction in higher education, critical thinking and
writing, historical and emotional contexts), global genocide awareness in higher education
(uniqueness of the Holocaust, dangers of ignorance, influences of government), the impact of
man’s inhumanity to man (learning from history, the last living testimonies, lessons for future
generations).
Intellectual Curiosity of Holocaust Studies
Instruction in higher education. The idea of teaching Holocaust classes in higher
education produced mixed opinions between HSs and CSs. To begin, one CS argued that taking
a Holocaust class as an elective may not be the right decision for every student. He suggested
that it was an ugly time and for some, the details of oppression were not easy to see or hear.
However, he did agree that taking the class to fulfill a general education requirement in social
issues could create a thoughtful analysis and reflection about a student’s own social identity and
values. On the other hand, one HS noted that students touched by Holocaust courses reported
that it was an experience unlike any other course and that it touched them in their heads and in
their hearts. HSs claimed that focusing only on the torture can compromise the critical
understanding of this event. One HS expressed how grateful she is for formal education, because
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relying on a HS’s narrative alone could not give students the tools they need to scrutinize how
government leaders are capable of influencing an entire world.
It is important to surmise that students who take the course should be prepared to learn
about the causes of the Holocaust from an historical as well as from an emotional context. HSs
and CSs responded to the statement, “focusing more on tolerance and prejudice, rather than the
actual events leading up to World War II, might compromise the understanding of the
Holocaust”. There were more HSs who agreed with this statement than CSs.
Critical thinking and writing. Social issues classes often prepare students to analyze
compelling local, nation and/international problems. Many of the students who take general
education courses are legally able to vote or will be able to in the next year or two. For this
reason, HSs and CSs were asked to respond to the statement, “voting age college students should
understand why the United States must defend her borders”. Data analysis indicated that close to
60% of both HSs and CSs felt that college age students should have an understanding of U.S.
domestic and international policies in order to make informed decisions when voting in
American elections. One CS suggested that conceptual knowledge of the social, economic,
historical and personal issues surrounding hatred should be addressed at a higher education level.
He believed there is a correlation between these concepts and how a student relates to current
events.
Historical and emotional contexts. HSs and CSs responded to the statement, “there
may be Holocaust survivors in the world who have never admitted to being in the Holocaust”.
The responses indicated that more HSs than CSs believed that there are still HSs who have never
come forward to this day. A possible explanation may be that HSs empathize with these
survivors because of the special bond they share, even if they have never met. On the other
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hand, CSs have listened to stories for many years from their family members who survived the
Holocaust, and may not understand how someone can erase that part of history from their lives.
Even if there are survivors from the Holocaust who never shared that information, chances are
they no longer have the capacity to remember or they are deceased.
CS1 argued that there are shades of grey about what should be taught in a Holocaust
course. He suggested the overall themes should focus on the in-depth understanding of the
cumulative progression of historical events, which resulted in the mass violence and atrocities
afflicted on European Jewry. CS1 suggested that students learn about the history before the
Holocaust, the motivation for Hitler and the Nazis and how the Holocaust came to be. In
addition, he suggested students also learn about the righteous gentiles who helped save Jews.
CS1 also claimed that students can learn from each other in order to better understand
each others’ biases. As an example, one Catholic student expressed his desire to learn more
about the Holocaust in spite of his beliefs that the Jews killed Christ. The professor added that a
good approach in an academic setting is to keep the facts unemotional as long as it is taught with
feeling, passion and meaning.
Global Genocide Awareness in Higher Education
Uniqueness of the Holocaust. There are often debates on whether or not the Holocaust
was a unique event in history and if there is any comparison to other genocides. Although some
people disagree that the Holocaust was unique, the survivors interviewed maintained that the
Holocaust is in a category of its own. On the other hand, when HSs and CSs responded to the
statement that “lessons learned from the Holocaust are different than lessons learned from other
genocides”, over 35% of both HSs and CSs answered neither agree nor disagree. In some
circumstances, this could represent ignorance. Given the nature of the participants, it is merely
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possible that HSs and CSs either chose not to take a stand or did not see the need to make the
distinction.
According to one survivor, no other genocide in world history has ever premeditated the
extermination of an entire people from the face of the Earth. What is at stake here is that no
other genocide has ever collaborated with other countries to carry out a systematic annihilation.
One CS articulated it well by explaining that Rwanda was a local genocide and no one traveled
to other countries to eliminate the Rwandans. In summary, the CSs suggested that the Holocaust
was intended for total extinction of the Jews, which makes it unique from any other genocide.
Dangers of ignorance. Misunderstanding or trivializing the Holocaust can be
dangerous, especially when the uneducated do not comprehend what they are misunderstanding.
HSs suggested that those who are uneducated are often ignorant of the facts. One survivor even
claimed that there is a lack of genocide education in other countries where oppression has
occurred, such as Cambodia and Vietnam. According to one survivor, not everything she reads
in print is accurate, so it is understandable how easily people are influenced by deniers who state
that the Holocaust never happened. In addition, there were students who claimed they have
peers who know nothing about the Holocaust. HSs and CSs responded to the statement in the
survey that “American society has enough stability that Jews and other minorities are safe from
severe persecution today”. The data indicates that more HSs than CSs feel a form of persecution
is possible in America today. This suggests that HSs might realize the possibility of history
repeating itself more than those who did not experience the Holocaust.
Influences of government. When asked to describe how it was possible for a modern
society to carry out the systematic murder of a people, one specific CS was unable to answer the
question. To him, the Holocaust was something intellectually incomprehensible. Even more
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shocking to him was the fact that the rest of the world sat by and watched. One HS admitted that
the implementation of Hitler’s plan for the Final Solution was easier for some to accept, as there
were already anti-Semitic feelings in Europe.
When HSs and CSs responded to the survey statement, “it would be impossible in the
21st century to carry out the systematic murder of a people”, both HSs and CSs indicated that it
would be possible for America to experience a systematic murder in the future. As alarming as it
sounds, this may be why college age students need the tools to scrutinize other governments and
recognize the signals for oppression and persecution. In short, a younger generation of educated
citizens may be able to reach those who are uncommitted by encouraging them to learn the
historical and emotional facts surrounding the Holocaust.
The Impact of Man’s Inhumanity to Man
Learning from history. HSs and CSs responded to the statement in the survey that
“humankind learns from history”. The results indicated that HSs were more likely to strongly
agree and agree than CSs that people learn from history. This may suggest that survivors are
more optimistic than their children that humankind learns from history.
The last living testimonies. All three Holocaust survivors agreed that as long as they
have the capacity to remember, they will continue to share their living testimonies with college
age students. Although there was a consensus from all three HSs that speaking at the college
level makes a huge impact on students emotionally, one CS in particular presented an interesting
argument. He did not rule out the appeal of hearing a Holocaust survivor’s narrative, but
emphasized that it is less useful for college age students. This was not said with disrespect or to
rule out any survivor mentality that human narratives are a significant factor in Holocaust
studies. He clearly suggested that at this stage of their education, students should be
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intellectualizing about the causes of the Holocaust so when they complete the class, they will be
better equipped as critical thinkers.
HSs and CSs responded to the statement in the survey that “all Holocaust survivors have
an obligation to share their experiences with others”. One HS expressed how her testimonies are
vital to the study of the Holocaust and described the isolation she felt when she came to America
in 1949 when and no one wanted to speak about the Holocaust. As an example of narrative
importance, one CS described how his mother pinched his aunt’s cheeks so she would look
healthy and would not be shot by the Nazis if she fell. While the results may suggest that some
CSs encourage their parents to speak with college age students, there are others who feel it is too
painful to hear and that historical context should be the priority. All three survivors agreed that
the biggest lesson for college level students is that indifference in the face of evil is a recipe for
destruction.
Lessons for future generations. This sub-theme in particular is relevant to the study,
because the data collected directly addresses research question two. This sub-theme discusses
concerns of losing the lessons of the Holocaust when this generation of survivors passes. The
results of the survey indicate that well over half of the HSs and CSs feel that as this generation of
survivors disappear, it could be possible that the lessons of the Holocaust will be lost to the next
generation. While some argue that there is concern for the future, others disagree with the
statement. As an example, one HS has no doubt that some of the lessons may be lost unless
people are aware of their surroundings and recognize when things appear to change. In contrast,
one CS feels that although the lessons will carry on with the Jewish people, he is not fearful for
the rest of the world. He argues that even though there are lessons to be learned, they will
naturally become part of a smaller piece of history.
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Conclusion
Chapter four started with a restatement of the focus of the study. It presented the
research questions followed by a report and discussion of the findings, including reflections and
original insights about what the findings meant to the study. This chapter also included data
collected from four surveys, 10 in-depth interviews and several observations. The descriptive
statistics of the participants’ demographics were reported with the survey results and primary
themes and sub-themes that emerged during the data analysis.
Chapter five will summarize the background and purpose of the study and restate the
research questions. Included will be the results of the study and a summary of the findings. The
chapter will conclude with the limitations of the study and implications for further research.
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CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION
Chapters one through four provided an overview of the study, a comprehensive review of
the literature, the methodology and design of the study and the findings from surveys, interviews
and observations. This chapter provided a summary of the study, including the background and
statement of the problem, the purpose of the study, the research questions and a review of the
literature and methodology used. In addition, a summary of the significant findings related to the
two research questions was presented from the data reported in chapter four. To conclude this
study, implications, limitations and recommendations for future research were noted.
Background of the Study
As stated in chapter two, after the end of WWI and the signing of the Versailles Treaty, a
harsh peace settlement stripped Germany from land, reducing its military forces and hurting
Germany financially, which resulted in a change in the economic and social landscape of
Germany (The USC Shoah Foundation, 2005). Adolph Hitler and his National Socialist
Workers’ Party (Nazi) used world discontent to attract popular and political support and to offer
strong leadership and a national rebirth to Germany. By taking advantage of a bitter and
resentful German people, Hitler promised his nation civil peace, an end to massive
unemployment and national reunification (World War 2: Nazi Germany, 2010). The Nazi
party’s ideology was that of racial superiority, and the Jews of Europe as a group were targeted
as being inferior. Oppression according to Freire (1993) “exists when one group denies the other
group from pursuing self-recognition” (p. 37). Jews were stripped of all rights, transported to
Nazi extermination camps such as Auschwitz and sent to gas chambers and crematoriums where
they were murdered, tortured and starved.

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The Holocaust, which occurred at the hands of the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945, is the
term used to describe the systematic torture and murder of approximately six million European
Jews and millions of other “undesirables” (World War 2: Nazi Germany, 2010). After WWII,
the United Nations created the word genocide and defined it as the “deliberate and systematic
destruction of a racial, political, cultural, or religious group” (Leventhal, 1995, p. 1). It is true
that minority groups in areas such as Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Sudan and Darfur have
experienced killings in massive numbers (The USC Shoah Foundation, 2005). However, never
before in world history has there ever occurred a mass murder campaign based on race, ethnicity,
religion, gender or sexual orientation in such a systematic fashion with both the support and
collaboration from an entire country as with the Holocaust (The USC Shoah Foundation, 2005).
Specifically, it was the Nazi genocide of the Jewish people of Europe from 1933 to 1945
that remains for many the most memorable act of genocide in recent history. Leventhal (1995)
points out that the distinction between the Holocaust and other genocides is “based on the
systematic, bureaucratic, and technological nature, and is regarded as unique because it was
planned, organized and carried out by a modern nation-state in a willful, legal manner” (p. 1).
The Nazis kept records as though it was normal to carry out the Final Solution or the elimination
of all European Jewry (Grahovac & Herman, 2006). Leventhal (1995) adds that the Holocaust
happened with the “knowledge and collaboration of the vast state bureaucratic apparatus,
industry, the state operated train system and the technological expertise of scientists” (p.
1). From a historical perspective, the Jews of Europe were considered inferior while the Nazis
considered themselves to be racially superior (World War 2: Nazi Germany, 2010).
Attitudes and acts of prejudice and discrimination are part of world history. Research
shows that “lessons can only be learned from history and if history is taught, then a vital aspect
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of building the future is to face and learn from the past” (Caplan, 2004, p. 12). These chapters in
history play important roles in cross-cultural understanding. Even more important is that history
influences the present and the future. Culture, which consists of a system of practices with traits,
beliefs and values carried on from one generation to another, has an impact on students both
individually and socially (Nasir & Hand, 2006). Furthermore, Nasir and Hand (2006) add that
when educators and college students engage in respectful dialogue and critical thinking through
shared listening, minority groups experience a personal shift in how they look at their own
cultures and a shift in how they look at other cultures in the world. Capturing the setting or
history of the time in which something occurred and the significance of the events helped
students in this case study understand the evolution of inequality and equality over time.
Consequently, it raised questions of justice, peer pressure, conformity, and obedience.
Statement of the Problem
In 1994, Director Steven Spielberg founded the USC Shoah Foundation (2005) in order
to collect and preserve the video testimonies of survivors and other witnesses of the Holocaust.
He envisioned that these eyewitness accounts could have a profound effect on education, and that
survivors could become teachers of humanity for generations to come. Today, the visual history
archive located on the University of Southern California campus at the USC Shoah Foundation
Institute (2005) is one of the largest digital video libraries in the world, with nearly 52,000
testimonies, in 32 languages, and from 56 countries (p. 1). Although gypsies, the disabled,
homosexuals, non-Jewish Poles, Jehovah’s Witnesses and others also perished at the hands of
Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany, the testimonies focus on the six million Jews who perished
during the Holocaust (World War 2: Nazi Germany, 2010).
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Holocaust testimony in higher education is a vital component of teaching about tolerance
and real life diversity issues, but there is concern that as this generation of survivors passes, the
significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost. The hope is that future generations will never
forget about the Nazi persecution during WWII. Institutions of higher learning may continue to
be one of the best choices to teach lessons of prejudice and intolerance as well as historical
content of the Holocaust so history may not repeat itself.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this research study is to examine the ways in which the lessons of the
Holocaust might be used to promote student learning in higher education in the 21st
century. The analysis focused on the concern that lessons of the Holocaust may fade into history
books once this generation of survivors passes. Higher education leaders may become
institutional agents of change by creating strategies for learning outcomes and to provide
direction to students in understanding that all people should be treated with dignity, not just
because they are human beings, but also because they are different from one another.
Stakeholders consisted of Holocaust survivors, children of Holocaust survivors, higher education
students enrolled in a Holocaust course and the professor of the class.
Research Questions
The following research questions were examined during the study:
1. How might Holocaust courses in higher education promote student learning, and to
what extent does this learning facilitate emotional awareness and content knowledge
about this part of history?
2. How might college level education alleviate the concern that as this generation of
survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost?
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Review of the Literature
It is often taken for granted that Holocaust studies at the university level provide a deep
understanding of this episode of world history, but what is missing from the literature is whether
Holocaust studies promote student learning. In order to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust
are not lost after the survivors pass, it is important to study how Holocaust courses are currently
used in higher education. Holocausts are not accidents in history. They are rooted in histories of
intolerance and prejudice in individuals and societies (The United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum, 2012). Organizations and governments make choices, which not only legalize
discrimination, but which also allow prejudice and hatred to persist. Even though the Holocaust
was a systematic annihilation of the Jewish people, there are other dominant cultures in history
that have also oppressed those defined as minorities.
The review of the literature sought to capture relevant knowledge as it related to the
history of oppression toward African Americans, Native Americans, past genocides and the
Holocaust. The backgrounds of each of these acts of prejudice and discrimination emerged from
the literature and were discussed from historical and emotional contexts. In addition, being
treated as inferior was discussed as a critical component of the literature. To begin, Native
Americans in North America were colonized on their own land and were deliberately dislocated
from their homelands and uprooted from their social, cultural and religious ties (Duran, Duran, &
Braveheart, 1998). Next, chapter two of this dissertation discussed how the United States
government imported 500,000 African Americans between 1600 and 1900 (Miers & Kopytoff,
1977) and treated them as slaves as part of a highly profitable legal system. It was during the
Civil Rights movement in the 1960s that African Americans began to speak out to end racial
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 163
segregation and discrimination. Finally, the literature reviewed past genocides which have
occurred since the 1900s such as Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.
The literature review discussed the genocide of the Jewish people during World War II.
The separation of Jews as an inferior race from the Aryan population, the systematic attack on
Germany’s Jews and the euthanasia program were all initiatives designed by the Nazis to
eliminate European Jewry (The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012). With his
power and influence over the German people, Hitler was able to convince them that his radical
solution to the Jewish question would be in Germany’s best interests (The United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012).
Caplan (2004) concludes that racism, terror, anti-democratic legislation and propaganda
were the real causes of the Holocaust and not the horrific treatments between human beings. Just
as a fight between two people may have sparked the 1943 Harlem riots, Lopez (2003) points out
that it was actually the result of a struggle for justice, racism and oppression which instigated the
riots and not about the African American community. Oppressive systems create situations
where other members of society merely look the other way, stay silent and pretend that nothing
bad is happening. These acts of taking the path of least resistance make bystanders just as guilty
as those who are actually giving the orders to dehumanize their victims (Johnson, 2006).
Bialystok (2004) suggests that teaching historical content first before addressing moral
and ethical issues gives college students a solid grasp on the genesis of the Holocaust. Once they
have been introduced to issues of obedience, rescue and resistance, anti-Semitism and racism,
students can better approach some of the concerns regarding human behavior. The literature
review analyzed William Perry’s theory of intellectual and ethical development and Carol
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Gilligan’s theory of moral development as two bodies of rich development theories, which
focused on understanding students with different cultural norms and identities.
In order to identify stages and warning signs, past genocides were interpreted through the
lens of the Holocaust. Learning about the Holocaust strengthened awareness of the roles and
responsibilities that students have in a global world. In an academic climate where Holocaust
studies is becoming a field of study, inexperienced professors or those who focus more on
tolerance than the actual events themselves can compromise the quality of the instruction
students receive (The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012). Future ideas of
education and pedagogy to benefit all students through active engagement still need to be
explored, but with the evidence already available, educators may be able to help students find
their places within the human race.
Institutions of higher learning need to be accountable for assessing the outcome of
student learning and human impact when addressing this era in world history. Whether students
become better human beings or are not open to change, the challenge for professors will be to
“focus on the student rather than the event and to heighten students’ awareness of ethics,
morality and human tendency towards prejudice” (Garber, 2004, p. 73).
Methodology
The study employed a mixed methods design consisting of 86 quantitative surveys and 10
qualitative interviews. Quantitative data was collected from online surveys and qualitative data
was collected from open ended questions during interviews. The surveys and interviews were
completed by Holocaust survivors, children of Holocaust survivors and selected students
enrolled in the spring 2014 semester Holocaust course at the University of America. The
professor of the course was also interviewed. Observations of the lectures as well as visits to the
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Holocaust Foundation and the Museum of the Holocaust took place. These methods were
selected for increased rigor, as it allowed for comparisons and findings and provided greater
depth and complexity to the data collected. The instrument design was informed by the body of
scholarly research and was subsequently aligned to the research questions in order to produce
validity of the study. All data was cross-checked through triangulation and was analyzed and
used to support the significant research findings as they related to both questions.
Summary of Findings
Seven themes and 21 sub-themes emerged from the analysis of data collected from the
surveys and interviews.
Research Question One
How might Holocaust courses in higher education promote student learning, and to what
extent does this learning facilitate emotional awareness and content knowledge about this part of
history?
The four themes and 12 sub-themes used to answer research question one were: building
blocks of oppression (leadership and power, fear factor, psychological influences), educational
strategies for transformative learning (dialogue-lecture/discussion sections, historical/emotional
contexts, survivor testimonies), cross-cultural relations and promoting social justice (cultural
awareness, diversity and respect, prejudice and discrimination) and hope for the future
(empathetic awareness, academic preparation, social responsibility).
One finding that had an impact on the researcher was that the Holocaust might not make
sense for students who did not explore the history of anti-Semitism. There were students who
responded that some Christians today still blame the Jews for killing Jesus. There were non-
Jewish students in the course who claimed that in order to understand the hatred of Jews, it was
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necessary to study the roots of anti-Semitism and to learn why the Jews have historically been
persecuted. Throughout the semester, there was critical examination related to the historical
events of this period in history.
While it was determined that students in the university are not required to take this course
on the Holocaust, some responded that learning through these historical and emotional contexts
provided them with informed and educated perspectives of human behavior. There was a
general consensus between the three students interviewed that leadership and power played a
significant role in understanding the context of the Holocaust. The data revealed that students
recognized how humans can be persuaded easily in spite of their morals and values. As an
example, Milgram (1974) claimed:
It has been reliably established that from 1933 to 1945, millions of innocent people were
systematically slaughtered on command. Gas chambers were built, death camps were
guarded, and daily quotas of corpses were produced with the same efficiency as the
manufacture of appliances. These inhumane policies may have originated in the mind of
a single person, but they could only have been carried out on a massive scale if a very
large number of people obeyed orders.
Statistical evidence demonstrated that through course content, students were provided
with a deep understanding of why some people conform and remain silent while others stop to
help those who are hurt. Students voiced that some people will do anything to save another
human being, yet they claimed that there are others who will save themselves first. Some were
shocked to learn that the world sat by and watched as the atrocities of the Holocaust unraveled.
The majority of the students began the semester with somewhat of an understanding about
fundamental human rights, and there was no significant difference at the end of the course.
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When addressing the subject of cultural awareness, most students agreed that everyone should be
respected in spite of their differences in opinions, views and morals. They responded that it is
not necessary to understand each other’s practices, yet it is important to have a mutual respect for
one another. The researcher claimed that this generation of educated college students has a
social responsibility to treat other students from culturally different backgrounds as equal
citizens. Surprisingly, there were those at the end of the course who still believed that
oppression is sometimes necessary to strengthen a country’s government.
Research Question Two
How might college level education alleviate the concern that as this generation of
survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost?
The three themes and nine sub-themes used to answer research question two were:
intellectual curiosity of Holocaust studies (instruction in higher education, critical thinking and
writing, historical and emotional contexts), global genocide awareness in higher education
(uniqueness of the Holocaust, dangers of ignorance, influences of government) and the impact of
man’s inhumanity to man (learning from history, the last living testimonies, lessons for future
generations).
One finding that had an impact on the researcher was how being indifferent might
indicate a sign of ignorance. Students critically analyzed how important it is to scrutinize other
governments and to recognize the signals of oppression and persecution. They critically
analyzed the implications of being a bystander. Students were able to intellectualize the facts
and the causes of the Holocaust and were better equipped as critical thinkers when they
completed the class. In addition to the emotional facts of the Holocaust, they learned about the
causes of the Holocaust from a historical context. Throughout the semester, they developed an
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in-depth understanding of the cumulative progression of historical events, which resulted in the
Final Solution of European Jewry. The majority of students developed an awareness to study the
domestic and international policies in the United States, so they can make informed decisions as
democratic citizens. There is still concern for those students who remain indifferent.
Survivors of the Holocaust bring a unique and human dimension to this tragic part of
history. The results indicated that HS were more optimistic than CS that humankind learns from
history. However, one survivor noted that hearing a Holocaust survivor’s testimony is not
enough for students to fully understand how to scrutinize the influences of government leaders.
She claimed that formal education is necessary so students understand the political values of
democracy and solidarity in the United States. Formal education also provides a way to help
students in higher education develop their decision making skills, so they are better equipped to
choose good over evil.
An important reflection from the findings was that the quantitative data told only part of
the story. The qualitative data from face-to-face interviews with students, the professor of the
course, Holocaust survivors and children of Holocaust survivors also helped clarify, give
meaning and deepen the impact of the research. The mixed methods approach was helpful in
gaining a complete understanding of the statistical data.
Implications
There were two types of implications validated by the analysis of the findings. The first
set of implications were those which indicated that learning did take place for some students
during the spring semester 2014 Holocaust course offered at the University of America. To
begin, students analyzed concepts related to the uses and abuses of power and government roles.
This was done by dissecting how a modern nation used its bureaucracy and expertise through
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technology to implement destruction and death. Second, by students digging deep into the
origins of anti-Semitism from the days of the early Christian church until the Holocaust in the
mid-20th century, they were better equipped to recognize the dangers of prejudice, racism and
stereotyping. A rich background about the evolution of Nazi Germany’s persecution of Jews and
other targeted groups within the history of WWII aided students in developing a sophisticated set
of tools by which to analyze both this event and other current events as well. In order to prevent
misunderstanding or trivializing the Holocaust, students recognized the dangers in remaining
silent and being indifferent in the face of oppression.
There were also implications which indicated how it would be if learning did not take
place for some students during the Holocaust course. Not every student completed the course
with an increased knowledge about the historical and emotional contexts of the Holocaust.
There were those who felt that because there was no relevancy in a history that was not theirs,
they were unable to learn about a history where they did not see themselves. Not being able to
see beyond the present moment made it impossible to understand self-governance, responsible
citizenship and treatment by those in power. There were students who voiced a loss of hope for
humanity, along with confusion about what it means to live and act in a world that created the
Holocaust. This may have had an impact on how they viewed the history of contemporary
genocides like Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.
Learning about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism enabled students to think critically about
why and how some groups are persecuted and others are coerced into violence. As stated in
chapter four, the professor explained to the students that there are still Christians today who
blame the Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus. She emphasized that without exploring the history
of anti-Semitism, students might not be able to make sense of the Holocaust. One student
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claimed that he was taught that the Jews killed Jesus, but because the syllabus covered the hatred
from a new point of view, he learned more about why the Jews have always been persecuted. In
addition, he noted that reading assignments from the New Testament and the Gospels of
Matthew and John gave him a greater understanding of where anti-Semitism was rooted.
According to Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett and Norman (2010), “inaccurate
prior knowledge - some of which can be surprisingly difficult to correct - can both distort
students’ understanding and interfere with incoming information” (p. 38). One CS suggested
that by teaching the historical background of anti-Semitism during the time of Jesus as well as
during the time of the Romans, students would have opportunities to understand the origins of
anti-Semitism with a historical view of how it fits into 20th century history. Evidence from the
case study revealed that students understood that there were already anti-Semitic feelings in
Europe and Germany needed someone to blame. This explains why the Jews became easy targets
after Germany’s defeat in WWI. In discussion sections, students questioned their own beliefs
and as a result learned to evaluate themselves more clearly rather than rely on how their biases
were formed in the past. One lesson learned here was that all people should have religious
freedom as well as the freedom to choose the lifestyles they desire regardless of their feelings of
others.
Limitations
Limitations of the study affected its validity and reliability, as well as any generalizations
about the findings. Despite its limitations, the researcher found that there was evidence of a
relationship between student learning and learning outcomes from both historical and emotional
contexts:
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Twenty five students were surveyed at the beginning of the Holocaust course, and 25
students were surveyed at the end of the semester, and there was no indication that the data
collected on both surveys was from the same students.
 The demographic of each response population was similar, yet the extent to which
respondents may have been alike relative to their thinking was unknown. Care was
exercised in generalizing the findings and distribution of surveys, which took place in
both America and Australia.
 Unlike survey participants who were sent links to the online surveys via e-mail, all
student interviewees were selected by the professor and her teaching assistants, which
could have presented a selection assignment bias.
 Time was a limitation in that all study data had to be collected in a finite period,
especially when students would be most likely available to participate in the study.
The limitation of time may have influenced responses to open ended questions during the
interviews and the surveys. Since there was no way to determine where and when the
surveys were completed, there remains the possibility that the surveys were either
completed quickly or by starting and finishing during different time periods.
 Finding Holocaust survivors depended on both their availability and their capacity to
answer survey statements. The researcher was assured that three of the 10 Holocaust
survivors verbally answered the statements in the surveys while a reliable source inputted
the responses on the survey link. There is no way of knowing if this actually occurred.
 The researcher could have had some influence on responses to the interview questions
through interactions with interviewees. This could have influenced the qualitative data.
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 Other than a pilot study, this was the researcher’s first time involved in qualitative
research. This lack of experience could have influenced the findings of the study.
 By exploring somewhat uncharted territory in research for Holocaust studies in higher
education, there was a lack of data with which to compare the findings of the study.
 The data collected from interviews may not represent the perceptions of other students,
Holocaust survivors or children of Holocaust survivors.
 According to Merriman (2009) an interviewer does not want bias to have an impact on
the study, so it is important to be aware of subjective attitudes during data collection.
There was the potential for the researcher to have had a personal bias on the subject,
which may have distorted the findings.
Recommendations for Future Research
Based on the findings in this study and a review of the literature, recommendations were
made for future research on teaching Holocaust courses in higher education.
1. Researchers will need to examine to what extent higher education institutional leaders in
the 21st century will use the lessons of the Holocaust to help combat crimes against
humanity today and in the future.
2. It will be important to understand the degree to which our surroundings shape who we
are and how we act as human beings toward one another.
3. It will be important to calculate the long term, measurable effects on student learning
about the Holocaust in other higher education institutions in the United States.
4. Studies should examine whether students know the differences between their world,
where they only see themselves and the world where they see the bigger picture.
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5. It will be important to research ways in which cultural expressions might help eliminate
stereotypes on college campuses.
6. Studies should examine if multicultural approaches to traditional curriculum increase
cultural awareness.
7. It will be important to examine third generation or grandchildren of Holocaust survivors
to determine if their narratives will have future value in higher education.
8. It will be important to explore further the hows and the whys that cause genocide.
Conclusion
Overall, the researcher determined through the findings that prior to taking the Holocaust
course, students already had somewhat of an understanding about fundamental human rights, the
importance of interfaith dialogue and right from wrong. Knowing that every generation has new
questions and problems that require solutions, the researcher surmised that it was important for
the student to develop the critical writing, reading and thinking skills needed to act on what they
already know and to take the new knowledge to the next level with energy, openness, creativity
and intellect. For college age students to fully understand discrimination, prejudice and violence
in the 21st century, lessons of the Holocaust can be used as learning tools to teach the lessons
already known, those not yet learned and lessons that will continue to be taught, so history might
not repeat itself.
The researcher presented five major conclusions affected by the data in the course:
1. Social issues classes in higher education may help move students to evaluate their own
moral and ethical responsibilities. These courses may help create progressive thinkers to
formulate ideas about how genocides might be prevented.
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2. Anti-Semitism runs deep with many students who were raised to believe the Jews killed
Jesus. Through interpretation and debate and by studying Christian theology, students
might better understand where and how anti-Semitism is rooted. With this knowledge,
students might begin to understand conceptually why the Jews were used as scapegoats
and how Hitler was able to use his influence and power to succeed not only in Germany
but all over the world.
3. The human rights discourse is a universal language in higher education, and through
interdisciplinary studies in areas such as the humanities, history, religion and philosophy,
it may be possible for students to learn that all people should be treated with dignity, not
just because they are human beings, but also because they are different from one another.
4. People are not born prejudiced. They are born unknowing and only through generations
of telling the story over and over again will students be able to critically understand that
the Holocaust took place because individuals, groups, and nations made certain decisions.
5. The Holocaust must be studied in the context of European history as a whole to give
students a perspective on the circumstances that may have contributed to it.
The researcher made several recommendations for future college curriculum:
 Instructors should be formally trained how to present the historical images of the
Holocaust in a sensitive and appropriate manner.
 Instructors should be able to distinguish between the history of the Holocaust and the
lessons that might be learned from that history.
 Instructors should be able to develop curriculum that covers the historical account of
anti-Semitism and the fact that it did not begin with the Nazis.
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 Instructors should encourage Holocaust survivors to discuss what happened during the
Holocaust as well as life before and after, so students get a sense of the whole person
and of how the survivor has tried to live with his or her experiences.
 Instructors should give students opportunities to critically analyze original source
material and to understand that interpretation and judgment must be based on a sound
reading of the historical evidence.
 Instructors should sensitize young people to modern day examples of prejudice and
injustice and moral lessons should be based upon an accurate account of history.
 Instructors should encourage students to study local, regional, national and global
history.
As stated in chapter two, the Holocaust was a time in human civilization when the human
race was seen at its worst. Learning about the Holocaust provided a frame of reference of
tolerance, diversity and understanding and was introduced through a college level course at the
University of America. The data showed that awareness on an emotional level and a deep
understanding of the Holocaust from a historical perspective was equally important. In order to
provide a balance between the whys and the hows of the Nazi genocide, rich data in this case
study provided evidence that the college level students were looking for this course to include
both historical and emotional content. Not all college students who enrolled in the course had a
thorough knowledge of 20th century history, the history of WWII and especially the history of
the Holocaust prior to the semester. Historical content placed students before the beginning of
WWII and led them from the roots of anti-Semitism to leadership and power during WWII. A
course on the Holocaust can be a lot of different things. It can cover the history and psychology
and sociology of events. It can be in the form of literature or art. It can cover the subject matter
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in a variety of ways. The Holocaust course at the University of America was taught as a social
issues class and during the semester, students were equipped with the tools to be critical thinkers,
critical readers and critical writers.
The Holocaust course at the University of America was not a course about the Jewish
people. Rather, the course covered the Nazi regime and explored how Germany’s public policy
affected the entire world. The Jewish people were involved because they were the select group
of people chosen to be exterminated by Nazi Germany. Although other groups could have been
targeted for these crimes against humanity, during this particular period of history, it was the
European Jews who were chosen as scapegoats and destined for annihilation. Hitler’s intentions
were to remove all Jews from the face of the Earth. The professor put this into context so the
course content of the class was relatable to all students and not limited to only Jewish students.
This gave students a broader perspective and greater awareness about genocide.
The university offered this course not because it was about Jewish persecution, but
because it had academic integrity as a subject. The social issues component taught students how
to discuss contemporary issues in an informed manner and emphasized the importance and
understanding of contemporary social conflicts. It was an important historical event that students
chose to learn about, not only because it was about the Holocaust, but because history itself has
something to teach.
The research questions were answered through purposeful sampling. As presented in
chapter four, both research questions were successfully addressed within the context of this
study. Those who participated in an online survey and in face-to-face interviews reported that
they not only learned about prejudice, intolerance, and hatred, but the evidence revealed that
students also learned about the fears towards leaders and the power of governments and why the
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Holocaust occurred. According to the research, the data provided proof that through the use of
critical thinking, reading and writing, students completed the class with more sophisticated skills
to discuss how this kind of a phenomenon could happen in a modern world.
Facts are simply facts, but history is created by how the facts are told. It is kind of like a
story and the interpretation is the narrative. In this story, students learned about the historical
and emotional history of government power, genocide and racism. Some students argued that
the moral implications of Holocaust education were very important parts of the narrative.
Although the statistics revealed that learning took place for most of the students, it also revealed
that some were not affected by the course. These students claimed that although they learned
about the Holocaust, the material did not have a profound effect on them. Regardless of their
feelings about the content of the course, the findings proved that most students learned about the
history of the Holocaust from both historical and emotional contexts.
The professor was successful in her attempt at making the Holocaust course relatable and
relevant to the students. This included an invited Holocaust survivor who shared her personal
story with the class. By providing living history through the narrative of a Holocaust survivor,
students were given the opportunity to imagine the facts through her eyes. Although far from
being able to put themselves back with her during WWII, students did see the survivor as both a
human being with a prior life of family, home and a community as well as someone who had
been affected by trauma and suffering.
Some students expressed concern that losing the last of the living survivors may pose a
threat to the memory of the Holocaust. While some realized that the many recorded testimonies,
survivors’ writings and artifacts available at the Holocaust Foundation will not be the same as
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 178
the human relationship, there were others who recognized that this documentation will still be
able to provide evidence for future Holocaust education.
People are capable of watching out for one another. This is very basic. It is not about
religion. It starts with education. Students developed a sense of personal empowerment from a
perspective of information and understanding so they would be able to think clearly before
making choices and before taking action. It is not okay to stand by and watch, but it is important
to question the implications of something like this happening again in the 21st century. To
suggest that at the end of the course, students stood up, held hands and sang songs of peace is
unrealistic. However, it is not unrealistic to suggest that at the end of the semester, students had
acquired a solid foundation to engage in contemporary political discussions and respond actively
to injustice in American society and on a global level.
One way to prevent patterns of oppression from happening in the future is by teaching the
truth through education. The role of education in the Holocaust course was to create a climate of
academic inquiry where students developed a critical appreciation of human issues. They had a
better understanding why it will be necessary to protect the freedom and democracy in the
United States today and in the future. As an example, the course covered issues such as why
people are influenced by an idea or ideology and how people become obedient regardless of
personal morals or values. Human nature guides people to do what they do given the
circumstances at the time. Milgram (1974) explains, “the social psychology of this century
reveals a major lesson: often it not so much the kind of person a man is as the kind of situation in
which he finds himself that determines how he will act (p. 205).
The professor argued that the Holocaust course would not have been complete if students
had only learned who, what, when, where and how in Holocaust history. She indicated that it
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 179
was important that students also learned why the Holocaust took place, and if it was indeed
inevitable. The researcher found that although the professor did present background knowledge
of racism and anti-Semitism, she did not engage in a lot of didactic teaching. Rather than relying
only on information presented in lectures and discussions, the Holocaust course was used as a
learning opportunity for students to spark intellectual curiosity and to draw their own
conclusions about the structure and power of governments.
The researcher reviewed the data to see whether using the lessons of the Holocaust
promoted student learning in this particular case study. The findings concluded that from the
beginning of the semester until the end of the semester, students developed a deeper
understanding of human dignity and human existence and its relevance to the past, present and
future. In addition, the analysis reflected authentic data, which stated that during the course of
the semester, students developed skills to clearly and critically communicate thoughts and ideas.
They recognized that as self-governing citizens, they can help set up systems to combat crimes
against humanity. In short, a younger generation of educated citizens may be able to carry on the
legacy of memory honoring Holocaust survivors and to learn both the historical and emotional
facts surrounding the Holocaust.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 180
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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 188
Appendix A
Student Survey Results
Pre- Test = x (25 responses) Post-Test = y (25 responses)

1 Gender: Female Male Decline
x 56% (14)
y 60% (15)
x 40% (10)
y 35% (9)

x 4% (1)
y 4% (1)

2 Year in college: Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior
x 60% (15)
y 52% (13)
x 24% (6)
y 32% (8)

x 8% (2)
y 12% (3)

x 8% (2)
y 4% (1)

3 Reason for taking the course: Religion

Ethnicity

Interest

General
Education

x 32% (8)
y 24% (6)
x 24% (6)
y 12% (3)

x 12% (3)
y 20% (5)

x 32% (8)
y 44% (11)

Statements: Strongly
Agree
Agree Neither
Agree nor
Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
4 Holocaust survivors have an
obligation to share their
experiences with others.
x 8% (2)
y 32% (8)
x 32% (8)
y 40% (10)

x 40% (10)
y 12% (3)

x 12% (3)
y 16% (4)

x 8% (2)
y 0% (0)

5 It is no longer important to hunt
down Nazi criminals who have yet
to be brought to justice.
x 16% (4)
y 32% (8)
x 40% (10)
y 50% (14)

x 28% (7)
y 8% (2)

x 8% (2)
y 4% (1)

x 8% (2)
y 0% (0)

6 All Holocaust survivors were
victims of concentration camps or
death camps.
x 4% (1)
y 16% (4)
x 0% (0)
y 12% (3)

x 20% (5)
y 8% (2)

x 56% (14)
y 36% (9)

x 20% (5)
y 28% (7)

7 Oppression is sometimes necessary
to strengthen a country’s
government.
x 0% (0)
y 0% (0)
x 32% (8)
y 16% (4)

x 20% (5)
y 20% (5)

x 16% (4)
y 28% (7)

x 32% (8)
y 36% (9)
8 People by nature walk away when
they witness someone being hurt.
x 4% (1)
y 32% (8)
x 16% (4)
y 44% (11)

x 28% (7)
y 24% (6)

x 40% (10)
y 0% (0)

x 12% (3)
y 0% (0)

9 It is not important to revisit slavery
in college courses because it
happened so long ago.
x 0% (0)
y 0% (0)
x 8% (2)
y 12% (3)

x 24%(6)
y 12%(3)

x 12% (3)
y 16% (4)

x 56% (14)
y 60% (15)

10 Studying about the Holocaust may
be a starting point for education
and students to understand about
other genocides.
x 24% (6)
y 52% (13)
x 52% (13)
y 36% (9)

x 16% (4)
y 8% (2)

x 8% (2)
y 4% (1)

x 0% (0)
y 0% (0)

11 Studying about the Holocaust may
be a starting point for college
x 24% (6)
y 48% (12)
x 56% (14)
y 40% (10)
x 12% (3)
y 12% (3)
x 8% (2)
y 0% (0)
x 0% (0)
y 0% (0)
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 189
students to understand about
fundamental human rights.

12 Tolerance and sensitivity is the
same for all students.
x 0% (0)
y 0% (0)
x 8% (2)
y 0% (0)

x 12% (3)
y 20% (5)

x 56% (14)
y 68% (17)

x 24% (6)
y 12% (3)

13 Interfaith dialogue may help build a
deeper understanding of the issues
that divide and unite us.
x 28% (7)
y 28% (7)
x 44% (11)
y 40% (10)

x 16% (4)
y 24% (6)

x 8% (2)
y 4% (1)

x 4% (1)
y 4% (1)

14 Teaching historical content first
about the Holocaust may provide
college students with an
understanding of its genesis.
x 24% (6)
y 36% (9)
x 48% (12)
y 36% (9)

x 24% (6)
y 24% (6)

x 4% (1)
y 4% (1)

x 0% (0)
y 0% (0)

15 Focusing more on tolerance and
prejudice rather than the actual
events leading up to World War II
might compromise the
understanding of the Holocaust.
x 4% (1)
y 8% (2)
x 24% (6)
y 16% (4)

x 48% (12)
y 56% (14)

x 24% (6)
y 20% (5)

x 0% (0)
y 0% (0)

16 Every person is capable of being
tolerant and sensitive to others.
x 12% (3)
y12% (3)
x 48% (12)
y 16% (4)

x 8% (2)
y 36% (9)

x 24% (6)
y 32% (8)

x 8% (2)
y 4% (1)

17 Every Jew in Europe was targeted
for systematic extermination under
Hitler’s Third Reich.
x 20% (5)
y 36% (2)
x 44% (11)
y 40% (1)

x 12% (3)
y 8% (3)

x 24% (6)
y 12% (4)

x 0% (0)
y 4% (15)

18 Some humans are genetically
superior to others.
x 4% (1)
y 8% (2)
x 16% (4)
y 4% (1)

x 20% (5)
y 12% (3)

x 12% (3)
y 16% (4)

x 48% (12)
y 60% (15)

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 190
Appendix B
Holocaust Survivor Survey Results
Total respondents = 10

Female Male Decline
1 Gender: 90% (9) 10% (1)
Yes No
2 I am a Holocaust survivor and I was
in a concentration camp:
60% (6) 40% (4)
Yes No
3 I am a Holocaust survivor but was
not in a concentration camp:
40% (4) 60% (6)
Strongly
Agree
Agree Neither
Agree
nor
Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
4 Resilience is a trait I teach my
children to help adapt to challenges
in life.
20% (2) 60% (6) 10% (1) 10% (1) 0% (0)

Statements: Strongly
Agree
Agree Neither
Agree
nor
Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
5 Holocaust survivors have an
obligation to share their experiences
with others.
30% (3) 40% (4) 10% (1) 20% (2) 0% (0)
6 It is no longer important to hunt
down Nazi criminals who have yet
to be brought to justice.
0% (2) 10% (1) 10% (1) 20% (2) 60% (6)
7 Oppression is sometimes necessary
to strengthen a country’s
government. government.
0% (0) 0% (0) 10% (1) 60% (6) 30% (3)
8 People by nature walk away when
they witness someone being hurt.
0% (0) 60% (6) 20% (2) 10% (1) 10% (1)
9 It is more important for college age
students to learn about genocide
awareness than slavery in America.
0% (0) 50% (5) 40% (4) 10% (1) 0% (0)
10 College courses about the Holocaust
may be a starting point for educators
and college age students to
understand about other genocides.
40% (4) 60% (6) 0% (1) 0% (0) 0% (0)
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 191
11 Studying about the Holocaust may
be a starting point for college
students to understand about
fundamental human rights.
50% (5) 50% (5) 0% (0) 0% (0) 0% (0)
12 Tolerance and sensitivity is the same
for all students.
0% (0) 20% (2) 20% (2) 50% (5) 10% (1)
13 Interfaith dialogue may help build a
deeper understanding of the issues
that divide and unite us.
30% (3) 70% (7) 0% (0) 0% (0) 0% (0)
14 Teaching historical content first
about the Holocaust may provide
college students with an
understanding of its genesis.
60% (6) 20% (2) 10% (1) 0% (0) 10% (1)
15 Focusing more on tolerance and
prejudice rather than the actual
events leading up to World War II
might compromise the
understanding of the Holocaust.
0% (0) 50% (5) 10% (1) 30% (3) 10% (1)
16 Every person is capable of being
tolerant and sensitive to others.
20% (2) 40% (4) 0% (0) 40% (4) 0% (0)
17 Every Jew in Europe was targeted
for systematic extermination under
Hitler’s Third Reich.
70% (7) 20% (2) 0% (0) 0% (0) 10% (1)
18 Some humans are genetically
superior to others.
0% (0) 0% (0) 10% (1) 10% (1) 80% (8)
19 In order to prevent history from
repeating itself, it is important to
teach about the Holocaust to higher
education students.
70% (7) 20% (2) 0% (0) 0% (0) 10% (1)
20 Lessons learned from the Holocaust
are different than lessons learned
from other genocides.
50% (5) 10% (1) 30% (3) 10% (1) 0% (0)
21 College age students who study
about the Holocaust might learn
ways to compact indifference,
hatred, racism and anti-Semitism
today.
60% (6) 40% (4) 0% (0) 0% (0) 0% (0)
22 I am optimistic that if people
continue to work hard on intolerance
and prejudice, good will prevail in
the world.
10% (1) 70% (7) 0% (0) 20% (2) 0% (0)
23 It would be impossible in the 21
st

century to carry out the systematic
murder of a people in America.
0% (0) 0% (0) 20% (2) 60% (6) 20% (2)
24 American society has enough
stability that Jews and other
0% (0) 10% (1) 40% (4) 50% (5) 0% (0)
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 192
minorities are safe from severe
prosecution today.
25 Rather than teaching about the
Holocaust, it is better to stay quiet
and hope the world will forget about
it.
0% (0) 0% (0) 0% (0) 40% (4) 60% (6)
26 Voting age college students should
understand why America must
defend its borders.
30% (3) 60% (6) 10% (1) 0% (0) 0% (0)
27 Foreign policy in the United States
should include military intervention
in other countries.
10% (1) 20% (2) 50% (5) 20% (2) 0% (0)
28 In order to determine their present
outlook on world leaders, college
age students must critically analyze
the Holocaust.
0% (0) 70% (7) 30% (3) 0% (0) 0% (0)
29 College age students may learn
more about themselves after
listening to a Holocaust survivor’s
testimony.
30% (3) 50% (5) 20% (2) 0% (0) 0% (0)
30 I often reflect about the Holocaust
when I think about the future of
humankind.
40% (4) 60% (6) 0% (0) 0% (0) 0% (0)
31 Holocaust education may help
college age students to think and
write crucially from multiple
perspectives.
20% (2) 60% (6) 20% (2) 0% (0) 0% (0)
32 I often spend time speaking with
others about the Holocaust.
30% (3) 50% (5) 0% (0) 20% (2) 0% (0)
33 There may be Holocaust survivors
in the world who have never
admitted to being in the Holocaust.
10% (1) 70% (7) 10% (1) 10% (1) 0% (0)
34 There is fear that as this generation
of survivors pass, the lessons of the
Holocaust will be lost.
30% (3) 40% (4) 0% (0) 30% (3) 0% (0)
35 Humankind does learn from history. 10% (1) 60% (6) 0% (0) 30% (3) 0% (0)

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 193
Appendix C
Children of Holocaust Survivor Survey Results
Total respondents = 26

Female Male
1 Gender: 65% (17) 35% (9)
Mother Father Both Neither
2 The following parent was a
Holocaust survivor of a
concentration camp:
12% (3) 35% (9) 38% (10) 15% (4)
Mother Father Both Neither Both in
concentratio
n camp
3 The following parent was a
Holocaust survivor but was not in a
concentration camp:
23% (6) 23% (6) 23% (6) 12% (3) 19% (5)
Strongly
Agree
Agree Neither
Agree
nor
Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
4 Resilience is a trait I learned from
my parents to help them adapt to
challenges in life.
31% (8) 50% (13) 19% (5) 0% (0) 0% (0)

Statements: Strongly
Agree
Agree Neither
Agree
nor
Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
5 Holocaust survivors have an
obligation to share their
experiences with others.
23% (6) 19% (5) 35% (9) 23% (6) 0% (0)
6 It is no longer important to hunt
down Nazi criminals who have yet
to be brought to justice.
4% (1) 12% (3) 4% (1) 27% (7) 54% (14)
7 Oppression is sometimes necessary
to strengthen a country’s
government. government.
0% (0) 0% (0) 8% (2) 38% (10) 54% (14)
8 People by nature walk away when
they witness someone being hurt.
4% (1) 31% (8) 31% (8) 27% (7) 8% (2)
9 It is more important for college age
students to learn about genocide
awareness than slavery in America.
23% (6) 8% (2) 27% (7) 27% (7) 15% (4)
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 194
10 College courses about the
Holocaust may be a starting point
for educators and college age
students to understand about other
genocides.
46% (12) 50% (13) 4% (1) 0% (0) 0% (0)
11 Studying about the Holocaust may
be a starting point for college
students to understand about
fundamental human rights.
42% (11) 50% (13) 4% (1) 0% (0) 4% (1)
12 Tolerance and sensitivity is the
same for all students.
0% (0) 12% (3) 12% (3) 65% (17) 12% (3)
13 Interfaith dialogue may help build a
deeper understanding of the issues
that divide and unite us.
42% (11) 46% (12) 12% (3) 0% (0) 0% (0)
14 Teaching historical content first
about the Holocaust may provide
college students with an
understanding of its genesis.
46% (12) 46% (12) 8% (2) 0% (0) 0% (0)
15 Focusing more on tolerance and
prejudice rather than the actual
events leading up to World War II
might compromise the
understanding of the Holocaust.
8% (2) 27% (7) 19% (5) 38% (10) 8% (2)
16 Every person is capable of being
tolerant and sensitive to others.
19% (5) 31% (8) 19% (5) 23% (6) 8% (2)
17 Every Jew in Europe was targeted
for systematic extermination under
Hitler’s Third Reich.
62% (16) 38% (10) 0% (0) 0% (0) 0% (0)
18 Some humans are genetically
superior to others.
0% (0) 0% (0) 4% (1) 15% (4) 81% (21)
19 In order to prevent history from
repeating itself, it is important to
teach about the Holocaust to higher
education students.
81% (21) 15% (4) 0% (0) 0% (0) 4% (1)
20 Lessons learned from the
Holocaust are different than lessons
learned from other genocides.
12% (3) 31% (8) 35% (9) 19% (5) 4% (1)
21 College age students who study
about the Holocaust might learn
ways to compact indifference,
hatred, racism and anti-Semitism
today.
58% (15) 38% (10) 4% (1) 0% (0) 0% (0)
22 I am optimistic that if people
continue to work hard on
intolerance and prejudice, good
will prevail in the world.
15% (4) 46% (12) 15% (4) 19% (5) 4% (1)
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 195
23 It would be impossible in the 21
st

century to carry out the systematic
murder of a people in America.
4% (1) 12% (3) 12% (3) 46% (12) 27% (7)
24 American society has enough
stability that Jews and other
minorities are safe from severe
prosecution today.
4% (1) 8% (2) 4% (1) 65% (17) 19% (5)
25 Rather than teaching about the
Holocaust, it is better to stay quiet
and hope the world will forget
about it.
0% (0) 0% (0) 0% (0) 8% (2) 92% (24)
26 Voting age college students should
understand why America must
defend its borders.
23% (6) 46% (12) 27%(7) 4% (1) 0% (0)
27 Foreign policy in the United States
should include military intervention
in other countries.
15% (4) 31% (8) 38% (10) 12% (3) 4% (1)
28 In order to determine their present
outlook on world leaders, college
age students must critically analyze
the Holocaust.
12% (3) 42% (11) 35% (9) 8% (2) 4% (1)
29 College age students may learn
more about themselves after
listening to a Holocaust survivor’s
testimony.
35% (9) 50% (13) 15% (4) 0% (0) 0% (0)
30 I often reflect about the Holocaust
when I think about the future of
humankind.
23% (6) 62% (16) 4% (10) 12% (3) 0% (0)
31 Holocaust education may help
college age students to think and
write crucially from multiple
perspectives.
19% (5) 54% (14) 27% (7) 0% (0) 0% (0)
32 I often spend time speaking with
others about the Holocaust.
8% (2) 62% (16) 15% (4) 15% (4) 0% (0)
33 There may be Holocaust survivors
in the world who have never
admitted to being in the Holocaust.
15% (4) 46% (12) 19% (5) 15% (4) 4% (1)
34 There is fear that as this generation
of survivors pass, the lessons of the
Holocaust will be lost.
38% (10) 54% (14) 0% (0) 8% (2) 0% (0)
35 Humankind does learn from
history.
4% (1) 23% (6) 31% (8) 38% (10) 4% (1)

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 196
Appendix D
Student Interview Protocol

1. Tell me about what motivated you to take this course.

2. Tell me why Holocaust studies might be relevant today.

3. In what ways does a course about the Holocaust promote student learning about this period
of history?

4. Give me an example of how minorities are oppressed.

5. Tell me from your perspective how a modern society might carry of the systematic murder
of a people.

6. Tell me how you feel about people respecting different cultures.

7. What makes people resist and others obey authority?

8. How has your experience in the course up to this point affected you on a personal level?

9. Can you walk me through some of your emotions during a lecture on the Holocaust?

10. How do you feel while you are waiting for the lecture to begin?

11. Give me an example of a comment that caught your attention from another student during
the lecture or discussion and how it affected you?

12. How do you express your feelings in the discussion section and how does this differ from
your participation in the lecture?

13. Up to this point in the semester, what are your feelings about the course content in the class?
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 197
Appendix E
Professor Interview Protocol
1. Can you please describe what a course on the Holocaust is?

2. Why do you think a course on the Holocaust might be relevant today in higher education?

3. How do you feel about using the lessons of the Holocaust to promote student learning?

4. What makes the Holocaust so unique and why not teach a course on genocides in general?

5. How long have you been teaching Holocaust courses?

6. What makes someone a good Holocaust course instructor?

7. Why is it important for a trained instructor to teach about the Holocaust?

8. What are some of the issues you think about when you are preparing a lesson plan?

9. Walk me through some of the obstacles you face when teaching about the Holocaust?

10. How does the curriculum in your Holocaust course challenge students?

11. What are the qualities that make your students good learners in this subject?

12. What are your thoughts on whether students have the ability to learn about the Holocaust?

13. Tell how your lectures and discussion groups complement one another.

14. Why is it important to value what students have to say about the Holocaust?

15. Why do you invite a Holocaust survivor to speak during a lecture?

16. What are your expectations for students who take your course?

17. What is the most important message you hope students take away from your course?

18. Can you state some examples of how issues you have raised matter in the real world.

19. How do you assess whether students have learned about the Holocaust from your course?

20. Tell me a little about your interest in teaching a Holocaust course.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 198

Appendix F
Holocaust Survivor Interview Protocol
1. You are a survivor of the Holocaust. Are you are a survivor from a concentration camp?
2. How would you respond to this statement? There is fear that as this generation of survivors
pass, the lessons of the Holocaust will be lost.
3. How do you feel about using the lessons of the Holocaust to promote student learning about
this part of history for college age students?
4. What is your definition of a Holocaust course for college age students?
5. Tell me what you think might motivate a student to take a course on the Holocaust?
6. Why do you think a course on the Holocaust might be relevant today in higher education?
7. What do you think are the advantages and/or disadvantages of taking a college level
Holocaust course?
8. How does learning about the Holocaust facilitate emotional awareness?
9. How will taking a course on the Holocaust provide content knowledge?
10. What makes people resist and others obey authority?
11. Give me an example of how minorities are oppressed.
12. Tell me from your perspective how a modern society can carry out the systematic murder of
a people.
13. How might a college level Holocaust course help students understand the cultural and
historical contexts of their own lives?
14. Tell me your thoughts on Holocaust survivors visiting college courses.
15. What makes someone a good Holocaust course instructor?
16. Why is it important for a trained instructor to teach about the Holocaust?
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 199
17. Walk me through some of the obstacles a professor might face when teaching Holocaust?
18. Tell me if you feel that students have the ability to learn about the Holocaust?
19. How should the curriculum in a college level Holocaust course challenge students?
20. Why is it important to value what students have to say about the Holocaust?
21. What makes learning about the Holocaust different than learning about other genocides?
22. As a Holocaust survivor, what is the most important message you hope college age students
take away from a Holocaust course?

23. Please discuss examples of issues discussed in a Holocaust course which might matter in the
real world.

24. How do you assess learning outcomes from a college level Holocaust course?

25. Discuss your thoughts on whether humankind learns from history.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 200
Appendix G
Children of Holocaust Survivor Interview Protocol
1. One or both of your parents survived the Holocaust. Were they survivors of a concentration
camp?

2. How would you respond to this statement? There is fear that as this generation of survivors
pass, the lessons of the Holocaust will be lost.

3. How do you feel about using the lessons of the Holocaust to promote student learning about
this part of history for college age students?

4. What is your definition of a Holocaust course for college age students?

5. Tell me what you think might motivate a student to take a course on the Holocaust?

6. Why do you think a course on the Holocaust might be relevant today in higher education?

7. What do you think are the advantages and/or disadvantages of taking a college level
Holocaust course?

8. How does learning about the Holocaust facilitate emotional awareness?

9. How will taking a course on the Holocaust provide content knowledge?

10. What makes people resist and others obey authority?

11. Give me an example of how minorities are oppressed.

12. Tell me from your perspective how a modern society can carry out the systematic murder of
a people.

13. How might a college level Holocaust course help students understand the cultural and
historical contexts of their own lives?

14. Tell me your thoughts on Holocaust survivors visiting college courses.

15. What makes someone a good Holocaust course instructor?

16. Why is it important for a trained instructor to teach about the Holocaust?

17. Walk me through some of the obstacles a professor might face when teaching Holocaust?
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 201

18. Tell me if you feel that all students have the ability to learn about the Holocaust?

19. How should the curriculum in a college level Holocaust course challenge students?

20. Why is it important to value what students have to say about the Holocaust?

21. What makes learning about the Holocaust different than learning about other genocides?

22. As a child of Holocaust survivor(s), what is the most important message you hope college
age students take away from Holocaust course?

23. Please discuss examples of issues discussed in a Holocaust course which might matter in the
real world.

24. How do you assess learning outcomes from a college level Holocaust course?

25. Discuss your thoughts on whether humankind learns from history.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 202
Appendix H
Survey Protocol

Jeanne Herman
Observation Protocol
University of America
Set # xx “The Holocaust”
Date: Start Time: End:
Student
Description/Actions
Professor
Description/Actions
Setting
Lecture Hall
Dialogue

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 203
Appendix I
Class Schedule – Spring 2014
Judaic Studies (JS) Spring 2014
The Holocaust (4.0 units)
 General Education: This course satisfies the university's general education requirement.
 Note: Register for lecture and one discussion
Section Type Time Days Registered
38210R Lecture
11:00-
12:20pm
Tue, Thu 92 of 98
38211R Discussion 3:30-4:20pm Tuesday 22 of 25
38212R Discussion 3:30-4:20pm Thursday 19 of 25
38213R Discussion 9:00-9:50am Wednesday 27 of 27
38214R Discussion 4:00-4:50pm Wednesday 24 of 25

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 204
Appendix J
Class Syllabus – Spring 2014

JS 211: The Holocaust

The grading scheme thus appears as follows:
a) Midterm Examination 20%
b) Term Paper 30%
c) Final Examination 30%
d) Discussion Section 20%

Required Texts

The following books are required and are available at the USC bookstore:
Yehuda Bauer, A History of the Holocaust
Christopher Browning, Ordinary Men
Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz
Donald L. Niewyk, The Holocaust (fourth edition only)
Course Reader is available through www.universityreaders.com. Once you place your order
online, you will receive a pdf file of the first 20% of the reader and will receive the hard copy in
the mail within two to four days.

I. Introductory Considerations

Jan 14 Introduction

Jan 16 What is Genocide?
Reader: Ronnie S. Landau, Studying the Holocaust. Routledge: New York, 1998,
pp. 90-107.

II. How Did the Nazis Come to Power? Intellectual, Political, and Social Factors
Contributing to the Rise of National Socialism

Jan 21 Hitler's Anti-Semitism and its Origins
Reader: Selections from the New Testament: Matthew 27, John 19:12-42
Reader: "Medieval Spanish Law and the Jews," The Jew in the Medieval World, pp. 34-40
Reader: Martin Luther, "The Prince of Darkness," pp. 165-169
Bauer, pp. 15-25.

Jan 23 The Role of Race in Hitler's Worldview
Reader: Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, pp. 284-296
Reader: Michael Burleigh and Wolfgang Wippermann. The Racial State: Germany 1933-1945.
“Barbarous Utopias: Racial Ideologies in Germany,” New York: Cambridge University Press,
1991, pp. 23-43
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 205

Jan 28 Modern Anti-Semitism and the Idea of Race
Reader: Hitler, Mein Kampf, pp. 51-65
Reader: “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” in Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, eds., The
Jew in the Modern World. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1995, 2
nd
ed., pp. 363-367. Make
sure you read the note at the end of this reading before you begin!
Bauer, 47-56

Jan 30 Hitler's Rise to Power: World War I and the Weimar Republic
Reader: Richard Wagner, “Jewry in Music,” in Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, pp. 327-331
Bauer, 61-70, 81-86

Feb 4 Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party
Bauer, pp. 86-100

Feb 6 Film Excerpts: “Triumph of the Will” (Leni Riefenstahl, 1935)
Bauer, pp. 101-120.

III. The Holocaust: Nazi Policy Towards the Jews and Jewish
Responses, 1933-1945

Feb 11 Nazi Policy and Jewish Responses in Germany: 1933-1939
Reader: Marion Kaplan, “The Jewish Response to the Third Reich. Gender at the Grass Roots,”
in Jonathan Frankel, ed. Jews and Gender: The Challenge to Hierarchy. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2000, pp. 70-87
Reader: Memoir excerpts Edwin Landau, Martha Appell in Monika Richarz ed., Jewish Life in
Germany. Memoirs from Three Centuries. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991, pp.
306-314, 351-361.

Feb 13 Midterm

Feb 18 Nazi Policy and Jewish Responses: 1939-1941
Bauer, pp. 147-182.

PAPER ASSIGNMENT HANDED OUT

Feb 20 Life and Death in the Ghettos.
Film: “912 Days of the Warsaw Ghetto” (Jewish Historical Institute, Warsaw)
&Testimony: Helen Fagin
Blackboard: The Warsaw Diary of Chaim A. Kaplan. New York: Collier, 1973, pp. 218-245.

Feb 25 Nazi “Euthanasia” Program as Prelude to the ‘Final Solution’
Reader: Robert Proctor, Racial Hygiene: Medicine Under the Nazis. Cambridge: Harvard
University Press, 1988, pp. 177-194
Levi, pp. 1-37

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 206
Feb 27 Nazi Policy and Jewish Responses: The ‘Final Solution,’ 1941-1945
Film Excerpts: Shoah (Claude Lanzmann, 1985)
Reader: Lawrence Langer, “The Dilemma of Choice in the Deathcamps,” in John K. Roth and
Michael Berenbaum eds., Holocaust: Religious and Philosophical Implications. St. Paul:
Paragon House, 1989, pp. 222-232
Levi, pp. 38-64

March 4 The Holocaust by Bullets (Guest Lecture Crispin Brooks)
Levi, 65-115

March 6 Primo Levi and the Grey Zone (Guest Lecture Sari Siegel)
Bauer, pp. 227-247
Levi, pp. 145-173

March 11 The Question of Resistance
Film Excerpts: “The Eichmann Trial” (PBS, 1997)
Reader: “Facing Death in the Bialystok Ghetto, February 1943,” in Lucy
Dawidowicz, ed., A Holocaust Reader. West Orange: Behrman House, 1976,
pp. 347-354
Reader: “Kovner’s Testimony on Wittenberg.”
Reader: Anna Heilman and Rose Meth, in Carol Rittner and John K. Roth, eds., Different
Voices: Women and the Holocaust. St Paul: Paragon House, 1993, pp. 130-140
Bauer, pp. 266-286

PAPER PREPARATION ASSIGNMENT DUE IN SECTIONS THIS WEEK

March 13 Surviving the Ghetto (Guest Lecture—Holocaust survivor)
Browning, pp. 1-37.

March 17-22 Spring Break--- Enjoy!

IV. Examining the Perpetrators: Personal Responsibility and the
Banality of Evil

March 25 Non-Jewish Victims of the Holocaust
Reader: Burleigh and Wipperman. The Racial State. pp. 113-127.
Browning, 38-77

March 27 Hannah Arendt and the Banality of Evil.
Film Excerpts from “The Eichmann Trial” (PBS, 1997)
Browning, pp. 114-142
Blackboard: Optional: Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem. New York: Penguin Books, 2006,
pp. 135-150

April 1 Were They Just 'Ordinary Men?'
Browning, pp. 143-158.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 207
Blackboard: Daniel Goldhagen "Hitler's Willing Executioners," in Donald Niewyk, ed. The
Holocaust, 2003, (3
rd
ed.), pp. 91-104.
Optional: Browning, pp. 159-189

April 3 Ordinary Women
Blackboard: Wendy Lower, Hitler’s Furies. German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields. New
York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, pp. 120-158.

PAPERS DUE IN CLASS

April 8 Non-German Perpetrators: The Case of Poland and Vichy France
Niewyk, Yisrael Gutman and Shmuel Krakowski, “The Poles helped Persecute the Jews;”
Richard C. Lukas, “The Poles were Fellow Victims,” pp. 180-205.
Bauer, pp. 248-265.

III. How Did Bystanders Respond?

April 10Public Opinion in Germany
Blackboard: Otto Dov Kulka, “’Public Opinion’ in Nazi Germany; The Final Solution,” in
Michael Marrus, ed., The Nazi Holocaust no. 5 vol.1. Westport: Meekler, 1989, pp. 139-150.

April 15 Class cancelled for Passover holiday

April 17 Response of the Allies
Reader: David Wyman, "The Abandonment of the Jews," pp. 256-268
Niewyk, William Rubinstein, “The Myth of Rescue,” pp. 228-239.

April 22 Class cancelled for Passover holiday (again)

April 24 Church Responses to the Holocaust
Niewyk, Michael Phayer, “The Silence of Pope Pius XII,” pp. 240-251.

April 29 Rescuers: The Light that Pierced the Darkness
Film Excerpts: “Weapons of the Spirit” (Pierre Sauvage, 1987)
Reader: Hillel Levine ,“In Pursuit of Sugihara: The Banality of Good,” in Charles Strozier and
Michael Flynn, eds., Genocide, War, and Human Survival. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield,
1996, pp. 99-109.
Niewyk, Nehama Tec, “Righteous Gentiles,” pp. 217-224.

May 1 Concluding Remarks

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The Holocaust, which occurred at the hands of the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945 is the term used to describe the systematic torture and murder of approximately six million European Jews and millions of other “undesirables” (World War 2: Nazi Germany, 2010). The purpose of this dissertation was to provide a deep understanding of student experiences and viewpoints on this topic and to examine ways in which the lessons of the Holocaust might be used as a template in higher education to promote student learning. The analysis focused on the concern that as this generation of Holocaust survivors passes, the significant lessons of the Holocaust will be lost. The study implemented a mixed-methods approach in which qualitative and quantitative instruments were used to collect and analyze data in order to answer the research questions. Twenty five undergraduate students enrolled in the spring 2014 Holocaust course at the University of America, 10 Holocaust survivors and 26 children of Holocaust survivors responded to three different Likert scale surveys designed to uncover degrees of opinions on student learning ranging from one extreme to the other. Second, the interview protocol consisted of semi-structured open-ended questions and was administered to three students, three Holocaust survivors, three children of Holocaust survivors and the professor of the course. Finally, the observation protocol consisted of several observations, including one pre-scheduled guest appearance of a Holocaust survivor during the class period. Through the process of triangulation, the study’s findings and implications indicated that in the 21st century and after this generation of Holocaust survivors passes, there is hope that lessons about multicultural and human awareness as well as tolerance, democracy and civil equality can continue to be taught to college level students in order to combat crimes against humanity from happening in the future.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Herman, Jeanne A. (author)

Core Title A case study: using the lessons of the Holocaust to promote student learning in higher education

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 02/11/2015

Defense Date 01/22/2015

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag 21st Century,holocaust,OAI-PMH Harvest,student learning

Format application/pdf (imt)

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Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Castruita, Rudy Max (committee chair), García, Pedro Enrique (committee member), Marsh, Julie A. (committee member)

Creator Email jaherman@provost.usc.edu,jaherman24@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-533577

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