This program is virtual and will take place online for Summer 2021. The application deadline has been extended, you can can continue to submit applications online. Students will be selected on a rolling basis until courses are full.
This course is led by UBC faculty member Bozena Karwowska
This course will examine representations of the Nazi Holocaust and related aspects of Nazi Germany by focusing on Auschwitz. Auschwitz was a place in which several frequently conflicting agendas of the Third Reich intersected.An industrial compound, a concentration camp, a medical research site, and an extermination facility, Auschwitz served to imprison, terrorize, enslave, and kill. Its operation as well as the so-called “twisted road” that led to it provide a horrific and revealing example of the strange ways in which the Third Reich ruled by a mixture of chaos and consent. More importantly, Auschwitz is a site of conflicting memories that raise the question how, and if at all, it can be remembered and commemorated in ways that resist both sentimentalization and the recourse to conventional literary or cinematographic imagery.
After introducing you to the history of Jewish settlement in Poland (including development of Yiddish literature) and the so-called phase one of the extermination (Warsaw Ghetto), the course will explore issues related to Auschwitz by analyzing a set of diverse texts including research-based academic studies, first-hand accounts by both victims and perpetrators, interviews, documentaries, feature films, and literary fictionalization.
While the summer seminar follows the general schedule of CENS 303, the course is taught in cooperation with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial, and video material will be in a large part replaced by lectures, discussions, and virtual study tours. Because a close cooperation with the Museum Research Center creates unparalleled research opportunities, there will be a larger focus on research components of the course. Regular quizzes and midterm essays will be replaced by journals or by a research or educational project.
You will be introduced to the topic prior to the beginning of the seminar in a virtual class meeting and online lessons (at least 2 weeks before the course), so you can start reading memoirs and literary text in advance.
A typical day might include:
Sample of topics in a day
The Genocide of Sinti and Roma – lecture and avirtual tour of the exhibition in Blok 13
Medicine and medical experiments in KL Auschwitz –virtual on-site lecture (with a tour of Blok 10)
Group seminar or research discussion groups meetings and activities
The archives and their contents - workshop in block 24 (Museum Archives)
SS Garrison in Auschwitz - lecture and discussion
Group seminar or individual meetings with researchers, archivists, and librarians
Sensitive or potentially triggering content: Some students find that it is an emotional experience, especially if you have heritage/roots in the areas we are exploring.
The course has no specific prerequisites, and is open to students from all faculties. However, priority will be given to students in the Faculty of Arts
Students will attend lectures and seminars for 20 days (May 5 – 23, 2021) and then will work on their individual projects (to be submitted by June 10, 2021).
The application deadline has been extended, so you can can continue to submit applications online. Students will be selected on a rolling basis until courses are full.
Students are limited to apply for one Virtual Global Seminar. Interest in a second Virtual Global Seminar will be assessed on a case by case basis and students should contact Go Global directly for more information.
This program is jointly funded by Arts Research Abroad (ARA) and Go Global. ARA is a funding body made of the Faculty of Arts – Dean’s Office and anonymous donors that supports Virtual Global Seminars.
This funding will offset 100% of the program fees for this Virtual Global Seminar.
Go Global is committed to making high-quality global education experiences accessible to all students. For this reason, Virtual Global Seminars will be kept at no or low cost for the Summer 2021 season.
The Go Global Fee ($415) will be covered in full by the Go Global Award ($500) and Program Fees will be covered in full by the Global Service Learning Award.
You will pay UBC tuition for the number of credits you enroll in for this program.
The Go Global Fee ($415.00 CDN) is an administrative fee required for all applicants to Go Global programs. The fee is non-refundable. However, it may be adjusted under the following circumstances.
To withdraw from your program, you must contact Go Global by email to request withdrawal.
Students who withdraw from the program after the program starts, will have their Go Global fee adjusted from $415.00 to $321.75 (reduced by $93.25).
In the case of withdrawal, Go Global Award funding must be returned in full.
If you have questions, please connect with your Go Global advisor or email Go Global at go.global@ubc.ca.
If you are considering applying for a Go Global program and identify with having a disability or pre-existing health condition (mental or physical) which could impact your participation, or if you require academic accommodations, you can contact the following offices and meet with an Accessibility Advisor before the start of the program:
Go Global's Vancouver campus office is closed until further notice. At this time, you can contact Go Global by email, phone or virtually through Zoom.
If you need to book an advising appointment, please complete the online request form. Appointments will be held through Zoom or by phone.
Monday: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Tuesday: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Thursday: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
