Through psychological lenses: university students' reflections following the “Psychology of the Holocaust” course

Holocaust. Intercultural Premises and Consequences

“…When discussing the causes and consequences of genocides, attempts should be made to develop multi-layered and complex perceptions of these events, although such a task is difficult, cognitively but mainly emotionally. These realizations are especially difficult when it becomes clear that genocide has long-standing implications, not only on the survivors of the genocide but also on the perpetrators, the bystanders and the rescuers, and on their descendents and their societies, at large (Lazar et al, 2009).…”

Hitler’s Genocide

“…For instance, instructors should be very cautious with role-playing as it creates the potential for inappropriate reenactment of events from this period of history. More bluntly stated, experiential activities are more likely to be offensive than worthwhile as learning activities (Lazar et al, 2009).…”

“…This means that subjective student perceptions emphasizing the “uniqueness of Jewish suffering” evolve into more universal interpretations emphasizing the power of situational forces common to all human beings. Lazar and colleagues (2009) also found that with an interdisciplinary focus, these students developed a more reflective, sophisticated understanding whereby they could place themselves in the context of the Holocaust (e.g., projecting oneself into the role of victim, perpetrator, bystander, or rescuer).…”

“…Researchers have identified positive attitude changes regarding anti-Semitism and increased tolerance toward minorities (Gordon, Simon, & Weinberg, 2003), and others have documented positive shifts in students' interpretations of the consequences of the Holocaust. Specifically, students shifted from a particularistic to a more universalistic interpretation of the Holocaust (Lazar, Litvak-Hirsch, Bar-On, & Beyth-Marom, 2009). This means that subjective student perceptions emphasizing the ''uniqueness of Jewish suffering'' evolve into more universal interpretations emphasizing the power of situational forces common to all human beings.…”

“…For instance, German control of large numbers of people in Eastern Europe and the identification of the ''enemies'' of the German state combined under the cover of war for the implementation and normalization of mass murder on a scale not previously seen in human history (Bergen, 2009;Lindquist, 2006;Mann, 2005;Petropoulos & Roth, 2005). Therefore, the necessity of the war to the Holocaust must then be reflected in any efforts to teach about the Holocaust, and this factor is largely absent or underemphasized (e.g., students' consideration, narrowed to the period between 1933 and 1945, typically lacks attention to antecedents and legacies) in the few extant interdisciplinary courses on teaching the Holocaust through a psychological lens (Albrecht & Nelson, 2001;Lazar et al, 2009;Solkoff, 2001;Solkoff & Allen, 1978;Woolf, 2001).…”