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Film and Media Studies



Main Office – LL 641

(480) 965-6747

UG Advisor: Michelle McCormick

Holocaust on Film

FMS/REL 394

Summer 2008

Instructor: Dr. Michael Rubinoff Day/Time: July 7 - Aug. 8/Internet

Office: LL 647B Location: myasucourses.asu.edu

Office Hours: by voice mail and email only Schedule Lines: 45462/46839

Telephone: 480/727-8113

E-mail: mrubinoff@asu.edu

Faculty Web Page:

Course Description:

This course is a survey of Holocaust film, both before cataclysmic events in Europe and in the 63 years since

World War II ended. Not meant to be Holocaust history with film illustrating important concepts, this course

underscores how motion pictures recorded both actual events and has depicted them. Uniquely, before the

word “genocide” was coined in 1942; the mass murder of European Jews was being documented in German

film. For the first time since the advent of motion pictures, true images revealed horrors far greater than

any Hollywood studio or German Expressionist cinema could invent. Upon the fall of the Third Reich, the

victorious Allies captured vast amount of newsreel footage and even home movies. The images caught

by German photographers were immediately used in the Nuremberg Trials and served as clear evidence of

mass murder and conspiracy to commit mass murder. Death sentences and prison convictions for Nazis

and their collaborators would be partially based on this evidence. Also of importance, the Allies had film

crews at the moment they liberated concentration camps in Poland and Germany. The footage made by

both sides would serve as “public domain” stock footage for countless documentary films. In part, these

films permanently shaped western/global attitudes about what took place in Hitler’s empire. They helped

define Nazism for perhaps all-time. Significantly, these images would also be primary source materials for

filmmakers both here and overseas. In fact, commercial film would often replicate the exact settings and

scenery of the Holocaust in making their own screen interpretations of these events. As we shall, one made-

for-TV film series so impacted public opinion, the West German Bundestag changed its statute of

limitations on the prosecution of war crimes - To whit, Nazi war criminals could be hunted to the grave.

Aided with full, individual screenings of well-known films, the course will examine Holocaust themes

before the war, immediately thereafter, and in subsequent decades to present. While the vast array of films

is beyond the scope of any single course, the ones carefully chosen for this course will offer a panoply of

genres: documentaries, dramas, docudramas, and biopics.

Knowledge and Skills Goals of the Course:

The purpose of this interdisciplinary course is to explain the Holocaust on Film in the wider context of

world civilization. The student will be able to develop their abilities in three areas: (1) critical reading,

(2) concise writing, and (3) effective expression with use of the online classroom environment. Aside from

these general goals, the student will also learn many cinematic, cultural, and historical facts associated with

Holocaust films. Readings, individual screenings, and online discussions will explain what happened and

most importantly, offer insights on why the Holocaust can so grip filmgoers and TV watchers. The course

will cover many major issues, which has placed Holocaust as a benchmark event of the 20th century. The

classroom will also provide a vehicle for the student a full opportunity to raise further questions for general

discussion.

Additionally, students who successfully complete this course will have demonstrated their skills in

academic research conducted in physical (Hayden and local libraries) and web-based sources, concise

writing and understanding the online instructional environment. After completing this course, you should

be able to:

• conduct reading and research using both traditional sources and web-information technology.

• identify, evaluate, and present, through effective critical writing, evidence found in primary and secondary sources.

• better appreciate Holocaust film as a genre and its several sub-genres.

• understand the role played by film in illustrating a significant range of human actions and emotions during the Holocaust.

• demonstrate the knowledge and critical perspective necessary to analyze Holocaust film in many

different decades.

• hone online learning skills, which will help with further work at ASU and beyond.

Activities:

The activities to achieve the course objectives will be, but not limited to as follows:

• critical reading of required texts/media, individual and group responses to questions posted in lecture

conferences.

• individual research projects at physical library, online library, and web sources to identify valid

material for critical thinking work.

• creation of collaborative documents, which will reflect the consensus of the class on a given

assignment.

• you will screen selected Holocaust films, examine a newspaper (possibly online), or secure articles from a web database in support of individual assignments.

Required Reading:

Rubinoff, Michael, Holocaust on Film Lecture Series (2006) - available in weekly segments under

COURSE DOCUMENTS.

The lectures are posted in three segments during the session and carry material for each week. In these

lectures are a short narrative on Holocaust film and many web sites inserted with quickly read articles and

maps.

Annette Insdorf, Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust, Third Edition (New York: Cambridge

University Press, 2003) ISBN0-521-01630-4

This is one of the pioneering works in the field of Holocaust film studies. First appearing in 1983,

the book concentrated on the growing phenomena of Holocaust representations in arguably the most

graphic of popular culture forms, cinema. The author, a professor of film studies at Columbia

University sees genuine Holocaust film beginning with The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). Though

there were films made with Holocaust themes before this time, the Hollywood adaptation of the

successful Broadway play was a noteworthy “first” – The movie received Oscar considerations and placed

the Holocaust front-and-center in public consciousness. Prior to this time, the Holocaust was almost an

embarrassment for Hollywood (who basically ignored it while the killings occurred), certainly it was

difficult for European producers, and postwar society as a whole. The Diary of Anne Frank would make it

impossible to ignore anymore. The current edition includes five additional chapters updating major

Holocaust films made in the 1990s, including Steven Spielberg’s celebrated Schindler’s List (1993).

Lawrence Baron, Projecting the Holocaust into the Present: The Changing Focus of Contemporary

Holocaust Cinema (Lanham, MD: Roman & Littlefield, 2005) ISBN 0-7425-4333-1

Dr. Baron is a highly respected historian at San Diego State University. He has made Holocaust film a

focus of his courses, notably to assess their impact in the postwar world. Essentially his book touches on

early Holocaust cinema, but picks up in the where Insdorf concludes in the early 1990s. Thus we benefit

from both author’s thoughts on Schindler’s List, but ride Professor Baron well into the 21st century.

Required Screenings

A select group of films are required viewing. These run the full Holocaust time chronology, with an

emphasis in Week 3 on recent movies. Some of these films have won Oscars and other awards. A couple

are subtitled in English. The earlier these are viewed, so the better. If possible, obtain a week’s films in

advance of the actual week. Written assignments and the Final Exam make these essential tools. All of

these titles are available from Netflix (), Blockbusters, many public

libraries, and on reserve under the course/instructor’s name in the Hayden Library (1 day checkout per title)

(). You can also purchase these from Borders, or

or other online vendors. From local libraries and stores, call in advance to check on

title availability.

Week 1: The World at War (dir: Isaacs, UK 1974) only Vol. 6 Genocide (2004 DVD release of series)

The Great Dictator (dir: Chaplin, USA 1940)

Week 2: The Diary of Anne Frank (dir: Stevens, USA 1959)

The Pawnbroker (d: Lumet, USA 1965)

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (dir: Da Sica, Italy 1970)

Week 3: Europa, Europa (d: Holland, EU 1991)

Schindler's List (d: Spielberg, USA 1993)

Sunshine (d: Szabó, Hungary 1999)

Week 4: The Grey Zone (d: Nelson, USA 2001)

The Pianist (d: Polanski, USA 2002)

Week 5: Max (Meyjes, USA 2002)

Prisoner of Paradise (d: Clarke & Sender, USA 2002)

Week 1: Very briefly The World at War (1974) is a famous documentary work spanning the entire breadth

of the war. The episode on “Genocide” was memorable for being an excellent documentary summary. The

Great Dictator stars Charlie Chaplin in perhaps his most famous movie role(s). This film was meant to be a

dark comedy and spoof. But its central theme was to place Nazi anti-Semitism at the fore.

Week 2: Hollywood director George Stevens led the American crews who filmed the camps being liberated

in Germany. The experience stayed with him, though he understated the actual horrors when he made The

Diary of Anne Frank (1959). Nevertheless, this lengthy film boasted a well-known cast, won Oscars, and

established Holocaust film as a new, American cinematic genre. The Pawnbroker (1964) was a gritty story

directed by Stanley Lumet, a master of portraying urban life. The Holocaust remains in the background of

the film’s story, but Lumet consistently shows how the main character cannot escape the humiliations of the

concentration camps. In many ways it is more like the film noir works so commonly seen in American film

of the 1940s-early 50s. Foreign studios began depicting the Holocaust in the 1950s. But when the Oscar for

“Best Foreign Film” went to The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970); Holocaust movies were elevated to a

new level. This elegantly made film by neo-realism master Vittorio Da Sica, details one assimilated Jewish

family’s reaction to Italian fascism and provides a haunting look at a vanished world.

Week 4: The true story of Solomon Perel was brought to the screen and global attention with Europa,

Europa (1990). Presented in near epic proportions, the ordeal of a young German Jewish boy gives

expression to many themes long expressed in Holocaust literature. Though German nominators had

problems with it, the movie garnered a Golden Globe and Oscar for “Best-Adapted Screenplay.” Without

question, Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993) remains the most successful Holocaust drama

produced since World War II. Winner of the Oscar for “Best Picture,” the film raised Holocaust awareness

to incredibly high levels, triggering international discussion, and providing the impetus for Spielberg to

establish the Shoah Foundation for preserving survivors testimonies. Sunshine (1999) released at the

century’s end is a Jewish epic, telling the engrossing story of one Hungarian Jewish family over the course

of four generations. Almost every major them impacting modern Jews is cycled through this picture. The

Holocaust itself is not necessarily the film’s highlight, though it is shown as an incredibly important part of

the story.

Week 4: The 21st century has seen no lapse in Holocaust filmmaking. The Grey Zone (2001) built upon

earlier depictions of Auschwitz, but focused on the Jewish Sonderkommandos forced to work in the gas

chambers and crematoria. Winning 3 Oscars was The Pianist (2002), a factually-based story about a

musician’s efforts to survive in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Week 5: Actor John Cusack declined any compensation for producing and starring in Max (2002). This

film captures the chaos of Germany immediately after World War I and allegorically sets the table for

Hitler’s political career. The relationship between a severely wounded Jewish war veteran (Cusack) and

Hitler is one of those stories designed to stick with viewers long after the movie ends. Lastly, Prisoner of

Paradise (2002) completes the full circle. A documentary telecast nationally on PBS in 2005, this is the

biography of German actor/director Kurt Gerron. In 1944, he was imprisoned at Theresienstadt and

ordered to produce a documentary on Jewish life in this way station to Auschwitz. The resulting film

known as Der Führer Schenkt Den Juden Eine Stadt (The Führer Presents a City to the Jews) though never

released in a full form, chronicles the “Potemkin Village” world of Theresienstadt. Purely propaganda, the

film was supposed to show the pleasant fate awaiting Jews deported “to the East.” For the last time (but not

the first time), the Germans forced their victims to pose, smile, and perform for the cameras. Many of the

men, women, and children (all wearing Stars of David) shown were soon deported and gassed at Auschwitz

once the filming ended.

ASU Bookstore Hours

For more details, browse their web site: If these times do

not work for you, try online vendors and go for overnight delivery. The bookstore’s phone is 480/965-4170

and if supplies are, they can take special orders. Due to cross lists, titles might be in other subject sections

of the store.

Requirements & Grading:

Grades will be weighed on a 100 points scale as follows below.

|Week 1 Discussion Questions |5 pts |

|Week 2 Discussion Questions |5 pts |

|Week 3 Discussion Questions |5 pts |

|Week 4 Discussion Questions |5 pts |

|Week 5 Discussion Questions |5 pts |

|Mid-Term Exam |35 pts |

|Final Exam |40 pts |

Course academic performance will be determined as follows:

|100-90 | A |

| 80-89 | B |

| 70-79 | C |

| 60-69 | D |

| 0 - 59 | F |

These grades are determined under the following criteria (These apply to all written submissions):

The grade of A reflects excellence. The submission offers a well-focused and organized discussion

appropriate to the instructor's assignment, reflects critical use of relevant materials, and demonstrates

effective and formal writing requirements. Papers must demonstrate outstanding efforts to identify

varied pertinent sources, to employ those materials critically in the text of the paper, and to provide

error-free citations of those resources.

The grade of B represents an effort beyond satisfactory and indicates the assignment was completed in an appropriate and competent manner and, in general, demonstrates a strong attempt at original and critical

analysis, writing, and research. The submission may contain a number of minor grammatical or citation

errors, and its thesis or its conclusions may be undeveloped or too weakly supported.

The grade of C indicates the assignment was done in a satisfactory or appropriate fashion, and represents

the average work expected for university courses. The submission is organized around a central idea, its

arguments are supported by relevant examples, and is structured into correctly written paragraphs and

sentences. Although fulfilling the assignment, the C assignment may exhibit one or more weaknesses,

including, but not limited to, punctuation and grammatical errors, imprecise or incorrect word use,

inaccurate or uncritical use of materials, and occasional inconsistent organization or development.

Research materials selected or cited may lack direct relevance to the topic.

The grade of D indicates the submission may have a poorly defined topic or thesis, may lack clear focus

or organization, and contains unsupported generalizations or conclusions. Research support is inadequate,

not clearly relevant, or improperly documented, and a less than minimal research effort is evident. The

paper may also suffer from numerous or major formal writing errors.

The grade of F indicates the submission is not clearly relevant to the assignment, and its topic and thesis

are poorly focused or defined. The assignment may display inadequate organization or development,

unsupported generalizations, and nonstandard formal features (including language usage, sentence

structure, paragraphing, etc.). In addition, research support is absented, inadequate, or irrelevant to the

assignment. This grade can also be earned by failure to complete the assignment.

Blackboard Information:

Class can be found at myasucourses.asu.edu. No need to type www for Netscape users. Access sometimes

is denied on Friday nights for service maintenance. Updates on such downtime are usually posted in

advance on the home page of asu.edu/emma.

Examinations:

There will be a Mid-Term Exam on Friday, June 13 and a Final Exam on Friday July 4. The Final Exam

will not be cumulative. Each exam will be of the essay variety. Though not constructed yet, there will likely

be two long essays to write and shorter identification items. You will have choices from which to pick on

exams. As these are essentially “take home” exams, insertion of source notes and complete reference

citations will be expected.

Mid-Term Exam

The Mid-Term on Friday, July 18 will be conducted online. The exam will be available for 24 hrs. and

the student must post their paper before 11:59 pm on July 18. There will be further instructions on

submission in the ANNOUNCEMENTS section of the online classroom. You will be required to source

note (footnote/endnote) in whatever format you choose and list references consulted at the exam’s end.

Such notes are easily inserted. The Mid-Term paper itself must be deposited in TOOLS/Digital Drop Box.

More on this as we get nearer the exam date.

Final Exam

The Final Exam will be conducted online on Friday, Aug. 8. The exam will be available for 24 hrs. and

the student must post their paper before 11:59 pm on Aug. 8. There will be further instructions on

submission in the ANNOUNCEMENTS section of the online classroom. You will be required to source

note (footnote/endnote) in whatever format you choose and list references consulted at the exam’s end.

Such notes are easily inserted. The Final Exam paper itself must be deposited in TOOLS/Digital Drop Box.

More on this as we get nearer the exam date.

Discussion Questions (DQs) – found under Discussion Boards

At the start of each of our three weeks (see Calendar on page 11) there will be a lecture posted (see

COURSE DOCUMENTS) by the instructor. The student will be required to submit their answers to

the questions by the due date (see calendar in Attendance below). Timely submission not only gives us

talking points for the week, but gives sufficient time for students to comment on one another’s work and

meet other weekly attendance (see Attendance on page 11). Each week’s DQs are a formal assignment and

subject to limits per DB instructions provided each week, as well as and the Writing Standards listed below.

You should do a COPY and PASTE of your answers in the DISCUSSION BOARD section of the

classroom. You may also COPY and PASTE the actual question(s) in your posting, but repetition of these

do not count towards the required words for the answer. To assure credit, each student should create a

thread for their DQ posting (write something like Week 1 DQ – Jane Doe). To make sure you correctly

posted, be sure to check back on the board after posting to make sure you can read your posting word-for-

word. This takes an extra minute, but it is well worth the effort and might guarantee you credit for the

submission. I advise creating your answers in a Word document and then copy/paste them in the DB. Be

sure to reference sources used generously as a way to avoid problems (see Statement on Plagiarism on

page 8 and Academic Dishonesty on page 12).

Discussion Questions Appearance

Grammatik and "Tools" aside, it is recommended to post your answers written in the past tense. These do

not need to be an attachment to the posting, just a neat presentation under these guidelines below. If you

choose to make them an attachment; they must be in Times New Roman font with a 12-pitch font. In

DQs, single spacing is acceptable. Be sure to source note in whatever paper format you choose. If you

want to source a direct quote or paraphrase from page 51 in Baron per APA style, it goes immediately

after the citation/sentence and should look like this (Baron, 2005, p 51). MLA and Chicago styles have

their respective counterparts – Whichever you choose, just be consistent and generous in notes. As a rule

of thumb when in doubt, source note and you are on the way to earning points. It is imperative to

document your writing. References only count if they can be clearly seen in written academic work.

Standards for Written Work:

For quality, I always advise writing your DQs in a word processor and then copy/paste to the DB.

You should regard the DQs as a weekly assignment, almost like a take-home writing exam.

All written work should be (1) in complete sentences, (2) in correct English, (3) spell-checked,

and (4) in the correct APA, Chicago, or MLA note style. An unrecognized style or an apparent hybrid

of these formats will result in a grade reduction. If you are unfamiliar with any of these formats, they can

be quickly learned and abridged versions of their specifics are available in bookstores and libraries.

References and citations should be appropriately listed. Note the unique APA case use in capitalization.

Print out a hard copy of your paper and then proofread it--Ask someone else to read it before submission.

Avoid (1) use of personal pronouns, (2) use of “feel” and “that” [the latter word can be often deleted

without sentence harm or substituted with “how” or “which],” (3) single-sentence paragraphs,

(4) present tense participles [ing words], (5) contractions, (6) posing questions to the reader and, (7) long,

run-on sentences. Twenty percent of the submission’s grade will be based on content, clarity and style.

As you can see, by putting these in color, I place a tremendous stock in neatly prepared work. Aside

from substance, work reflecting an application of these standards will receive the appropriate recognition.

The instructor reserves the right to deem a submission as “unacceptable” if not written according to these

standards. Before submission of the assignment, print it out, read it aloud, and ask someone else to read it

too.

Documenting Your Work

All DQs must be source noted. To get credit you need to source note all work. If you paraphrase and/or

directly quote from sources, a note needs to be added . If in APA and MLA, it goes write after the

sentence. It becomes a footnote/endnote. Absent notes, the assignment will not receive points.

Statement on Plagiarism

Writers sometimes plagiarize ideas from outside sources without realizing they are doing so. Put

simply, you plagiarize if you present other writer's words and ideas as your own. Students in particular,

should be aware how this can be noticed obviously by instructors - Some papers just read a certain way

(just too good for undergraduate level writing) and tip off the plagiarism. You do not plagiarize if you

"provide citations for all direct quotations and paraphrases, for borrowed ideas, and for facts not

considered to be common knowledge" (Crews and VanSant, 407). This is an APA style source note. For

example, common knowledge would be, "The Diary of Anne Frank is an example of a Holocaust film.”

A paraphrase of information is summarizing and item, usually with the idea of making a critical analysis or

comment. For example, “The screenwriters sought to downplay Anne Frank’s Jewishness in making their

script more universally appealing.” This is not absolutely common knowledge and requires some note

to show from where you derived this analytical observation. So the goal is to generously place notes in

your paper. If you use web sites, list the URL in the note. When in doubt, insert a note. Such use usually

leads to good marks.

When in doubt on use of a source, insert the material used. It is for your own protection as the university

takes an extremely dim view on plagiarism, also described as “unoriginal work.” The instructor reserves

the right to fail any student who plagiarizes or does not give appropriate attribution to paraphrased material

(see Academic Dishonesty on page 12). It should be added, plagiarism is fairly easy to discern. It can lead to

serious academic penalties, including assignment failure, course failure, and even expulsion from the

university. Take it from a veteran, better to get a zero for something than to plagiarize. See Academic

Dishonesty below for additional information.

Warning on Web-Based Research

Certainly feel free to examine the web (go under the search engines) for additional information. You

might be directed to do some of this in the weekly assignments. It is suggested to use web sites with

verifiable authors. I have seen some good students unknowingly use questionable web sites with

disastrous results (e.g., A student in an on ground course once did an oral summary based heavily on

web research. She reported Eleanor Roosevelt denied a public viewing of FDR before his funeral because

of disfigurement due to his suicide with a gun. This was the first time I ever heard of a Roosevelt suicide

and it totally runs counter to major scholarly biographies in the field.). Frequently, sites associated with a

URL featuring the extension .edu are likely to be sound – But it is good to get more than one opinion on

even factual data. The Hayden Library has online collections and hardcopy collections for you to use.

Be on time with DQ Submissions (and with different sources)

It is very easy for the instructor and others in class to see if someone is actually copying a class

member’s work and simply turn to the exact same sources. This practice should be avoided. It can lead

to plagiarism investigation (see Academic Dishonesty on page 12). There is literally a world of sources to be

used. Avoid the first smorgasbord of sites offered you in Google and other browsers. Be creative in web

sites and impress the instructor with materials referenced from scholarly articles available in the online

database of the Hayden Library (more on this below).

Do Not Cite Encyclopedias (you can lose points by doing so)

I am not impressed with research done with encyclopedias and almanacs (i.e., Columbia, Encarta,

Britannica, Virtual Jewish Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, World Book, etc.). I also have these tools readily

available and seldom need them. These kinds of materials are much too general and as a rule, simply rehash

the text. You certainly can consult encyclopedias and almanacs on your own – They can be interesting. But

in our kind of upper division, academic work, they simply are best left alone for authoritative citation. Go

for new material, fresh interpretations, sole subject works and the like. You will see they are much more

intellectually stimulating. With the Hayden Online Library, many great journals, magazines, newspapers,

etc., are at your fingertips.

I WILL WRITE THIS DARK RED. DO NOT CONSULT WIKIPEDIA (“THE FREE

ENCYCLOPEDIA”) AS IT IS AN UNRELIABLE SOURCE SOMETIMES FILLED WITH

SKEWED/BIASED INFORMATION AND EVEN HOAXES. UNLIKE DATABASES BOUGHT

BY LIBRARIES, THIS “FREE” SITE IS UNFILTERED AND NOT PEER REVIEWED. AS A

RESOURCE IT CAN CAUSE GOOD STUDENTS TO PERFORM POORLY.

How to Use the Hayden Online Library (These are the “keys to the kingdom.”)

NOTE: If you are located off campus you will have to login using you ASU ID, last name, and ASU pin.

First, many of the major data bases we use are available a click away from the library’s home page:



FILM INDEXES ONLINE (covers all films in our course time period)

1) Type in your browser: asu.edu/lib

2) On the library home page, click FIND

3) At FIND, click All Resources

4) At All Resources, scroll down to Film Indexes Online (1893+)

5) At Film Indexes Online (1893+) you can browse through either the AFI Catalog or Film Index

International.

LEXISNEXIS ACADEMIC (excellent for public affairs and policy issues)

1) Type in your browser: asu.edu/lib

2) On the library home page, click Find

3) At Find, click Articles (by Topic)

4) At Articles, Click LexisNexis Academic

5) At LexisNexis Academic page, click to access the database

6) At LexisNexis Academic descriptive home page, Click

7) This should bring you to “Quick News Search.” Type whatever interests you in the box and let the

database search.

JSTOR (excellent for historical and political science articles)

1) Type in your browser: asu.edu/lib

2) On the library home page, click Find

3) At Find, click Articles (by Topic)

3) At Articles, type JSTOR (to Get Index)

4)  Under the search bar entitled “Search for specific index by name” enter JSTOR, and then press “go.”

5)  You should click on the JSTOR link when it appears.

6)  On this page you should once again click on the link entitled “JSTOR.”

7)  After logging in the JSTOR page should appear, once it does click on the link entitled “search.”

8) Type in the box, “Holocaust Film” and you should find 4,191 entries as of June. 23, 2008.

9) You can modify this my clicking “Advanced Search” at type in the box “Holocaust, Jews, Nazi

Germany, political science, history,” etc.

ACADEMIC SEARCH PREMIER or EBSCOhost (holds the “Index to Jewish Periodicals” since 1988)

1) Type in your browser: asu.edu/lib

2) On the library home page, click Find

3) At Find, click Articles (by Topic)

4) At Articles, Click Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost)

5) At Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost), click to access the database

6) At Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost), click tab on top toolbar (Choose Databases)

7) Scroll down 7 databases until you see to “Index to Jewish Periodicals.” Click and then type in

at Find whatever is of interest and then let the database search.

PROQUEST/HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS

1) Type in your browser: asu.edu/lib

2) On the library home page, click Find

3) At Find, click Articles (By Topic)

4) At Articles/Research Databases, scroll through the alphabet and click “P” for ProQuest

5) At ProQuest, you will see the Historical Atlanta Constitution, 1868-1929, Chicago Defender, 1905-

1975, Hartford Courant, 1764-1984, Los Angeles Times, 1881-1984, New York Times (1851-2003),

and Washington Post, 1877-1990. Once you have a name and/or topic, set the year/date parameters.

For those unfamiliar with electronic collections, this is a rapid learning process. For everyone, this course

is an excellent opportunity to develop sophisticated research skills.

If you have questions on how to use the online collections, call the Reference Desk at Hayden Library and

they can walk you through each step. The Reference Librarian phone number is 480/965-6164.

Other Resources

Free subscriptions to online editions of major American newspapers can be found at their home pages.

For a given city/publication, do a Yahoo or search and you should find the links.

You have many sources from which to choose. Professor Baron’s text provides many web links on pages

291-92. A few other useful ones are the following:

(University of California-Berkeley web site with

selected Jewish film books and related scholarly articles)

(Internet Movie Database filled with film/production/cast details, film trailers, etc.)

(United States Holocaust Memorial Museum web site with thousands of articles,

historical documents, short documentary video clips, chronology of major events, photographs, maps,

podcasts, online exhibits, educational resources, etc.)

Simon Wiesenthal Center/Museum

of Tolerance, online multimedia center)

(Israel’s Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority)

((neoconservative policy magazine formerly published until this year by

the American Jewish Committee)

(The New Republic, policy magazine usually siding with moderate liberals)

(Rambi - Index and Articles of Jewish Studies, citations and some in full text)

NOTE: ASU has a single-user license to the entire Commentary Magazine archive. If you are off campus,

log in first and then you have access to the archive. Alternately, you can get a 30-day free trial subscription

to the Commentary archive. ASU subscribes to hard copies of Commentary, too.

Attendance

Class begins on Monday, July 7 and finishes in terms of active online class participation on Friday,

Aug. 8 at 11:59 pm MST. There will be a lecture posted by the instructor at the start of each course week. There will be a Discussion Board available to post answers to the question posed at the end of the lecture

(see page 6). Aside from this, the student will be minimally required each week to make at least two (2)

postings on other student’s DQs and any other Discussion Board posted by the instructor on two (2)

different days. These postings beyond the student’s own DQs should reflect a thorough reading of the given thread and are to be substantive. If you reference something, insert this for everyone to know from where

the information is derived. At a minimum, a posting in response to another student should be 50-75 words

to be an adequate expression. In sum, there is a requirement to make at least two additional postings on two

different days during the week. Bottom Line: The student has to answer the weekly DQs and also make

two postings per week on two different days (besides the lecture/DQs) on other students’ postings to be

in attendance compliance. This translates into 3 pts. for attendance each week. Blackboard tracks everything and it is up to the student to follow their own attendance activity.

Course Calendar

Week 1: July 7 – 13

Week 2: July 14 – 20

Week 3: July 21 – 27

Week 4: July 28 – Aug. 3

Week 5: Aug. 4 - 8 [NOTE: This last week is short.]

Failure in more than week to submit DQs and make the minimal of two (2) postings per week on

other student’s answers or an entirely new Discussion Board opened by the instructor will result in a

full, grade point reduction. You may also reply (make attendance) to someone who has made an

observation on your DQ thread. The instructor reserves the right to lower a final grade further for any

additional absences beyond one week.

Recapitulation of Course Weekly Written and Exam Requirements:

1. Weekly Discussion Questions submitted weekly on Thursday (see schedule below on pp. 13-14).

2. Along with DQs, make at least two (2) additional quality postings on two (2) other days of the week

(aside from the DQ due date) in either the DQs board in reply to fellow students or answer any of the

other active boards created by the instructor.

3. Submission of online written Mid-Term Exam on Friday, July 18.

4. Submission of online written Final Exam on Friday, Aug. 8.

Late Work and Make-Ups

DQs submitted after their given due date before 11:59 pm in a given week will be reduced 1 point per day.

Late postings beyond the weekly calendar will not count towards attendance or awarding of points in the

given week.

Unless there is an emergency (documentation required), there will be a substantial penalty for failure to

take the Mid-Term Exam on Friday, July 18 and Final Exam on Friday, Aug. 8

Assignments Submission

All weekly assignments and the Final Exam need to be submitted online in Blackboard. Papers will not

accepted by email to the instructor.

Withdrawals and Incompletes



Academic Dishonesty

Film and Media Studies abides by ASU’s Office of Student Life: “Student Academic Integrity

Policy.” See:

Any student in class who attending class from another college or university is subject to the ASU policies

listed herein.

myasucourses Information

For issues relating to ASURITE and password, call 480/965-6500, option zero (0) (Note: Weekdays and

weekends they take calls from 6:30 a.m.-12:00 a.m. MST. You can also email: myasu-q@asu.edu (When

they are in; the staff usually turns around emails in 24 hrs.

Your instructor can help you with course subject matter. For specifics on how to use myASU (Blackboard)

software, it is necessary to go to the contacts above. It is presumed the student will take the requisite time to

familiarize themselves with the software on or before the first day of class.

There is a tutorial designed to be helpful with operation of myASU.



One you reach the course site, an array of buttons will appear on your left portion of the screen.

• The ANNOUNCEMENTS page is the default page which comes up when you enter a course and

shows all the announcements posted for the course.

• The COURSE INFORMATION section contains information relating to the course – for example, the syllabus will be posted here.

• The STAFF INFORMATION section contains information about the instructor.

• The COURSE DOCUMENTS section contains material for the course – For example, look for the weekly lecture (see page 7 on Discussion Questions) described earlier in the syllabus to appear here.

• The ASSIGNMENTS section contains descriptions of assignments for the course.

• The COMMUNICATION section contains links to the discussion board, virtual chat, and group pages, and allows you to send email. This is where you can also post your answers to the weekly Discussion Questions and comments on other student’s postings.

• DISCUSSION BOARD (Post here the weekly DQs.) takes you to those areas. DISCUSSION BOARDS are the same concept you may know under the alternate name of online chat rooms.

• The EXTERNAL LINKS section contains links to the Websites.

• The TOOLS section contains the Digital Drop Box (This is where you will upload the Final Exam.),

your course grade, calendar, address book, etc. The Digital Drop Box records the day/time

when your exam is uploaded. Submission is a two-step process: (1) upload and (2) send.

Course Reading and Screenings Schedule (subject to change)

Read according to this schedule for the Discussion Boards and the Final Exam. Feel free to read and view

ahead since all of the contents will be covered on exam. NOTE: As you can see, not all chapters in the

texts will be required, but you certainly can read them with time permitting. Reading assignments are

contained in (parentheses) and screenings in [brackets].

07/07 – Week 1 - Class begins

(Baron, 1-2; Insdorf, Forward, Preface, Introduction, 1-4)

[The World at War, Vol 6/Genocide; The Great Dictator]

07/08 – Student Roll and Introduction due

07/10 – Week 1 DQs due

07/13 – Deadline for Week 1 attendance to be met

07/14 – Week 2

(Insdorf, 5-8, 12-13, 16-17; Baron, 2, 5, 7)

[The Diary of Anne Frank; The Pawnbroker; The Garden of the Finzi-Continis]

07/17 – Week 2 DQs due

07/18 – Mid-Term Exam administered for 24 hrs. online

07/20 – Deadline for Week 2 attendance to be met

07/21 – Week 3

(Baron 8)

[Europa, Europa; Schindler’s List; Sunshine]

07/24 – Week 3 DQs due

07/27 – Deadline for Week 3 attendance to be met

07/28 – Week 4

[The Grey Zone, The Pianist]

07/31 – Week 4 DQs due

08/03 – Deadline for Week 4 attendance to be met

08/04 – Week 5

[Max, Prisoner of Paradise]

08/07 – Week 5 DQs due

08/08 – End of online instruction (Final Examination administered online for 24 hrs.)

Last day for Week 5 attendance to be met

Additional Information

Reading and Study Guidance

Do not be distressed to find the readings and screenings do not perfect match one another. To “master” the

material, students are well advised as follows:

Film Screenings

• Take notes on required films as you would any regular onground class lecture.

• Consider writing a summary of each film’s at the end to assure your understanding of the material.

• Use a yellow highlight marker and underline what you see as important concepts and terms.

• It can be helpful to review the film(s) again in advance of the exam because all other course related

material might shed new light on information discussed previously.

Text Reading

Upon completion of a chapter, write a summary of what was discussed. After studying one part in the texts, try to make a chronological outline of how these items support information discussed or referenced in a screened film.

• Another way to “master” material is to use the web for “verifiable” sources on whatever topics you

seek further information or explanation.

• Most major libraries have the Encyclopedia Judaica (Keter: Jerusalem, 1971), a multi-volume work published over 35 years ago as a definitive compilation of scholarship for its time. Hayden Library has both the hard copy and an online version (for use on library PCs only). The EJ is a great source for reference for basic Holocaust information, but as said earlier, do not use encyclopedias to meet minimum sources required in a DQ (see page 9).

• Professor Baron includes a Select Bibliography on pages 269-77. These are mostly film and related cultural topics.

• Ultimately, you want to produce your own “Study Guide” with the materials. The films are based

upon a script and the books began as an outline proposal to a publisher. Take the “meat” of these

materials back to a skeleton. Use a chronology to construct an outline. Put the “meat” on the outline

with a sentence or two for clarity/meaning.

• For research and study, the Hayden Library will also be open weekdays during Summer Session. Hours vary so students should be directed to the website: Winter Intersession (2007-08) hours are much more limited in summer and Hayden is closed on weekends.

• Lastly, practice for the Final Exam by putting yourself in the instructor’s role and determine what you would pose as essay questions and IDs. You can also contact others in class for either online, phone or even in-person “brainstorming” sessions in advance of exams. All students email addresses are available in COMMUNICATION on the left button menu on the course homepage.

06/08

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