HIST-4310Y: The Holocaust
Instructor: Sean Eedy (seaneedy@trentu.ca)
Course Code: HIST-4310Y-A
When Taken: Fall/Winter 2022/2023
Major Essay: Growing Up with Antisemitism_ Nazi Youth Groups and the Hitler Youth Generation
Presentation: Mollie Schnurr – Growing Up With Antisemitism
Class Notes: The Holocaust
This was a full-year seminar class. Major themes discussed were non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust, how hatred was normalized, and the agency of victims. I completed a series of scaffolded assignments for this class, culminating in a final paper and presentation regarding the Hitler Youth Generation. My major takeaway from this course was how easily “ordinary” people can turn into perpetrators of hate. There were relatively few people who participated in resistance efforts against the Nazi party and their projects, even going so far as most people actively participating in acts of hate. This is despite repeated evidence that there were limited repercussions for refusal to participate for Germans. This lesson is incredibly valuable as it shows the incredible capacity of humans to participate in evil, all while excusing their actions, labeling them as forced, coerced, or ignorant of the effects of their participation.