What will I learn on this module?
In this module you will learn about the Holocaust in its full global, historical context. You will engage with the major historiographical debates surrounding the Shoah. Crucially, throughout the module, there will be a dual focus on the Holocaust’s perpetrators and its victims. The breadth of this focus ensures that the module will be interdisciplinary and you will learn how to navigate historical, literary and sociological perspectives on the Holocaust and its memory.
How will I learn on this module?
You will learn through a series of lectures and seminars. The lectures will give you a broad introduction to the major debates in Holocaust studies – from questions surrounding the development of Nazi policy, to the studies of the extent of Jewish resistance and scholarship on how we approach victim’s memories as historians. In the seminars you will have the opportunity to engage with, discuss and debate the full range of documentary sources that underpin Holocaust studies. This will include government papers, individual contemporary evidence such as diaries and letters, and reflective testimonies such as trial transcripts, memoirs and oral testimony.
How will I be supported academically on this module?
Your academic development will be supported through engagement with your peers, academic tutors, and programme leaders. Academic support is provided through group/individual tutorials which allow specific issues to be addressed and to promote progress in academic development. The module tutor will be accessible within publicised office hours and via email. Your peers will provide you will a collaborative learning environment, and your programme leader will guide you through the requirements and expectations of your course. You will also be supported through individual engagement with the academic literature, lectures, and resources available on the eLearning Portal. Formative feedback will be on-going throughout seminar activities and through assessment tasks.
What will I be expected to read on this module?
All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.
What will I be expected to achieve?
Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Demonstrate an ability to engage with documents and sources from the Holocaust era and think critically about their strengths and limitations.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the causes and contexts of the destruction of Europe’s Jews.
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. Communicate complex ideas effectively and fluently
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
4. Engage as an active citizen with contemporary uses and abuses of historical memory in politics and society.
How will I be assessed?
Your knowledge of the Holocaust will be assessed through two pieces of coursework: a 2,500-word essay and a portfolio of primary sources with commentary and overview. Essays, set by the tutor, will critically engage historiography in depth around one of the topics of study. The portfolio will require you to use the library resources to select a set of primary sources on a theme of your choice, and to provide a critical commentary on and overview of your selection of sources.
You will have the opportunity to present your work in the seminars and will receive formative feedback from your lecturer in classroom discussions, debates, and tutorial sessions. Formative assessment through your lecturer will be written and verbal, and you will also receive feedback through engagement with your peers. Feedback on your first summative assessment will allow you to improve on later ones
Pre-requisite(s)
N/A
Co-requisite(s)
N/A
Module abstract
Please find details of this module in the other sections provided.
Course info
UCAS Code T720
Credits 20
Level of Study Undergraduate
Mode of Study 3 years Full Time or 4 years with a placement (sandwich)/study abroad
Department Humanities
Location City Campus, Northumbria University
City Newcastle
Start September 2025
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
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