Comparative Cultural Studies

The Holocaust was a powerfully defining experience, historically and culturally, for most of the nations and peoples of Eastern Europe. This course examines key aspects of its impact and repercussions, how it has been represented and responded to, primarily in Literature, Memoir, and Film, but also in other cultural areas such as memorial construction and music. The complex notions of victim, perpetrator, bystander, survivor, trauma, martyrdom, memory and identity receive their most expressive and compelling formulations precisely in these kinds of texts. The geographic focus of the course is on Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania and Russia, but reference will also be made to other areas such as Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania. Authors, directors, etc., to be studied may include Borowski, Grynberg, Szymborska, Fink, Gross, Wajda, Polanski (Poland); Meras (Lithuania); Grossman, Yevtushenko, Shostakovich (Russia and Ukraine); Kertesz (Hungary); Hrebejk (Czech); etc. The course and all readings are in English. Open to students who have completed at least 30 ch of university courses or by permission of the instructor. Students who have taken WLCS 3064, or GER 3064 may not attain credit for CCS 3064.