University teaching about the Holocaust in Germany: Translated into English by Roderick Miller

Abstract

With over 72 years having elapsed since the liberation of the Nazi concentration and extermination camps, what is the current status of teaching about the Holocaust at German universities? What do students, within the framework of their studies, learn about the Holocaust and its aftermath? To what extent and in which disciplines is the topic taught? What special challenges arise from German responsibility for the Holocaust? Does the higher education system in Germany have any special features that affect the way of teaching? Up till now there have been no comprehensive studies of all these questions. Unlike the status and development of Holocaust education at secondary schools in Germany, teaching at German universities on the subject has rarely been a topic of academic research. The present study intends to close this gap, by ascertaining, describing, and pointing out special features and trends in the actual state of affairs of teaching about the Holocaust at universities in Germany. By means of a two-stage survey procedure, combining an empirical evaluation of academic calendars with a content analysis of interviews with experts, the status quo is described both quantitatively and qualitatively, thus creating a differentiated picture of academic teaching about the Holocaust in Germany.