Module Information

Module Identifier
HQ38320
Module Title
The Third Reich (Part 1): The Holocaust, the Eastern Front and the Nazi Occupation of Eastern Europe
Academic Year
2021/2022
Co-ordinator
Dr Arddun Arwyn
Semester
Semester 1
Co-Requisite
HQ38420
Other Staff
 

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Due to Covid-19 students should refer to the module Blackboard pages for assessment details

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Document Analysis One  1, 1,500 words  25%
Semester Assessment Document Analysis Two  1,500 words  25%
Semester Assessment Written Essay  2,500 words  50%
Supplementary Assessment Document Analysis One  1, 1,500 words  25%
Supplementary Assessment Document Analysis Two  1,500 words  25%
Supplementary Assessment Written Essay  2,500 words  50%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Critically evaluate a variety of primary sources, showing an awareness of their significance, their authors’ purpose, the perspective from which they were produced and by whom and how they were received.

Demonstrate an understanding of how and why the Holocaust developed, the impact of Nazi occupation on Eastern Europe, the German experience of the Eastern Front with reference to key concepts including Nazism, racism and genocide.

Identify trends in the historiography of the Third Reich, and critically assess historians’ arguments and the controversies between them.

Aims

This module and its companion HQ38420 are designed to allow students who have already developed an interest in modern German history (e.g. through Options or a ‘Survey’ or a ‘Skills and Sources’ module) to pursue it further in respect of a relatively brief period. It introduces students to an exceptionally rich body of scholarly literature, and to an array of primary sources.

Brief description

This module explores the impact of the Nazi invasion and occupation of Eastern Europe 1939-1945. Central to the module is the
Holocaust and the relationship between Nazi racial ideology, war on the Eastern Front and genocide. The module will also address Nazi foreign, population, and occupational policies and will focus on the treatment of both enemy civilians and combatants in Eastern Europe. Alongside this, the genocidal policies and behaviors of the German leadership, occupying forces and the Wehrmacht will be studied through a focus on historiographical debates and primary material.

Content

The module addresses a number of themes related to the Holocaust and occupation of Eastern Europe underpinned with an
understanding of Nazi ideology. The module consists of 10 two-hour seminars that will address a range of themes and the
historiographical debates surrounding them. The areas covered (in one or more seminars) include the development and implementation of the Holocaust, Nazi foreign policy and racial ideology, population and occupation policies. It will also examine the experiences of the occupied and the German invaders and the role of the Wehrmacht and SS in
genocide and occupation.

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number
Communication Written communication skills will be developed through the coursework and written examination; skills in oral presentation will be developed in seminars but are not formally assessed.
Improving own Learning and Performance Students will be advised on how to improve research and communication skills through the individual tutorial providing feedback on submitted coursework.
Information Technology Students will be encouraged to locate suitable material on the web and to apply it appropriately to their own work. Students will also be expected to word-process their work and make use of Blackboard. These skills will not be formally assessed.
Personal Development and Career planning Students will develop a range of transferable skills, including time management and communication skills, which may help them identify their personal strengths as they consider potential career paths.
Problem solving Students are expected to note and respond to historical problems which arise as part of the study of this subject area and to undertake suitable research for seminars and essays.
Research skills Students will develop their research skills by reading a range of texts and evaluating their usefulness in preparation for the coursework and the written examination.
Subject Specific Skills
Team work Students will be expected to play an active part in group activities (e.g. short group presentations in seminars) and to learn to evaluate their own contribution to such activities.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6