Applied Teaching in History*

Course outline

Throughout the duration of the course, the third level of the student’s systematic occupation with the field of the Applied Pedagogy of History occurs (the first level being the course: History and its Didactics and the second one being the course: Applied Pedagogy of History, Phase B). The main points of reference of the course are in this case too: the examination of curriculums, history school books and mainly the controversial and traumatic historical events (genocides, civil wars, the Holocaust).

However, in this course the main focus is drawn to the following subjects/educational targets:

1) The understanding of the historical singularity of the Holocaust, in relation with the widespread anti-Semitism in its four main forms (religious, anti-capitalist, anti-communist/anti-imperialist/ anti- internationalist, pseudo-scientific/racial), as well as with relation to the main arguments of national-socialist ideology, the intentions of the Nazi regime, and the turning of the tide of the Second World War.

2) The relations of negative eugenics with the Holocaust.

3) The resistance against the various forms of denial, the relativizing, metonymic use/routine use of the Holocaust.

4) The discussion concerning the types of memory and especially the traumatic memory and process of historical trauma in a personal, collective and national level (acting out vs working through).

5) The history of critical confrontation of the European communities with the fact and the memory of engineered/industrialized genocide.

6) The familiarization with the historiographic and inter-disciplinary thought and terminology, used globally in the approaching of Nazism and the Holocaust.

7) The coursework of case studies on the Jewish communities of Greece and the whole of Europe.

8) The subject of recording the traumatic experience and memory, and the subjects raised by it – the meaning of Oral History.

9) The valid, functional and effective use of the teaching of forms of Public History (fictional and documentary cinema, literature, museums, theatre, visual arts, music and song, comics, Internet, videogames etc.).

10) The integration of the Holocaust and its memory in the Greek curriculums and school books, as well as in those of the other European and non-European countries.

11) The views, attitudes and the level of historical and educational knowledge of teachers.

12) – maybe the most important aspect of the course- the “pedagogy of memory” and the ways of organizing the suitable educational environment, with focus on the selection of strategies, targets and educational technologies, taking into account the evaluation of the international discussion, and the avoidance of second degree trauma caused to the students.

13) The discussion concerning historical justice and the main issues of apology, forgiveness and historical reconciliation.