| Unit name | Music and the Holocaust |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MUSI20105 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Scheding |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
n/a |
| School/department | Department of Music |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The Holocaust remains one of the most atrocious crimes committed in human history. Perhaps disturbingly, music played its part in the Holocaust, and it did so on all sides. It was instrumentalised and institutionalised in the Nazi state, and yet it also accompanied the victims. In the first half of this unit, we will explore how music functioned in the Nazi state as a tool for cultural exclusion in institutions such as the Jüdischer Kulturbund; how a variety of musics were branded “degenerate”; and how music was used as torture but also as vocal resistance in ghettos and concentration camps. The second half of the unit will shift our focus towards the musico-cultural legacies of the Holocaust. We will begin by discussing the works of Holocaust survivors such as Aleksander Kulisiewicz and György Ligety, and finally turn our attention to memorial works and to what has become known as the “Holocaust Industry”.
This unit aims are:
At the end of the unit, a successful student will be able to
1) demonstrate extensive knowledge of the political history of music during the Third Reich
2) show familiarity with the various forms, places, and functions of music in the sites of the Holocaust
3) demonstrate substantial knowledge of the literature and the archival resources available, and the scholarly discourses, methodologies, and terminologies of Holocaust Studies
4) write critically and perceptively about cultural as well as musical legacies of the Holocaust since 1945
5) Argue effectively and at length about the connections between ideology, politics and music relevant for the topic (including the ability to cope with methodological complexity)
6) Describe, evaluate and/or challenge current scholarly thinking about politics and music in the context of the Holocaust
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including lectures and self-directed exercises.
600-word blog entries for each of any five weeks of the unit, summarising the key points of the material encountered in pre-class reading and responding to it critically. Students must submit five posts in order to gain credit for the unit. Towards the end of the unit, students choose three entries to submit without revision as their workfile for a summative mark.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MUSI20105).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
