LT390-6-AU-CO:
The Limits of Representation: The Holocaust in Literature and Film

The details
2023/24
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
ReassessmentOnly
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
23 March 2022

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

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Key module for

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Module description

This module considers the enduring significance of the events known as the Holocaust (or Shoah) as they enter representation and continue to shape our present responses to various forms of racism and violence against the Other. It explores how the Holocaust has been represented, appropriated and reconfigured by writers, poets and filmmakers over the past seven decades.

We will examine the connections between history, trauma, and representation through an analysis of Holocaust testimonies, literature, film and visual media. How do novelists, poets, filmmakers and artists depict events that shatter traditional forms of comprehension and representation? How do imagination, memory and history coalesce in works of art? What is the relationship between aesthetics and ethics, and what are the limits of representation?

The module looks at numerous examples of Holocaust literature and film, from short story and autobiographical novel, through lyric poetry, drama and graphic novel, to documentary and recent Academy Award-winning productions. We will discuss the issues of testimony and witnessing, the aestheticization and commercialization of trauma and suffering, and the moral, philosophical and cultural legacy of the Holocaust.

Module content note: the content and discussion in this module will necessarily engage with antisemitism, racism, and violence every week. Please contact the module supervisor if you have any questions.

Module aims

This module aims to foster students’ critical thinking by inviting them to consider how the Holocaust as the major event of Western modernity has been represented and appropriated by artists, writers and filmmakers since the 1950s to the present day. Through a close consideration of major literary and cinematic productions, students will reflect on the moral, philosophical and cultural legacy of the Holocaust. They will become familiar with key theoretical concepts relating to testimony, witnessing, representation and cultural memory, as well as the critical debates on the limits of representation.

Module learning outcomes

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

1. display knowledge and understanding of an interdisciplinary selection of literary texts, films and visual art on the Holocaust
2. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the development of ways of representing and conceptualizing the Holocaust from the post-war to the present day
3. display understanding of key concepts such as trauma, testimony, cultural memory and the limits of representation
4. demonstrate knowledge and skills required to engage in intellectual debates on representation and memorialization of the Holocaust
5. participate in teamwork and demonstrate team-based communication skills, including presentation and discussion skills

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

Anticipated teaching delivery: Weekly 2-hour seminar

Bibliography

This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Joanna Rzepa, email: joanna.rzepa@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Joanna Rzepa
LiFTS General Office - liftstt@essex.ac.uk Tel. 01206 87 2626

 

Availability
Yes
Yes
No

External examiner

Dr Doug Haynes
University of Sussex
Reader in American Literature and Visual Culture
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 827 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
827 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).

 

Further information

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