HISTORY 317 : Nazi Germany and its Legacies

Arts

2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

An in-depth look into a period of history that has simultaneously fascinated and horrified generations of people around the world. Topics include: the origins of Nazism, Adolf Hitler and the rise of the NSDAP, life in Nazi Germany in peace and war, Hitler's foreign policy, the Second World War, the Holocaust and its myriad legacies in history and popular culture.

Course Overview

This course offers an in-depth look into the history and legacies of National Socialist Germany (1933 – 1945). Topics include: the origins of Nazism, Adolf Hitler and the rise of the NSDAP, life in Nazi Germany in peace and war, Nazi Germany’s foreign policy, the Second World War, the Holocaust and their myriad legacies in history, memory, politics and popular culture.

Classes consist of a 2-hour lecture and 1-hour tutorial, which can either be taken in-person or via Zoom. This course can be taken remotely.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage II and 60 points passed Restriction: HISTORY 217

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Develop and demonstrate an understanding of the history and historiography of Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945 and its legacies in history, memory and popular culture (Capability 1, 3 and 6)
  2. Improve and develop information finding, critical reading and essay writing abilities. (Capability 4, 5 and 6)
  3. Analyse and evaluate a range of primary and secondary historical sources and situate them within the context of their time (Capability 1, 3 and 4)
  4. Recognise and interpret conflicting interpretations about the past (historiography) (Capability 3, 4 and 5)
  5. Consider and critically analyse the legacies of a politically charged historical era (Capability 1, 4, 6 and 8)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Primary Source Essay 35% Individual Coursework
Historiography Essay 35% Individual Coursework
Reflective Essay 30% Individual Coursework

To pass this course students must complete all three assignments.

Next Offered

2027

Teaching & Learning Methods

Compulsory course content: 

- A 2-hour lecture which students are expected to either attend in person or listen to online every week. 

- A 1-hour weekly tutorial which students can attend either in-person or online.

- Weekly readings of at leat 20 pages, which may include primary sources. These will be discussed in the tutorial and help students complete the three assignments. 

Assignments

- The Primary Source Essay (due week 6, max. 1,500 words) asks students to contextualise and historicise a primary source from the Nazi era in essay format.

- The Historiography Essay (due week 9, max. 1,500 words) asks students to assess a historiographical debate relating to Nazi Germany in essay format. Students are expected to read at least six 20-page readings to complete this assignment.

- The Reflective Assignment (due week 12) offers students a chance to reflect in a creative way on the legacies of Nazi Germany, by focusing on a core theme or idea.

Module

The course consists of 12 modules each with a thematic focus, corresponding to one week of the course:
1. What is Nazism?
2. The Rise of the NSDAP to 1933
3. Nazification 1933-1936
4. The Racial State
5. Volksgemeinschaft
6. Coercion and Persuasion
7. Nazi Germany in the World 1933-1945
8. World War II and Occupation
9. The Holocaust
10. Legacies: The Collapse of Nazi Germany and its Legacies
11. Legacies: Commemoration and Memory
12. Legacies: Nazism in Politics and Popular Culture

Workload Expectations

Students are expected to spend 10 hours per week on this course, including 3-hours attending classes, 1 hour preparing the weekly readings and the rest working on their assignments.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience or Online

This course is offered both as an in-person (on-campus) course and as an online (off-campus) course:

Campus Experience 

Attendance is encouraged at scheduled activities including lectures and tutorial discussions. Lectures will be made available as recordings. Tutorials are not recorded. All assignments are to be submitted via CANVAS. Students are encouraged to use both e-readings and actual books available from the University library to complete their coursework.

Online (off-campus)

This course can be taken remotely (off-campus). Off-campus students should enrol in the online tutorial, held via Zoom at a set time each week. Lectures will be made available as recordings. Tutorials are not recorded. All assignments are to be submitted via CANVAS. Students can complete assignments using the e-resources available through the University library website.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

All required readings for the course will be made available via CANVAS.
Students may need to do research in the University library's online or on-campus resources.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

In response to requests to have the assessments spread more evenly across the course, the primary source assignment due date is now week 6.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 24/10/2024 07:54 a.m.