Fall 2007
Dr. Thomas F. Thibeault
Faner 1145 (CoLA Media Center)
Tel. 453-5412
E-mail: ttbo@siu.edu
Web Site: http://colanmc.siu.edu/clockwork
Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 10 & 12 or by appointment
General Information
This course covers the period of National Socialist Rule in Germany from 1933-1945. The topics are dealt with from the perspective of the common people who lived in Germany during this time.
We will meet every Wednesday afternoon from 3:00-5:30 pm in Faner 1139 (Video Room).
There will be a 10-minute break each session.
Readings
The textbook, "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" (Shirer), is available at the University Book Store. It is optional, but I highly recommend that you purchase the book since it is widely regarded as the authoritative work on this period of history. There is a wealth of background information on the topics which we will be covering this semester. The book "Night" by Elie Wiesel is required as are the books ÒTo Lose a WarÓ by Regina Shelton and ÒThe Hiding PlaceÓ by Corrie Ten Boom.
Course Requirements
There are no exams in this course. However, there will be various outside assignments, including the viewing of videos and links on the course Website for each session. We will discuss some of these links in class so please be prepared. The semester grade is based on a 10 to 12-page research paper on a relevant topic of your choice. The paper should be submitted in hardcopy and by e-mail as an attached file. YouÕll be getting a hand-out with more details later on. You will also give a 15-minute oral presentation based on your term paper during one of the last two sessions. Attendance at both oral report sessions is required.
Course Objectives
1. To appreciate the experience of the Third Reich from various perspectives of the common people.
2. To understand the parallels and contrasts between the Third Reich and various aspects of contemporary society.
3. To evaluate oneÕs own value system within the context of social, political and ethical challenges presented by life in the Third Reich.
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22 Aug - Beginning of the Clockwork Nightmare
Historical background
Video: Seduction of a Nation
29 Aug - Hitler the Man, Mein Kampf
Excerpts from Mein Kampf
Video: Biography: Adolf Hitler
Assignment: Downfall
05 Sep - The Clockwork-Organization and Strategies
Government
Paramilitary organizations
Videos: Ambulance, The History of the SS
Role Play Simulation
12 Sep - Educational System & Propaganda
Heil Hitler, Herr Lehrer! (Web)
ÒDer GiftpilzÓ (Web)
Video: German Propaganda films
19 Sep - The German Resistance
The White Rose, Helmuth Huebener , von Stauffenberg
Passive vs. active resistance
Video: Truth & Conviction.
Assignment: When Truth Was Treason, Trial of von Stauffenberg Group
26 Sep - The Undesirables
Dramatic Presentation: Molly Edwards
T-4 Program
Concentration Camp Classifications (Web)
Assignment: SophieÕs Choice
03 Oct - Youth in the Third Reich
Video: Confessions of a Hitler Youth
10 Oct - Family Life
Marriage
Roles of Men and Women
Selective breeding (Lebensborn)
Video: Of Pure Blood
Video: Confessions of a Hitler Youth
17 Oct - Religion
Deutsche Christen (German Christians)
Confessing Church
Catholics & Protestants
JehovahÕs Witnesses
Martin Niemoeller & Dietrich Bonhoeffer
24 Oct - Survival
Film: Europa, Europa
31 Oct - Recreation
"Kraft durch Freude"
Entertainment Industry
Literature
Art and Culture
Video: Swing under the Swastika
07 Nov - Neo-Nazi Movements in the Information Age
14 Nov - "To Lose a War"
Guest Speaker: Regina Shelton
21 Nov - No Class - Thanksgiving Break
28 Nov - Testimonial
Guest Speaker: Dr. Helmut Liedloff
01 Dec - Eva Kor, C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Museum
Saturday, Full-day excursion to Terre Haute, IN.
06 Dec - Oral Reports I
13 Dec - Oral Reports II
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Available Videos
(Titles in bold are feature films.)
Ambulance
Bach in Auschwitz - Survival through music in concentration camps.
Biography - Adolf Hitler
The Boat (Das Boot)
Broken Glass - American Jews during WWII
David
Death is My Trade
Die Todesfabrik - The Death Factory - Auschwitz 30 Years Later
Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Hanged on a Twisted Cross
Escape from Sobibor
Europa, Europa
France's Forgotten Shame - Concentration camps in France
The Ghosts of War - Aftermath and Current Impact of WWII (CNN)
Goebbels - The Nazi master of propaganda.
History of the SS
HitlerÕs Final Days
Hitler - the Last 10 Days
Hitler - The Whole Story (Parts I & II)
HItlerÕs Henchmen
HitlerÕs Willing Executioners (Interview with the author)
In Memory of Millions - Holocaust Museum
Jewish Revenge - Assassins of former Nazis after WWII.
Judgement at Nuremberg
Mephisto
Miracle at Moreaux
The Nasty Girl
Nazi Death Camps
Nazi Hunters
The Odessa File
Of Pure Blood - About ÔLebensbornÕ, the Nazi selective breeding program.
Oskar Schindler - They Call Him Father Courage
Politically Correct - 48 Hours
Propaganda and Goebbels
The Search for Mengele
Selling Murder - The Propaganda Films
Schindler - As Told by the People He Saved.
Swing Under the Swastika - Jazz under the Nazis
The Tin Drum
Traitors to Hitler
Trial at Nuremberg
Triumph of the Will - Leni RiefenstahlÕs most famous propaganda film.
Tsvi Nussbaum - A Boy from Warsaw
Voyage of the Damned - Refugee Jews on the St. Louis
The White Rose - Resistance to Hitler by university students.
Widerstand gegen Hitler (Resistance Against Hitler)
The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl (Part I & II) -About the infamous film maker.
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Emergency Procedures
Southern Illinois University Carbondale is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for study and work. Because some health and safety circumstances arebeyond our control, we ask that you become familiar with the SIUC Emergency Response Plan and Building Emergency Response Team (BERT) program. Emergency response information is available on posters in buildings on campus,
available on the BERT'S website at www.bert.siu.edu, Department of Public Safety's website www.d~s.siu.edu( disaster drop down) and in the Emergency Response Guidelines pamphlet. Know how to respond to each type of emergency.
Instructors will provide guidance and direction to students in the classroom in the event of an emergency affecting your location. It is important that you follow these instructions and stay with your instructor during an evacuation or sheltering emergency. The Building Emergency Response Team will provide assistance to your instructor in evacuating the building or sheltering within the facility.