University of Haifa
International Master of Arts (M.A) Program
in
Holocaust Studies
Language of instruction: English
Duration of Program: 1 year (3 semesters)
DegreeTitle: Master of Arts (MA)
2 possible Tracks: 1/ written research thesis
2/ final exam
The Program
Holocaust Studies has emerged as a central field of scholarship in the Humanities and Social sciences as Holocaust memory has become a global phenomenon. Many questions in Holocaust Studies still remain unanswered. In light of the recent opening of archives in Eastern Europe, newly uncovered documents await a new generation of scholars to shed light on the events and meanings of the Holocaust period. As a scholarly field, Holocaust Studies offers students the opportunity to research one of the world's most formative modern historical events from a multidisciplinary perceptive.
The Multidisciplinary M.A. Program in Holocaust Studies at Haifa University is dedicated to the creation and nurturing of a new generation of Holocaust researchers. Its aim is to provide them with a well-rounded curriculum from a wide variety of disciplines and subjects, diverse methodologies and essential languages.
The program offers courses in the history of World War II; history of Nazi Germany; Nazi policy of extermination and the Final Solution; Polish Jewry in the interwar period; social history of the family, women and children in the Holocaust period; psychological aspects of Holocaust trauma; anthropology of memory, trauma and commemoration; international law and genocide; representations of the Holocaust in the European novel and in European cinema and more. Students will be trained in relevant Eastern European languages, essential for conducting research on the Holocaust period; and will participate in workshops and seminars that will teach research techniques such as interview, testimony, photography, and video analysis techniques as well as guided work in archives.
A unique aspect of the program is cooperation with museums and archives in Israel and abroad, such as Yad Vashem and the Ghetto Fighter's House museum in Israel, the Fritz Bauer Institute in Germany and the Polish Academy in Warsaw. In the context of these museums and archives, students will be able to conduct research based on primary sources and acquire expertise in writing academic research papers.
Additional feature of the program are study tours to Germany and Poland where the students will visit museums, archives and historical sites. The visits will involve seminars with local students and leading German and Polish scholars.
The program is offered in collaboration with the Strochlitz Institute for Holocaust Studies at the University of Haifa. The program is directed by Professor Arieh J. Kochavi, Head of the Strochlitz Institute, a prolific and prominent scholar of World War II, diplomatic history of the 20th century, refugees and displaced persons in Europe, refugee organizations, prisoners of war, the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. For more information about the institute, please visit: http://holocaust-center.haifa.ac.il.
The University of Haifa
The University of Haifa, the largest comprehensive research university in northern Israel, sits atop Mount Carmel and presently serves a student body – the most pluralistic in the country – of more than 18,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Its multicultural orientation and the daily coexistence between Arab and Jewish students make Haifa University the ideal location for this multidisciplinary, international program.
The University of Haifa, in collaboration with the Strochlitz Institute for Holocaust Studies, has recruited a team of young and dynamic scholars to teach in the program, and who have made it their mission to lead the next generation of Holocaust researchers.
Program Objectives:
The main objectives of the program are to:
- Train young scholars – from various countries – in the field of Holocaust Studies.
- Provide students with a broad, multidisciplinary education that will enable them to carry out independent research in the field
- Expose students to various fields of study in the Humanities and Social Sciences (History, Social Psychology, Anthropology, International Law and Literature).
- Train students in a variety of research skills – in the Humanities and Social Sciences – as well as guided work in archives, the study of relevant languages and study trips to Germany and Poland.
- Provide a fertilizing environment and a meeting place for students from all over the world and create opportunities for joint learning experiences, for intellectual enrichment and for a mutual broadening of horizons.
Program Outline
The multidisciplinary program is covers the following subjects:
- Political and diplomatic developments leading up to World War II
- Social history and history of every-day life in the Holocaust period
- Social psychology of the Holocaust: Victims, victimizers and by-standers; coping mechanism and Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma from Holocaust Survivors to their Children
- Cultural expressions and interpretations of the Holocaust in literature and film.
- Major debates in International Law regarding Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity stemming from lessons learned after the Holocaust.
- Research methods in History and Social Sciences.
- Relevant languages for researching the Holocaust period.
Enrichment
As stated above, students in the program will be exposed to central archives in Israel holding material on the Holocaust, visit museums and go on study tours to Poland and Germany. In addition students will enjoy field trips to different locations in Israel, conferences and guest lectures of visiting scholars .
Academic Advisory Board
Head of the Program: Prof. Arieh Kochavi, Head of the Institute for Holocaust Research at the University of Haifa.
Members of the M.A committee:
Prof. Hadas Weisman, Department of Counseling and Human Development
Dr. Sara Bender, Department for Jewish History
Dr. Narcos Silber, Department for Jewish History
Dr. Carol Kidron, Department for Sociology and Anthropology
Admission Prerequisites
- An undergraduate degree in the Humanities or Social Sciences from a recognized university in Israel or abroad with a minimum final grade of 80% (Israeli system) or 3.0 GPA.
- Candidates will be required to submit two letters of recommendation and a declaration of intent.
- Candidates will be interviewed individually (by Skype in the case of overseas students).
- Candidates who have not previously studied at an institution of higher education where the language of instruction is English, must submit official TOEL scores or equivalent. The minimum TOEFL score required for admission is: 750 on the paper-based test, 230 on the computer-based test or 89 on the internet-based test.
- Students who do not have a background in the study of History, will be requested to take relevant courses in Modern European history (during the first semester of the program). Each case will be considered by its own right.
The program's structure and scope:
The program offers two tracks of study:
Track A – with the writing of a research thesis – and with a total of 32 weekly hours per semester
Track B – with a final exam – and with a total of 38 weekly hours per semester
Track A (includes the writing of a research thesis) with a total of 32weekly hours per semester
Name/nature of course
|
No. of weekly hours per semester
|
Name of lecturer
|
The Second World War: Military and Political Aspects
|
4
|
Arieh Kochavi
|
The Nazi Policy of Extermination and the Final Solution, 1941-1945
|
4
|
Anat Plocker
|
Nazi Germany
|
4
|
Laura Jokusch
|
Polish Jewry between the Two World Wars
|
4
|
Sara Bender
|
Man, Woman and Child: A Social History of Families and Relationships in the Holocaust.
|
2
|
Sharon Kangisser- Cohen
|
Historiography of Holocaust Research
|
2
|
Laura Jokusch
|
Social psychological aspects on the Holocaust
|
2
|
Alon Lazar
|
Genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity
|
2
|
Yehonatan alshech
|
Research skills and Guided Work in Archives
|
2
|
Marcos Silber
|
Quantitative Research Techniques for Historians
|
2
|
Anat Hecht
|
German
|
4
|
TBA
|
Relevant Foreign Language for Research
|
4
|
|
Total
|
36
|
|
Track B (includes a final exam) with a total of 38 weekly hours per semester
Name/nature of course
|
No. of weekly hours per semester
|
Name of lecturer
|
The Second World War: Military and Political Aspects
|
4
|
Arieh Kochavi
|
The Nazi Policy of Extermination and the Final Solution, 1941-1945
|
4
|
Anat Plocker
|
Nazi Germany
|
4
|
Laura Jokusch
|
Polish Jewry between the Two World Wars
|
4
|
Sara Bender
|
Man, Woman and Child: A Social History of Families and Relationships in the Holocaust.
|
2
|
Sharon Kangisser- Cohen
|
Memory of the Holocaust: Psychological Aspects
|
4
|
Hadas Weissman
|
Historiography of Holocaust Research
|
2
|
Laura Jockusch
|
Representations of the Holocaust in the European Novel and in European Cinema
|
2
|
Ruth Amar
|
Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity
|
2
|
Yehonatan Alshech
|
Anthropology of Memory, Trauma and Commemoration
|
4
|
Carol Kidron
|
Research Skills and Guided Work in Archives
|
2
|
Marcos Silber
|
German
|
4
|
TBA
|
Total
|
38
|
|
Tuition and Fees
For international students:
Tuition
|
$10,400[1]
|
Study trip – Poland and Germany
|
$1,500[2]
|
Service Fees (Security, Library, etc.)
|
$240
|
Health Insurance
|
$360
|
TOTAL
|
$12,500
|
Housing in the Talia Graduate Student Dormitories costs $400 per month. The apartment style dormitories include 3 individual rooms and bathrooms per unit.
*All prices quoted are in US dollars.
For more information, please contact Dr. Yael Granot-Bein, Program Director: ygranot@univ.haifa.ac.il
[1] This was the tuition for the year 2011-2012. This may change for the year 2012-2013.
[2] Depending on a minimum number of students