First Year Students

The Holocaust: Hate, Guilt, Reconciliation

Simpson Colloquium SC 101 C - The Holocaust: Hate, Guilt, Reconciliation
M W F  11:30AM - 12:30PM

This is a course designed to view the Holocaust from several unique angles. 

We will begin by examining the rise of the German National Socialist Party ( Nationalsozialismus) and the intensification of hatred as a political tool. 

After exploring the reasons for the initiation of the “Final Solution,” we will examine the stories of individuals who were caught up in the Holocaust. In particular, we will closely follow the story of Sara Rosnow, which has been preserved by the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History that Steven Spielberg founded in 1994. 

In our subsequent study of the repercussions of the Holocaust, we will examine the various levels of guilt complicity experienced in Germany and other countries (including the United States) by survivors and perpetrators as well as their offspring. 

Finally, we will consider some of the ways in which the Holocaust is remembered. In addition to films, firsthand accounts, and histories, we will study the different types of memorials that have been created throughout the world in an effort to commemorate these events.

 Warning: This course includes numerous disturbing images and ideas.

Meet Your Professor
Bruce Brown, M.M.
Assistant Professor of Music, VoiceBruce Brown

I have been teaching voice at Simpson College since 2003 and also stage direct the Simpson Operas and Opera Workshop. Prior to coming to Simpson to teach, I sang professional opera for over 20 years in the United States and moved to Vienna, Austria in 1991 to live and sing until 2003. Now that I have hung up the opera tights and wigs for the most part, I enjoy passing on what I have learned to the next generation of opera singers and opera enthusiasts. When not teaching, I am an avid mountain bike racer throughout the Midwest and enjoy cooking with my wife Tara.

My idea for the Holocaust class grows out of the personal experiences I have encountered over the years. “Sara’s Story” is based on my mother-in-law, Sara Rosnow. It was not an easy decision for me to uproot from the San Francisco Bay Area and take my wife and children to live in Austria with all of the memories that my mother-in-law had. I was exposed to an entirely different level of hate, guilt and reconciliation living and working in Europe that I was unaware even existed prior to moving there. 

Ella WardMeet Your Destination Leader
 Ella Ward

Hello everyone!

I will be the destination leader for the class, “Holocaust: Hate, Guilt, and Reconciliation.” I am originally from Robins, Iowa, which is near Cedar Rapids. I have a very large family, 3 brothers, 2 sisters and a dog. In my family there is never a dull moment! I will be a sophomore in the 2012-2013 school year here at Simpson and I am majoring in music education and minoring in German. On campus, I am actively involved in choir, opera productions, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and I work in the computer labs, even though I am terrible with technology. When I am not studying or practicing for music lessons, I enjoy working out, late night ice cream runs, shopping at the Jordan Creek Mall, going to movies, and just hanging out with friends.

I can’t wait to meet you all and I look forward to getting to know each and everyone one of you. I am so glad that I can help you adjust to your new life here at Simpson College and I hope you will love it here as much as I do! Feel free to contact me with any questions or if you just want to chat. My email address is ella.ward@my.simpson.edu and I am also on Facebook so feel free to add me! 

Meet Your Writing FellowJocelyn Hansen
Jocelyn Hansen

Hello! I will be the Writing Fellow for the class, “Holocaust: Hate, Guilt, and Reconciliation.” I am from Odebolt, Iowa, south of Storm Lake and west of Carroll. My town is populated by corn fields so I enjoy the busyness of Simpson. I will be a junior in the 2012-2013 school year here at Simpson. I am majoring in  Music and minoring in German. I am involved in Simpson’s choir and opera programs as well as Mu Phi Epsilon, a professional music fraternity. I work in the Music Library here at Simpson. When I do have free time, I enjoy midnight Walmart runs, zumba, three dollar movies, and just hanging with my friends.

I look forward to meeting and working with all you in your first semester here at Simpson! Please feel free to contact me with any questions about Simpson or its writing program. My email address is jocelyn.hansen@my.simpson.edu. I’m also available on Facebook.

 

Last Updated: 5/16/12