Unfettering Holocaust education: opportunities for constructing a sophisticated understanding in the classroom

ABSTRACT Drawing upon a qualitative study of an optional course taught annually over seven years, considerations are discussed around how an interdisciplinary and historically grounded programme of study can be delivered which seeks to enable students to acquire a sophisticated understanding of the Holocaust. Particular consideration is given to the defining of key terms as well as how to develop an understanding of the Holocaust which more appropriately reflects the phenomenon’s evolution, complexity and jurisdictional variations. The study also explores how students understand comparative genocide with a focus on both the Holocaust and the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda.