Holocaust Education in Germany: Ensuring Relevance and Meaning in an Increasingly Diverse Community

Lehigh University Library and Technology Services. 8A East Packer Avenue, Fairchild Martindale Library Room 514, Bethlehem, PA 18015. e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://preserve.lehigh.edu/fire/

Y

19

Death; Jews; European History; Social Systems; Authoritarianism; Immigrants; Civil Rights; Foreign Countries; Public Policy; Cultural Differences; Religious Factors; Acculturation; Teaching Methods; Instructional Materials; High School Students; Antisocial Behavior; Instructional Effectiveness; Refugees; Islam; Stranger Reactions; German; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Religious Education; Political Attitudes; Art Education; Science Education

2326-3873

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's 'open-door' policy towards the recent wave of migrants and refugees to Europe shows promise for expanding the workforce and increasing diversity, yet opens up some significant cultural and religious differences. Although the government has created programs to aid in their transition, little attention has been paid to how school curriculum, particularly education on the Holocaust, is presented to students for whom the event lacks personal, religious, or social relevance or who may have been taught that it is a fabrication. This study focuses on how classroom material presents the rise of National Socialism and the Holocaust through a document analysis of curriculum materials from a Gymnasium in Hamburg, Germany. Results show that even at the highest level of the education system, students are not being presented with the material in a way that draws relevance to the present day nor fosters meaning for recent immigrants. For the Holocaust, which is both a significant historical event and a critical lesson in the importance of universal human rights, effective education is imperative in order to combat present global trends of radicalism and intolerance.

As Provided

2019

EJ1207646