Alverno College Course Will Visit Places of the Holocaust

November 10, 2014

Alverno College is offering a four-credit travel course to the places of the Holocaust. The class, which begins in January, will culminate in a trip to Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic. A non-credit option is available to the public so that members of the community can learn side by side with Alverno students.

The travel course will be led by Dr. Amy H. Shapiro, professor of Philosophy, and Sue DaBaco, assistant director of Office Services and an Alverno MBA student. The class will meet for two hours bi-weekly, and will place an emphasis on the history, geography and politics of genocide.

“It might sound ironic, but study of the Holocaust can be one of the most uplifting and unique experiences in a person's lifetime,”said Shapiro. “It brings us close to the depth of despair and forces us to know our selves and the world better. A trip of this kind deepens and expands our personal relationship to history and our present world.”

A significant portion of the class will focus on the geographical relationships of cities to killing centers, and the mechanics and strategies of mass murder. The class will also study the history of Eastern European Jewry and the vestiges that are left today.

At the end of the semester, students will immerse themselves in the places of the Holocaust including Treblinka, Belzec and Auschwitz, as well as Vilnius and Kaunas, Lithuania; Warsaw, Lublin and Krakow, Poland; and Prague, Czech Republic. Travel dates are May 30 - June 12, 2015.

Space is limited to 25 people, and registrants must be at least 18 years of age and have a valid passport. More information is available at www.alvernoholocausttrip.com.