Exploring 'Otherness' through Holocaust Literature in the Undergraduate German Curriculum

This study is based on the assumption that because the Holocaust is a significant part of Germany's history, culture, and national memory, it should be taught openly and honestly within German curricula. To ignore it would be to ignore an essential part of the country's identity, which in turn would lead teacher-scholars of German to impart a less than accurate view of Germany today. By reading and exploring the literature of the Holocaust, students can be brought into another realm of understanding, for the victims are no longer just numbers, but real human beings with unimaginable experiences. The reading and studying of such literature not only creates an opportunity for introspection, self-evaluation, and critical thinking, but also one for the experience and exploration of "otherness"--Michael Byram's concept of "intercultural communicative competence." The aim of this study is to investigate the use of Holocaust literature in a US post-secondary institutional setting as a venue for the development of certain aspects of intercultural communicative competence. Qualitative data, collected through observation, audio tape, and field notes, were gathered from three different levels of German instruction at a US post-secondary institution over the period of approximately one month. Sources of data include interviews, journals, an electronic list-serve, and a student focus group, consisting of nine students, three from each course. Examined by means of Louise M. Rosenblatt's reader-response theory, a case study emerged that pinpoints, explores, and illuminates three specific components of Byram's intercultural communicative competence: attitudes, knowledge, and skills of interpreting and relating. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]