LI 459/RN 459: Primo Levi And the Holocaust in Italy Padua Program Summer 2014 Professor Nancy Harrowitz, Dept. of Romance Studies Boston University This course focuses on the Italian Holocaust survivor Primo Levi, who contributed some of the most provocative and influential writings on the Holocaust. In confronting this catastrophic event, he employed a variety of interdisciplinary approaches: scientific, literary, theological and philosophical. We will discuss these perspectives within the broader context of the Holocaust in Italy, including the writings of Giorgio Bassani and Elie Wiesel. Trips to Levi’s hometown of Turin and to Bassani’s home in Ferrara are included, as are films based on the works of both authors. COURSE TEXTS: Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz The Reawakening The Drowned and the Saved (photocopies) Giorgio Bassani, short stories Doris Bergen, War and Genocide (second edition) Michael Morgan, essays (photocopies) COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Oral report: 15 minutes, copy of report to be turned in before report is given, 10% of the grade. First paper, 4 pages, 20%. Midterm exam, 20%, Second paper, 6 to 8 pages, 30% Class participation, 20%. Students are responsible for completing the assigned readings before class and coming to class with reading notes prepared to discuss them. Attendance is required. SCHEDULE: Week 1: Introduction to Primo Levi; Survival in Auschwitz; preface to The Drowned and the Saved (pp. 11-22); Elie Wiesel, A Plea for the Dead, photocopy. Discuss Bergen, War and Genocide. Week 2: Survival in Auschwitz. Film, “Primo.” Bergen. First paper due. Week 3: The Reawakening; film “The Truce.” Theological Approaches: Richard Rubenstein, ”The Making of a Rabbi,” (photocopy). Field trip to Turin. Week 4: Levi, The Drowned and the Saved, “The Gray Zone,” “Shame.” Scientific Approaches: Levi’s science fiction stories, “Versamina,” ”Angelic Butterfly;” essay, “Hatching the Cobra,” (photocopies), midterm exam. Week 5: Introduction to Giorgio Bassani; film, “The Garden of the Finzi-Contini,” stories (photocopies), field trip to Ferrara. Week 6: Conclusion and final paper due. ACADEMIC CONDUCT Students are expected to abide by the CAS Academic Conduct Code, available in the CAS advising office. Cases of suspected academic misconduct, including plagiarism, will be referred to the Dean's Office. .