New program in Genocide and Holocaust studies under way

The first course in the curriculum of Seton Hill University’s (SHU) new program in genocide and Holocaust studies has recently finished and the start of the third course in this program begins in two weeks. SHU has had the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education on campus for 20 years, and in that time, there has not been any formal program of study drawing on the resources of the center. After James Paharik, professor of sociology attended the Catholic Summer Institute in 2005, he saw need to make concrete efforts to include Holocaust and genocide study in the University. He had discussed with other professors about including this study. Shirley Campbell, director of Instructional Design and Technologies Enhanced Learning enrolled in 2007, and joined Paharik in making a new program of study a reality.

The professors formed a task force for evaluating the feasibility of the program. As it turned out, there were professors across departments who were both willing and qualified to host classes for this program. Seton Hill has sent 21 faculty to the Summer Institute and 13 of these professors are still active. And even more importantly, there was an interest in this topic - an interest that extended beyond the campus. After gathering information on the demand for genocide studies, potential resources and ways to host classes, the University created a curriculum, connected with online university classroom networks, and finally launched a campaign to market the program. The university joined the Regis consortium, an organization that networks Universities via online classroom programs.

“We were a little surprised… when we offered the first course, [it] filled upthe first morning of registration with a wait list,” Paharik said. As a result, the university decided to open up two sections. The online classes, however, are only offered nationally. International registration requires a visa, even when taking classes online from the home country.

According to Paharik, almost every school district has a Holocaust and genocide curriculum and many school districts are in the process of integrating this into the curriculum, giving education graduates of this program a competitive advantage. Other students have taken the course to be prepared to join international human rights organizations. And other students have taken the course to learn more about this complex issue.

Campbell is teaching a class in Holocaust pedagogy and says she is “very wary.” “Discussion on Holocaust and genocide is very draining,” she said. But Campbell also expressed an excitement to start. “There is a community that is built across Holocaust and Genocide studies. I expect to see that community built [here] as well.”