Comprehending the incomprehensible

The word genocide immediately evokes images of the mass murder of Jews during World War II. But there are more twentieth-century examples of genocide: during World War I, Armenians were systematically persecuted and murdered, and more recently during the civil war in Rwanda Tutsis and moderate Hutus were also the victims of genocide. Is this kind of devastation a typical phenomenon resulting from twentieth-century genocidal ideology? The programme Holocaust and Genocide Studies, which is part of the MA in History, attempts to explore this question.

Studying Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Amsterdam

The programme in Holocaust and Genocide Studies is unique in the Netherlands. The courses are provided by the new Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Amsterdam and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, established in the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation.

The curriculum is organised in an interdisciplinary manner: 20th-century genocides are examined from the vantage point of different disciplines. Holocaust and Genocide Studies takes a content-based approach to the phenomenon of genocide.

In addition, broader attention focusses on research into how later generations have interpreted different cases of genocide. Typical 20th-century aspects are examined, such as mass mobilisation, the role of bureaucracy, the function of media and the prosecution of those responsible for genocide.

Holocaust and Genocide Studies as a part-time study

The curriculum is also offered as a part-time study, which lasts one and a half years. Students earn a maximum of 40 ECTS credits per year, i.e. 20 credits per semester. Part-time students attend courses together with full-time students. The programme for a part-time study is put together by the student, in mutual consultation with the coordinator of the programme.