“Understanding Pogroms” course included in the “Atlas der Guten Lehre” of the Austrian Ministry of Science

We are happy to announce that the Austrian Ministry of Science has decided to include the CEU Jewish Studies research seminar “Understanding Pogroms”, taught by Jan Rybak, in its “Atlas der Guten Lehre” (“Atlas of Good Teaching”), which highlights examples of teaching excellence throughout the country. 

https://gutelehre.at/projekt/pogrome-verstehen

How can violence against minorities, antisemitism and discrimination be understood? How may we reckon with the fact that accounts and interpretations by those affected or reporting on them at times profoundly contradict each other? As part of this teaching and research project, students investigate these tragically topical questions using a historical example. Together, they analyze the international reports on the pogroms against the Jewish population in Poland following the First World War. 

Four international delegations travelled to Poland from November 1918 to investigate the rampant pogroms against the Jewish population there, to report on them and to make suggestions to their governments and the world for improving the situation. Although they all investigated the very same cases of violence and discrimination, their interpretations of the violence and their proposals for the future of Jewish-Christian relations and the protection of minorities at times were in fundamental contradiction.  

Students examine these dynamics using historical sources (reports, diaries, memoirs, newspapers, letters, etc.). The aim is to understand these tragically topical problem through a historical example. In doing so, students learn and apply the core skills of historical research in practice, present their work at two international conferences and jointly author an article for an academic journal.