The course examines the relationship between law and the origins, implementation, and aftermath of the Holocaust. Students will consider questions about lawmaking, judgment, legal theory, and legal scholarship arising from Hitler’s rise to power; the legalization of the Nazi racial-biological worldview through eugenics and anti-Jewish legislation (including the Nuremberg Laws); and challenges to our conceptions of legal and moral responsibility. In addition, the course focuses on the international legal system’s reaction to the Holocaust, including prosecution of Nazi war criminals (e.g., the Eichmann trial), the Genocide Convention, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, financial compensation for Holocaust victims through civil lawsuits, and the return of art and antiquities stolen during the war. Grading: Letter Credits: 3 Offered: Subject Areas: Criminal Law
