You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Home Front: Culture Wars
High schoolers' assignment: Present argument in favor of the Holocaust
2017-04-04
[The College Fix] A pair of high school students who take classes at SUNY Oswego via a specialized program are upset at an assignment their "Principles of Literary Representation" class received: Defend Hitler’s Final Solution.

CiTi/BOCES New Vision program teacher Michael DeNobile handed out a "Top Secret memorandum" to the class "addressed to senior Nazi party members." It asked students "to put themselves in the shoes of Adolf Hitler’s top aides," according to a report at Syracuse.com.

Students Archer Shurtliff and Jordan April, who ended up on opposite sides of the, er, "debate" wondered: Does DeNobile really want students to argue in favor of "the Nazis’ justification for genocide?"

Although the lesson does tell students it is "not for you to be sympathetic to the Nazi point of view," and is just "an exercise on expanding your point of view," Shurtliff and April allege it created a rather intolerant atmosphere.

One student did a Nazi salute in class, they say, and another said he wished he’d been assigned the pro-Holocaust side "because Heil Hitler, duh."
Posted by:Besoeker

#9  The assignment has been cancelled, according to The Times of Israel:

A homework assignment that asked students in an upstate New York school district to argue for or against the Final Solution, from the perspective of a Nazi official, was withdrawn and will not be assigned again.

"This is an exercise on expanding your point of view by going outside your comfort zone and training your brain to find the evidence necessary to prove a point, even if it is existentially and philosophically against what you believe,” the instructions for the assignment said.

Two students who complained about the exercise were given an alternative task.

But the students, Archer Shurtliff and Jordan April, took their complaint further and called for the teacher to apologize and for the school district to permanently ban the assignment, the Syracuse.com website reported. Neither of the students, both 17, is Jewish.

On Monday, New York State Education Department Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said the assignment has been permanently scratched.

“Since first learning of the assignment, I’ve done my homework to determine the facts in this situation,” Elia said in a statement. “I spoke with district officials about this serious matter. We agree the assignment should not have been given. The teacher apologized and the assignment will not be used in the future.”
Posted by: trailing wife   2017-04-04 21:58  

#8  Depends upon how the teacher grades. Are they an anti-semite looking for automatons to write what they think the teacher wants, or is the teacher looking for conviction and rebellions.

I think John QC's line is almost perfect.

There is no sane argument that justifies the Holocaust.

Then go into the practicalities of diverting resources (trains, building, housing, etc) in the middle of a war to the death when displacing living populations would have put a burden on your enemy who would feel obligated to feed and care for them. Or embracing the Jews and Gypsies and getting them to help in the war effort (6 million more hands in the factories/front lines) by promising them a homeland or something, while vilifying the Russians instead. Might have had an atomic bomb before anyone else if they hadn't scared of or killed some of their brightest minds.

Then end with the same line. There is no sane argument that justifies the Holocaust, it was possibly the stupidest policy decision of an administration filled with stupid policy decisions.

Then see how the teacher grades the paper.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2017-04-04 17:37  

#7  I would only be impressed if the assignment was to present arguments in favor of burning the instructor alive.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2017-04-04 13:17  

#6  "Why Israel needs more WMD?"

Very few reasons they would need them.

Iran, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey.
Not many reasons at all.... :p
Posted by: DarthVader   2017-04-04 12:48  

#5  My own favorite composition subject is "Why Israel needs more WMD?"
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2017-04-04 12:37  

#4  SteveS, we want the kids to understand how to conduct a civil debate, not kill each others off.
Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance   2017-04-04 12:21  

#3  Taking an arbitrary side in a debate is a good exercise, but if you want to do something *really* edgy, have the kids argue for Trump over Hillary for Prez.
Posted by: SteveS   2017-04-04 11:49  

#2  For debate team at High School (many, many eons ago), we debated Civil War economic issues, including slavery. Wasn't fun for the 'pro' side, but gave us lessons in reasoning and critical thinking. Our African-American senior class treasurer argued on the pro-slavery side (her choice). She did quite well, was very persuasive and was not offended. This was, as she said, 'an exercise'.

But we were 100 years after. This assignment, not so much.
Posted by: Mullah Richard   2017-04-04 10:38  

#1  File under stupid assignments. There is no argument that justifies the Holocaust.
Posted by: JohnQC   2017-04-04 09:56  

00:00