News
Education about the Second World War and the Holocaust—new contexts and challenges
The International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, in cooperation with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and with the Warsaw Center for Social—Educational Innovation and Seminars, from September 3 to 5, 2010 organized an educational conference entitled “Education about the Second World War and the Holocaust—new contexts and challenges”. The conference has taken place annually since 2007 in the first weekend of September and its participants include teachers from all around Poland.
The program of this year’s conference included issues regarding the use of documentary and feature films in school education, as well as lectures dedicated to the 71st anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, delivered by experts on these issues.
The first day of the conference, the participants took part in, among others: workshops “Does destruction hide within art itself?”. Also, using the film “The Portraitist” in educating about the Holocaust, led by Arkadiusz Walczak, as well as a workshop “Remembering the traumatic experiences of genocide, as exemplified by the feature films about the Nanking Massacre” led by Alicja Białecka.
The second day started with an educational session “Questions about September”, during which there were lectures: “What was the function of the proscription lists in September and the start of the German Occupation?” by Prof. Wacław Długoborski, “The German minority in the interwar Poland and in the days before the War—accomplices of the German aggression, or victims of Polish repression?” Prof. Witold Stankowski of the State Higher Vocational School in Oświęcim as well as a lector by Dr Jochen Böhler from the German Historical Institue “ When did ‘Total War’ begin? War Crimes in Poland in 1939 and in Russia in 1941.” The day ended with a workshop led by Arkadiusz Walczak “‘Inglorious Basterds’ (directed by Quentin Tarantino). A shock to culture, shock to education?” and the showing of the film “Bajki z krainy pieców” (Stories from the Land of Ovens), after which there was a meeting with film director Andrzej Czuldą.
The last day of the conference there were workshops “Is it possible to love an executioner?”, during which there was a session devoted to interpreting the films, “Black Book” (directed by Paul Verhoeven), “Ghetto” (direceted by Audrius Juzenas), and “Agora” (directed by Alejandro Amenábar). Arkadiusz Walczak led the workshops.
The teachers have spoken very positively about the selection of educational content and the organization of the conference. They also expressed their desire to participate in the next edition of the conference in 2011.
