Studies in the Holocaust and Totalitarian Systems

The Studies in Holocaust and Totalitarian Systems specialty is designed for students intending to pursue a career in research on genocide as well as for students, who consider this specialized knowledge about the Holocaust and totalitarianisms to be beneficial for the development of a civic society.

This programme of study presumes that consciousness-building about the annihilation of Jews in Poland, particularly among the younger generations, is necessary so that the events and significance of the Holocaust will not be forgotten; moreover Poland needs a deepened democracy, the kind that is only possible in societies, which are prepared to embrace within their historical memory and narrative even the darkest aspects of their history.

This specialty outlines the genesis of national and religious conflicts in the contemporary world, the mechanisms used to create the structure of a totalitarian or authoritarian state, and racism and anti-Semitism present in modern-day European society. Particular attention is paid to the Polish perspective and experience with totalitarianisms during the 20th century, the Nazi and Soviet.

» Internship opportunities

Students of the Holocaust and Totalitarian Systems specialty are invited to take advantage of the internship and volunteer opportunities available to them. The Jagiellonian University cooperates internationally and has numerous contacts with the most important research centres in Europe, the US and Israel, including Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. Our students are also encouraged to participate in academic research and projects concerned with issues of memory, ethnic and religious oppression and totalitarian systems organised by international groups, such as Fondation pour la Memoire de la Shoah, Task Force for International Cooperation in Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research and others.

» Graduate profile

Graduates of the specialty are ready to contribute to the cultural and historical memory of contemporary Europe, to help shape civic society as well as to build to awareness of the negative effects of anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and discrimination and to counteract them. The specialty may be particularly attractive for future politicians, lawyers, government officials and administrators, representatives of international and local NGOs, researchers as well as teachers.

The degree programme is designed to produce graduates capable of independent, critical thought, able to analyse the social, political and cultural phenomena.