Though the Holocaust took place in Europe, it has had a distinctive impact on American culture—in literature, film, television and politics. Likewise, American culture continues to shape what the world thinks and feels about this European catastrophe. In this course, we will read works by authors such as John Hersey, Sylvia Plath, Hannah Arendt, Art Spiegelman, Philip Roth, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Jonathan Safran Foer. Films by Alfred Hitchcock, Fred Zinnemann, Steven Spielberg and Alan Pakula will open up questions about cinematic representation and the politics of Hollywood. Special attention will also be devoted to the analysis of video testimonies created in the United States.