Overview
Please choose one of the questions listed below and answer it in a paper of 4-5 pages,
double spaced, 12 font. Papers are due Friday of the sixth week (August 1st) by 4 p.m.
via Turnitin.
Draw on three assigned primary source and three assigned secondary source from
the syllabus in your answer. If you’d like to learn more about the difference between
primary and secondary sources, and/or how to analyze them, you may find some tips
here.
Do not consult or cite sources other than those integrated into course materials.
All papers should
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Include your name, your section number, and your teaching assistant’s name
on the first page.
Shorter and simple sentences; try to reduce commas with clear writing and not many run
on sentences.
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Present a complete introductory paragraph that defines the focus of the paper
and includes a compelling thesis.
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Include topic sentences for each paragraph of the paper that substantiate
your overall thesis.
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Cite relevant evidence. Please feel free to draw upon maps, videos, or
images that are included in lectures. “Evidence” includes your sources of
information as well as the source of any particular quotation you reproduce. If
you are citing lecture or section, so specify (e.g.; Lecture, “Social Death”).
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We are not particular about the style of citation you use (i.e.
Chicago vs. MLA etc.), but do expect you to be consistent and
accord with scholarly standards.
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If you do not know how to properly cite historical sources, please
refer to this helpful guide.
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Include discussion of any conflicts in interpretation that emerged in your
chosen sources and indicate which point(s) of view you find most compelling
and why.
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Be spell checked and include page numbers.
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Be double-spaced, with 1 inch margins, 12 point font, and written in Times
New Roman.Final paper questions (choose
one):
1. Reflect back on the answer given to you by ChatGPT or your preferred AI
interface in the first week of the class. How would you critique that answer based
on knowledge gained in this class? What people/contexts/places/stories did it
leave out? Did it flatten the history of the Holocaust and, if so, how?
Sources Used
Primary Sources
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Protocols of the Elders of Zion
Turkish Jew Interned in Drancy
Tracks in the Snow by Jamila Kolonomos
Secondary Sources
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Dirk Moses, Colonialism and the Holocaust
Marion Kaplan, Jewish Women in Nazi Germany
Primo Levi, The Gray Zone
Assignment Requirement Addressed
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3 Primary Sources: ✔
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Protocols of the Elders of Zion
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Turkish Jew Interned in Drancy
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Tracks in the Snow
3 Secondary Sources: ✔
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Dirk Moses
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Marion Kaplan●
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Primo Levi
Discussion of Different Historical Interpretations: ✔
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Moses expands the Holocaust through the lens of colonialism and
imperialism.
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Levi argues against viewing the Holocaust through simple categories
of perpetrators and victims, emphasizing moral complexity.
Final Paper Outline
Introduction (1 Paragraph)
Hook
Artificial intelligence can quickly answer questions about history, but it often leaves out
important details and historical context.
Context
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Briefly explain the Week 1 assignment.
Mention that you asked ChatGPT:
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"Who were the perpetrators of the Holocaust?"
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"Who were the victims of the Holocaust?"
Explain that the response correctly identified the major perpetrators and victims, but
mostly listed facts instead of explaining the bigger picture.
Thesis
While ChatGPT gave a factually accurate answer, History 5 taught me that it left out
many important parts of Holocaust history. The response did not explain the
antisemitic ideas behind the Holocaust, how persecution gradually developed, the
role of colonialism, the moral complexity of the Holocaust, or the personal
experiences of Jewish victims and resistance.Body Paragraph 1
The AI response left out the antisemitic ideas that led to the
Holocaust.
Topic Sentence
The AI identified Nazi leaders and organizations as the perpetrators, but it did not explain the
antisemitic beliefs that helped make the Holocaust possible.
Primary Source
Protocols of the Elders of Zion
Quote
"Our right lies in might."
Citation
(Protocols of the Elders of Zion)
Analysis
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Explain that the Protocols spread false conspiracy theories about Jews.
Show that antisemitism existed long before the Holocaust.
Explain that the AI response never discussed these ideas or where Nazi hatred came
from.
Body Paragraph 2
The AI response left out the larger historical context.
Topic Sentence
The course showed that the Holocaust was connected to more than antisemitism because Nazi
expansion was also influenced by colonialism and racial imperialism.Secondary Source
Dirk Moses — Colonialism
Quote
"The Holocaust of European Jewry can be understood in terms of colonial logics as
well."
Citation
(Moses, Colonialism)
Analysis
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Explain Moses's argument about colonialism.
Show that Nazi expansion into Eastern Europe was part of a larger colonial project.
Explain that ChatGPT focused on who committed the Holocaust instead of explaining
why it happened this way.
Mention that Moses offers a different interpretation than a basic summary of the
Holocaust.
Body Paragraph 3
The AI response skipped the years of persecution before
genocide.
Topic Sentence
Instead of explaining how persecution slowly developed, the AI response moved quickly to the
Holocaust itself.
Secondary Source
Marion Kaplan — Jewish Women in Nazi Germany
Quote
"Few dreamed that developments would end in anything like Auschwitz."Citation
Analysis
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(Kaplan, Jewish Women in Nazi Germany)
Explain how Jewish families experienced discrimination years before genocide.
Discuss social isolation, loss of jobs, and everyday struggles.
Explain that this gradual process was missing from the AI response.
Body Paragraph 4
The AI response made the Holocaust seem too simple.
Topic Sentence
The AI divided the Holocaust into perpetrators and victims, but the course showed that people's
experiences were much more complicated.
Secondary Source
Primo Levi — The Gray Zone
Quote
"The desire for simplification is justified; simplification itself is not always."
Citation
Analysis
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(Levi, The Gray Zone)
Explain Levi's argument that life inside the camps was morally complex.
Discuss the difficult decisions prisoners sometimes faced.
Explain that Holocaust history cannot always be divided into "good" and "evil."
This also satisfies the requirement to discuss different historical interpretations.Body Paragraph 5
The AI response left out many personal experiences during the
Holocaust.
Topic Sentence
Although the AI identified Jews as the primary victims, it did not show what their daily lives
were actually like or how some resisted Nazi persecution.
Primary Source 1
Turkish Jew Interned in Drancy
Quote
"I beg of you... not to set foot in a café."
Citation
(Turkish Jew Interned in Drancy)
Analysis
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Explain how the letter shows fear, uncertainty, and the emotional impact of persecution.
Show that personal stories help us understand the Holocaust in ways a simple summary
cannot.
Primary Source 2
Tracks in the Snow
Quote
"The Jews had no choice, and they supported the party that led the Resistance."
Citation
Analysis
(Jamila Kolonomos, Tracks in the Snow)●
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Explain how Kolonomos joined the resistance in Macedonia.
Show that Jewish experiences included resistance and courage, not only victimization.
Explain that these personal stories were completely missing from the AI response.
Conclusion
Restate Thesis
Although ChatGPT gave a correct overview of the Holocaust, History 5 showed me that the
history is much more complex than a list of perpetrators and victims.
Summarize Main Points
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Antisemitic ideology
Colonialism
Gradual persecution
Moral complexity
Personal experiences and resistance
Closing Thought
History 5 changed the way I think about the Holocaust. I learned that understanding the
Holocaust means looking beyond basic facts and examining the ideas, historical context, and
personal stories that shaped people's experiences. ChatGPT provided a useful starting point, but
the course readings gave me a much deeper understanding of Holocaust history.