COURSE CURRICULUM

The MA stream in Holocaust Studies at the University of Victoria requires a minimum of 15 units of graduate credit and offers students the option of completing either a thesis or a non-thesis pathway. All students must complete a core introductory course in the disciplines of Germanic and Slavic Studies (GMST501 or SLST501) along with GMST580, which focuses on the history of the Holocaust. In the thesis option, students complete 6.0 units of specialized coursework drawn from a range of subjects such as Holocaust memory, testimony and archival practice, teaching the Holocaust, cross-cultural contexts, and related field-based learning opportunities like the I-Witness Field School or practicum courses. They then complete a thesis (GMST599 or SLST599) worth 6.0 to 9.0 units, involving original research under faculty supervision. In the non-thesis option, students take 7.5 units of similar thematic courses and complete GMST598, a major research or creative project worth 4.5 units. This may include a 40–45 page research paper or an arts-based project accompanied by a scholarly essay, both requiring an oral defence. The non-thesis route emphasizes flexibility, allowing integration of creative work, public exhibition, or performance alongside academic research, while still maintaining rigorous scholarly standards and close supervisory guidance.