Introduction

     Facing History and Ourselves is a course that will change your perception on the entire world. It will make you think in ways you never thought were possible, and it will inspire you to make a change in the world. Facing History and Ourselves goes is a course designed to understand the Holocaust. It simplifies the Holocaust into the who, what, why, where, and especially the how.  Through this course students learn through primary sources such as movies, books, and pictures on what happened during the Holocaust. The course addresses how one person can make such a drastic change in the world especially with the help of bystanders.  I took this course having no idea what I was getting myself into.  I took this course, because going into my Junior year, I wanted to take a “different” class, a class that was not required.  Having many upperclassmen friends who had previously taken the course, I had heard nothing but amazing comments about the class. I was told that the movies you watch are breath taking and unlike any other movies you previously have seen. I was told that Facing History and Ourselves teaches you to become an individual and learn how to make the world a better place. Growing up, soon to go to college, I wanted aid in becoming an individual, how to find myself, and know I can leave footprints in the earth for others to see later. I am 16 years old. I am a young adult trying to find my place in this world. I have gone through my own personal struggles; depression and the transition of parents getting a divorce. This class has taught me that my own struggles were hard, but I got through them. Nothing that I have ever gone through could even come close to the struggles that the Holocaust brought to others, and I now appreciate the little things in life, the things people say, and the people around me.