Each spring I take Asbury University students to Berlin and Krakow to study aspects of the Holocaust. We learn about the euthanasia efforts in Nazi-Germany as well as the concentration and extermination camp system. Among other events, students are led through guided tours of Sachsenhausen, Ravensbruck, and Auschwitz. Accounts of the victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and rescuers, are each confronted and considered by the students as they attempt to wade into the perplexing waters of the what, how, and whys of these horrible events. Furthermore, the holocaust narrative is used as a portal into a raw and unvarnished examination of the darkness that besets the human condition. To learn more about these trips (non-AU students are welcome to apply), visit the Asbury University website.
2014 Human Dignity Tour of Central Europe (Germany/Poland/Austria)
The first trip to central Europe involved 30 students from two institutions. Dr. Brian Shelton, a theologian serving as an administrator and professor at Toccoa Falls College (TFC), and I both had interest in exploring the holocaust from the viewpoint of our respective disciplines.