Entries for Annotated Bibliography

Write entries for the annotated bibliography of the Perpetrator Studies Network

This assignment is part of my masterclass entitled “The Memory of the Enemy: An Introduction to Perpetrator Studies”, which I teach every spring in the RMA program Comparative Literary Studies.

This masterclass introduces students to key texts and concepts in the interdisciplinary field of perpetrator studies, in particular as it pertains to the question of how perpetrators of genocide and collective violence are studied, represented, and remembered in scholarship (historiography, social science, philosophy, psychology, etc.), culture (literature, film, art, theater), and public discourse (at museums and sites of memory, in the media, etc.).

This masterclass is one way in which I involve students in my own research, which is on the figure of the perpetrator in contemporary memory culture. I encourage them to participate in the work of the Perpetrator Studies Network, of which I am the founder.

Concretely, the students in my masterclass write a number of entries for the Network’s collaborative annotated bibliography, based on the assigned readings for the masterclass and on their own research projects. The bibliography is an open access resource for students, scholars, educators, and practitioners interested in and working on genocide, collective violence, and political violence.

Aims

Students learn to write succinct and informative bibliography entries on scholarly books and articles they read for the class or for their own research projects. They can also write entries on novels or films. The students practice summarizing a book’s or article’s argument and learn to position it within the broader field of study. When they write about a novel or a film they give a brief synopsis and also indicate in how far this novel or film would be a useful text for teaching. 

Others, including scholars, professionals, and the general public, can benefit from the students’ research in several ways: a) they can get a sense of classic and current research within the field; b) they can read a short summary of an article, which will help them determine whether a given text is relevant for them to pursue further; c) they get inspiration for how to use novels or films for teaching.

Students ec’s for this assignment

The bibliography entries are worth 30% of the final grade. It is a 5EC course.

Teacher effort (hours)

I read and give feedback on drafts of all bibliography entries before they go live. Ca. 1-2 hours per week, for the duration of block 3.

Final product

At the end of the masterclass, the students upload their finished entries to the Network website and they go live. Now all the members of the Network and potentially everybody who is interested in the topic can search and read their entries. I always credit the students on the homepage of the bibliography.

Assessment criteria

The annotation needs to a) summarize the central theme and scope of the book or article; b) evaluate the authority or background of the author; c) comment on the intended audience; d) compare and contrast this work with others on this topic (relevance, innovation, etc.)

Description of the example

Here are two links to example entries from the website:

Contact:

Susanne C. Knittel: s.c.knittel@uu.nl

More information:

Perpetrator Studies Network