In the wake of a Tennessee school board banning a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust from its curriculum, organizations at Rutgers University are doubling down on its importance.
On March 3, the Rutgers Bildner Center and the Littman Families Holocaust Resource Center (HRC) will present a free virtual workshop for middle and high school teachers on how to teach “Maus,” which they call a “vital, complex work of second-generation Holocaust literature.”
“Maus” tells the story of author Art Spiegelman’s father’s experiences as a Holocaust survivor.
In January, the McMinn County School Board in Tennessee voted to remove “Maus” due to “inappropriate language” and an illustration of a nude woman, according to minutes from a board meeting. It was part of the Tennessee school district’s eighth grade English and language arts curriculum.
The booking banning, announced on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, has sparked a global outcry, as well as book donations and educational efforts.
Sales of Spiegelman’s novel also have skyrocketed at retailers like Amazon.
Related:‘Absurd’: Author of ‘Maus’ condemns Tennessee school’s decision to pull book on Holocaust
Related:After Tennessee school board bans Holocaust novel ‘Maus,’ comic book stores send students copies
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At the Rutgers event, Barbara Mann, Chana Kekst Professor of Jewish Literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary, will lead a workshop.
Mann has researched the use of graphic novels and comics as a complement to other instructional tools in teaching the Holocaust since the release of “Maus” in 1980.
The workshop will be moderated by Colleen Tambuscio, pedagogical consultant to the HRC, an award-winning teacher and founder of the New Jersey Council of Holocaust Educators.
The workshop is set for 4:30 p.m. March 3. Interested middle and high school teachers should register at BildnerCenter.Rutgers.edu.
Related:Why you should read “Maus’ and these 30 other challenged books
The Herbert and Leonard Littman Families Holocaust Resource Center at the Rutgers Bildner Center teaches future generations about the Holocaust through teacher training, with free professional development programs for middle and high school teachers available throughout the year.
The Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life connects Rutgers University with the community through public lectures, symposia, Jewish communal initiatives, cultural events and teacher training in Holocaust education.
For more information, recordings of previous programs and upcoming events, visit BildnerCenter.Rutgers.edu.
