Theses

The Institute of Human Resource Management and the Institute of Gender and Diversity in Organizations provide students with the opportunity to write their Bachelor and Master Theses on Antisemitism or a topic related to Antisemitism. 

WU Course: Antisemitism at Work in Austria

Course background

Antisemitism in Austria has a long history going back to the early Middle Ages, having had a presence in civic life throughout the centuries, culminating in the Holocaust. After WW2 antisemitism ensued with revised vigor (Wodak, 2011), even though Austria no longer has a Jewish population of any significance ("antisemitism without Jews": Benzl & Marin, 1983) and antisemitism was partially outlawed and officially frowned upon ("antisemitism without antisemites": Marin, 1980). Antisemitism manifests itself in the popular culture and in everyday language, in local and national politics as well as in the media - targeting a community numbering only c.10,000 (Staetsky & DellaPergola, 2020) but with a much wider presence in the Austrian national psyche. The latest Austrian Parliament survey on Antisemitism (2021) suggests the continuous widespread prevalence of antisemitism, while the tiny Jewish population reports growing concern of their safety (DellaPergola, 2021).

Course Content

The course treats the topic of Antisemitism, specifically current Antisemitism. To provide a holistic view on the topic, several speakers are invited. This lecture series "Dealing with antisemitism in the past and present. Scientific organizations and the state of research in Austria." has been designed in cooperation with the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies (VWI). Some of the lectures are open to the public and will take place on the following days:

• 7 May, 15:00 - 16:30, Workplace Antisemitism: Restitution of the Past, Engagement with the Present, campus WU, Teaching Center, TC.4.03

• 14 May, 15:00 - 16:30, Research on Post-1945 and Contemporary Antisemitism at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, campus WU, Teaching Center, TC.0.03

• 21 May, 15:00 - 16:30, Empirical Research on Antisemitic Prejudice: the Quantitive Approach. Methods and Problems, campus WU, Teaching Center, TC.0.04

• 28 May, 15:00 - 16:30, Nazi Crimes and Anti-Semitism in History. The Vienna Wiesenthal Institute of Holocaust Studies, VWI, Rabensteinweg 3, 1010 Wien

• 4 June, 15:00 - 16:30, Actively Archiving Antisemitism: 60 Years of the Documentation Center of Austrian Resistance, campus WU, Teaching Center, TC.0.04

Registration for the public lectures

Learning outcomes

Students will acquire the knowledge how to study covert and under-researched issues at work, through the lens of antisemitic attitudes and behavior in Austria. Working in teams, they will develop awareness to discriminatory behavior, its manifestations, implications and consequences. In the process they will learn how to design and execute methodologies exploring sensitive issues and build the confidence to reflect critically on issues of equality, diversity and ethics. The course language is English and teamwork will involve exchange students.

Teaching/learning methods

This course has the character of a research workshop. Work is done interactively, in plenary sessions and in teams. Students will probe into actual and perceived workplace expressions of antisemitism, including: direct and indirect discrimination, verbal abuse, bullying; antisemitic attitudes and beliefs; xenophobia as a generalised worldview; antisemitic expressions in public discourse, as reflected in institutional policies and institutionalised antisemitism.

Students' Testimonials

More information on the course and how it is perceived provide the Students' Testimonials. 

Assessment & Attendance requirements

Based partially on individual knowledge assessment and principally via project team assessment.

Attendance must be at least 80%.