Scholarlink

<p>This Educational Case Report analyzes a long-standing field-based educational intervention integrated into the medical ethics curriculum at a Central European medical faculty: a three-day voluntary excursion to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial. Over seventeen years, more than 900 students have participated in this program, which aims to address a recurring gap in ethical education—especially among international students who often lack familiarity with the ethical legacy of Nazi medicine and the origins of modern bioethics. The article describes the setting, structure, and pedagogical objectives of the excursion, which combines place-based learning with narrative ethics and reflective practice. Students are guided through Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II–Birkenau and participate in a dedicated lecture on the role of physicians in the Nazi regime. A unique feature of this intervention is a concluding visit to a small Franciscan monastery in the nearby village of Harmęże, where students encounter the <i>Labyrinth</i>—haunting drawings by Auschwitz survivor Marian Kołodziej. This additional element is not part of standard Auschwitz tours and provides students with an intense, personalized engagement with survivor testimony. Drawing on longitudinal faculty observation and students' spontaneous reflections, this report identifies recurring themes in learner responses, including confronting the historical complicity of physicians, grappling with the moral fallibility of the profession, and expanding moral imagination. The experience fosters deep reflection on professional identity and ethical responsibility by integrating cognitive learning with embodied and affective engagement. It is argued that such place-based, memory-informed learning represents a powerful and transferable pedagogical tool. This approach promotes the formation of moral awareness, historical consciousness, and professional identity in ways that lectures or case-based discussions cannot replicate. Carefully guided encounters with sites of professional failure offer unique opportunities for ethical development and merit consideration for integration into medical curricula, particularly for international and multicultural student cohorts.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Visiting Auschwitz as a formative experience in medical ethics education

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月31日

查看全文
  • Barbora Řebíková

摘要

This Educational Case Report analyzes a long-standing field-based educational intervention integrated into the medical ethics curriculum at a Central European medical faculty: a three-day voluntary excursion to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial. Over seventeen years, more than 900 students have participated in this program, which aims to address a recurring gap in ethical education—especially among international students who often lack familiarity with the ethical legacy of Nazi medicine and the origins of modern bioethics. The article describes the setting, structure, and pedagogical objectives of the excursion, which combines place-based learning with narrative ethics and reflective practice. Students are guided through Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II–Birkenau and participate in a dedicated lecture on the role of physicians in the Nazi regime. A unique feature of this intervention is a concluding visit to a small Franciscan monastery in the nearby village of Harmęże, where students encounter the Labyrinth—haunting drawings by Auschwitz survivor Marian Kołodziej. This additional element is not part of standard Auschwitz tours and provides students with an intense, personalized engagement with survivor testimony. Drawing on longitudinal faculty observation and students' spontaneous reflections, this report identifies recurring themes in learner responses, including confronting the historical complicity of physicians, grappling with the moral fallibility of the profession, and expanding moral imagination. The experience fosters deep reflection on professional identity and ethical responsibility by integrating cognitive learning with embodied and affective engagement. It is argued that such place-based, memory-informed learning represents a powerful and transferable pedagogical tool. This approach promotes the formation of moral awareness, historical consciousness, and professional identity in ways that lectures or case-based discussions cannot replicate. Carefully guided encounters with sites of professional failure offer unique opportunities for ethical development and merit consideration for integration into medical curricula, particularly for international and multicultural student cohorts.