Dr. Viktoria Hertling
Professor & Director

Born in Cologne, Germany, Dr. Hertling received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is the founder and director of the Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Peace Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. The Center for HGPS received the Thornton Peace Prize in 1997.

Before coming to UNR, Dr. Hertling taught at Kent State University and at Mount Holyoke College. She teaches a wide variety of literature, culture, and current issues courses, including Western Traditions.

In 1995, Dr. Hertling initiated and developed a unique academic program in Holocaust, Genocide & Peace Studies (HGPS) - the first of its kind in Nevada. HGPS is now firmly established in the university curriculum. For the past five years, Dr. Hertling has been teaching courses on genocide and peace and a course on literature of the Holocaust.

Dr. Hertling has written, edited, as well as translated, seven books. She has written numerous articles that have been published in the United States and Europe. She curated an art exhibit at The Peace Museum in Chicago. As a recognized scholar of Holocaust and exile literature , she has lectured and presented her research in many parts of the world. Dr. Hertling was the President of the North American Society for Exile Studies, Inc., whose sister organization is located in Berlin, Germany. She is a member of the international editorial board of the Journal of Genocide Research, published in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Hertling is actively involved in peace and humanitarian efforts. She recently conducted workshops on peace in Central America. She also served on the executive board of the Angel Kiss Foundation of Nevada, an organization dedicated to helping children with cancer.

Dr. Hertling has produced three award-winning video documentaries - one received a national award, another was nominated for an Emmy, and the third won the Telly award. She is also a photographer and a proud grandmother of five.

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"We are unique in Nevada. We teach Holocaust remembrance and we honor the legacy of the victims of other genocides as well. We cultivate open-mindedness and tolerance. We explore and promote ethical decision-making. Especially in these times of increased violence, hate mongering, and intolerance, we teach respect for all human beings."

Profession
Professor of HGPS & German Director for the Center for HGPS

Recent Exhibitions
Anne Frank: A History For Today (Feb-Mar 2006, Reno)

Selection of Books

"Der rettende Weg."
Mietek Pemper, Viktoria Hertling, Marie Elisabeth Müller [order the book - only German edition - at Amazon]
Hoffman & Campe, 2005

"Mit den Augen eines Kindes." Children in the Holocaust, Children in Exile, Children under Fascism.
Ed. Viktoria Hertling
Rodopi, 1999

"Hitler im Visier. Literarische Satiren und Karikaturen als Waffe gegen den Nationalsozialismus."
Ed. Viktoria Hertling, Wulf Koepke, Joerg Thunecke.
Arco, 2005

Contact
hertling@unr.nevada.edu