Many students have already read The Diary of Anne Frank in high school, but one University of Iowa class offered next semester will give students a chance to delve further into the story.

“Students will read the book as well as texts by four Jewish young adults including Anne Frank who grapple with the notion of hiding, both physical and psychological forms during World War II,” said Kirsten Kumpf Baele, a UI visiting assistant professor and instructor of the new course Anne Frank and Her Story.

Baele hopes this course will explore new territory around the Anne Frank story. Students will also examine the Holocaust from new perspectives, such as from those in Germany’s neighboring countries, Belgium and the Netherlands. How gender and age interact with the writing of war stories will also be a focus.

“I am curious to learn how students today view the world and how they would like society to be,” Baele said. “We will consider Anne’s story as a window into the history of young individuals who wrestle with questions of identity formation, human aspiration, belief, resistance, and tolerance.”

Other course work will include students keeping a journal in a social-media platform, a sort of modernized version of their own diary. There will also be consideration of Anne Frank’s work that has been adapted into pop-culture media such as film, video games, graphic novels, music, television, and more.

The class will be offered to all UI students. Professor Russell Ganim, director of the Division of World Languages, has high hopes for it to eventually attain general-education status due to its easily recognizable content.

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“The Diary of Anne Frank is a text that everyone knows,” he said. “What is explored in the class is something not many people know about, so this is sort of the best of both worlds — immediate name recognition and this undiscovered layer with how she is perceived now, the interpretation of her work, and the current cultural relevance that can be explored.”

Baele hopes to see this sort of exploration throughout the class. Although the subject matter can quickly become dark, she said, she sees it as an opportunity.

“I am of the opinion that excellent courses that promote learning may include controversial material,” Baele said. “It is crucial for students and instructors alike to engage in open dialogue where all opinions can be respected but also questioned.”

Glenn Ehrstine, director of undergraduate German studies, has a similar vision for Anne Frank and Her Story and said Baele is the one to execute it.