Genocide is a feature of modern life, from Yugoslavia to Rwanda. Equally important is the individual and/or collective rescue of persecuted people. This seminar explores why and under what conditions some people risk danger to themselves in order to rescue others. The first part of the seminar examines various explanations of altruistic behavior, ranging from notions of altruism as sophisticated self-interest; as kin selection; as reciprocity; as empathy or sympathy; as rooted in specific"altruistic" personalities; or as stemming from moral motivations, often based in religion. We also explore the connection between altruistic behavior, economic incentives, and situational factors, which either facilitate or hamper pro-social motivations. The second part of the seminar focuses on altruistic behavior in risky situations, with a special focus on the rescue of Jews during the Holocaust, the rescue of Armenians during the 1915 Turkish persecution, and the rescue of black slaves through the underground railroad in the United States. Topics include the importance of being asked for help; the nature of collective action; the social organization of rescue efforts through networks of like-minded empathizers; the avoidance of moral responsibility through diffusion; and group size and empathy avoidance. Special attention to the study of foreign humanitarian interventions undertaken by international organizations and states in the post-Second World War period, with specific focus on the dilemmas faced by groups such as Oxfam in Kosovo, Rwanda, and Somalia. Format: seminar. Requirements: extensive reading, several class presentations, major term paper. No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 19). Preference to majors, and to students with previous anthropology or sociology courses.