Thursdays - 7-9:45pm,
Interactive Video Course Offered Through
WNCCs Distance Learning Programs
U.S. Involvement in Vietnam
Spring Semester 2000 Telephone: (Work) 887-4125
Dr. Michael Downey: (Home) 882-9028
emial: downey@wncc.nevada.edu (FAX) 887-3117
Required Texts:
Vietnam: A History, Stanley Karnow, Penguin Books, 1997
Vietnam At War: The History 1946-1975, Phillip B. Davidson, Oxford University Press, 1991
About the Course - The Vietnam War has left lasting impressions on the history of this country. It was the longest foreign U.S. military involvement, yet it was never officially declared a war. The Era surrounding it generated social and political changes that shaped today's society. It is vital for all of us, but perhaps most important to the generations that represent this country's future to learn the lessons of the Vietnam War Era, and for us to teach if fully and accurately to them. To accomplish this, the myths and misconceptions must be discussed, re-examined, and when necessary, replaced with facts.
Teaching Philosophy - This class will be structured around the required readings, individual issue/position papers, videos and lectures. This format will be used to foster active exchanges between the instructor and the students, as well as active learning by the student. Students will be asked to think about issues and express and defend their positions. Opinions can and are encouraged to be expressed, but they must be supported with credible evidence. You are expected to come to class, to read the assigned material by the day it is discussed in class and to be ready and willing to participate in class discussions. If you need help or have questions, you should talk to me. If a lecture is missed it is your responsibility to get class notes from another student. So make a friend in class!
The course is structured into four sections: (1) early and cultural history of Southeast Asia; (2) French Colonialism in Southeast Asia, (3) the United States involvement, and (4) the Legacies and Vietnam Today.
Course Grade - Your grade will be determined on the following:
(Please SEE Attached UCCSN Grading Policy and Grade Scale used for this class)
The exams are essay, will not be cumulative, but will incorporate all assigned readings and the materials from the lectures and videos for the proceeding period. Make-up tests will not be given. If you need to miss one exams, you must arrange a test date with me prior to your absence. Class participation grades will involve your ability to summarize major themes form class discussions and assigned readings through questions posed by the instructor.
Issues/Position Papers: This project is an exercise designed to give you an in-depth knowledge on a particular issues dealing with the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Each of the three papers should be five pages in length (double-spaced, 12 point font, 1" margins) and should provide a detailed background on the issue. In addition, the paper should show an awareness of the competing arguments involved in the issue, as well as an effective argument for one of these positions. All topics must be cleared by the instructor by the end of the third week.
Editorial Cartoon Analysis: On this project, the students will select an editorial cartoon which deals with a Vietnam War issue from a national newspaper or magazine. The student will then compose a two page analysis of the cartoon, taking the time to describe the background and main points of the issue and what message the artist is trying to convey. The cartoon and essay are due on. Some or all of these cartoons and analyses will be shared with the class by the instructor.
Attendance - You are expected to be in class. With one three hour class meeting per a week, this is especially important because of the extensive use of videos. As the videos and lecture materials may not be covered be information in your books, it would be very difficult pasting the course without attending class regularly.
Tests Due Dates
Exam One February 24, 2000
Exam Two March 30, 2000
Exam Three May 18, 2000
Lecture/Discussion Topics - Reading Assignments (Text Key,
VH=
Vietnam: A History &
VW=
Vietnam at War)
Part One - Foundations - Early and Cultural History of Southeast Asia
January 27 Course Requirements
Introduction: The Early and Cultural History of Southeast Asia
Video: Vietnam: Chronicle of a War (VC88-092)
February 3 Vietnam, Past & Present - Ethnicity, Geography and Early History VH, Chapters 1, 2 & 3; VW, Chapter 1
Videos: Vietnam: A Television History, #1 (VC00-036#1) - Roots of a War
Part Two - French Colonialism in Southeast Asia
February 10 The French in Vietnam - VH, Chapter 4 & VW, Chapters 2 & 3
Video: Vietnam: A Television History, #1 (VC00-036#1) - The First Vietnam War (1945-1954)
February 17 The Nationalist Movement, VH, Chapter 5-6, VW Chapters 4-9
Video: Vietnam War (VC91-025#1) The Seeds of Conflict; Battlefield Vietnam, Air War Vietnam (VC00-034#5)
February 24 Test One. Diem Bien Phu, VW, Chapters 10-12
Video: Battlefield Vietnam, Dien Bien Phu (VC00-034#11) & Battlefield Vietnam, Search and Destroy (VC00-034#3)
Part Three - The United States Involvement
March 2 The Roots of War, VH, Chapter 7-8; VW, Chapter 13
Videos: Vietnam: A Television History - America's Mandarin - 1954-1963 (VC00-036#2) & Battlefield Vietnam, The Undeclared War (VC00-034#12)
First Position Paper Due
March 9 America at War, VH, Chapter 9-10; VW, Chapters 14-16
Videos: Vietnam: A Television History - America Takes Charge - 1965-1967 & America's Enemy - 1954-1967, (VC00-036#3)
March 16 The Commitments Deepen, VH, Chapter 11-13; VW Chapter 17
Videos: Battlefield Vietnam, Showdown in the Iron Triangle (VC00-034#4) Battlefield Vietnam, Countdown to Tet (VC00-034#1)
March 23 Spring Break - No Class
March 30 Test Two. Second Position Paper Due.
Videos: Vietnam: A Television History - Cambodia and Laos (VC00-036#5); Battlefield Vietnam, War on the DMZ (VC00-034#5) ; Battlefield Vietnam, Siege at Khe Sanh (VC00-034#6)
April 6 Tet, VH, Chapter 14; VW, Chapters 18-19
Videos: Vietnam: A Television History - Tet 1968, (VC00-036#4) & Battlefield Vietnam, The Tet Offensive (VC00-034#2)
April 13 Nixon's War, VH, Chapter 15; VW, Chapters 20-21
Videos: Vietnam: A Television History - Vietnamizing the War, 1968-1973 (VC00-036#4) & Battlefield Vietnam, Rolling Thunder (VC00-034#8)
April 20 Nixon Years, VH, Chapter 16; VW Chapters 22-24
Video: Vietnam: A Television History - Peace is at Hand, 1968-1973 (VC00-036#5); Vietnam: A Television History - Homefront USA (VC00-036#6); Making Sense of the 60s, In A Dark Time (VC91-071#4)
Part Four - The Legacies & Vietnam Today
April 27 The End of the Tunnel, VW, Chapter 25-26
Video: Vietnam: A Television History - The End of the Tunnel (VC00-036#6); Battlefield Vietnam, Peace With Honor (VC00-034#9)
Editorial Cartoon Analysis Due
May 4 Legacies, VW, Chapter 27
Video: Vietnam: A Television History - Lagacies (VC00-036#7); Battlefield Vietnam, The Fall of Saigon (VC00-034#9)
May 11 Other Thoughts
Video: Ethics in America, Under Orders, Under Fire (VC90-063#6)
May 18 Exam Three. Third Position Paper Due.
The Vietnam Wars, Marilyn B. Young, HarperPerennial, 1991
Following Ho Chi Minh - Memoirs of a North Vietnamese Colonel, Bui Tin, University of Hawaii Press, 1995
Understanding Vietnam, Neil L. Jamieson, University of California Press, 1995
Vietnam - Past and Present, Third Edition, D. R. SarDesai, Westview Press, 1998
The Golden Peninsula - Culture and Adaptation in Mainland Southeast Asia, Charles F. Keyes, University of Hawaii Press, 1995
Vietnamese Tradition on Trail - 1920-1945, Davad G. Marr, University of California Press, 1981