|
Fall 2007
Course Description and Goals:
This course will provide a general overview of America's involvement in the Vietnam War and explore the social, cultural, economic, military, diplomatic, and political aspects of this conflict. We will examine the pertinent facts, concepts, and historical interpretations through the assigned readings, lectures, class discussion, and multimedia presentations. Exams will measure understanding of the aforementioned facts and concepts, writing assignments will help students develop critical-thinking skills, and public presentations will test their ability to communicate these ideas verbally.
Texts:
James S. Olson and Randy Roberts, Where the Domino Fell: America and Vietnam, 1945-2006, 5/E (Maplecrest, N.Y.: Brandywine Press, 2006).
Bill Shanahan and John P. Brackin, Stealth Patrol: The Making of a Vietnam Ranger (Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2003).
Melvin Small, Antiwarriors: The Vietnam War and the Battle for America's Hearts and Minds, vol. 1 of Vietnam: America in the War Years, ed. David L. Anderson (Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources Inc., 2002).
Exam Policy:
There will be two exams given during the semester—a mid-term and a final. Test questions may include information from class lecture, discussion, multimedia presentations, the textbooks, and other assigned readings. These questions may include any combination of the following formats: essay, short answer, and identification.
Writing Assignments:
There will be several out-of-class writing assignments that make up a substantial portion of your final grade.
1) Each student will write book reviews for two of the required texts, which should be submitted via Digital Dropbox according to the course schedule below. These should be typed, double-spaced, and have appropriate citations for additional sources consulted. You should use the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style for your style guide; copies of CMS are located in the Mary Livermore Library. Further instructions for writing book reviews are located on the course Blackboard site.
2) For each journal article or book chapter assigned, you will be required to submit to me a 500-word analysis, which identifies the thesis, summarizes the supporting arguments, and assesses the validity of the argument. These summaries should be submitted via Digital Dropbox no later than midnight each Sunday evening according to the course schedule below.
3) Each student will write a review for one film that addresses some aspect of the Vietnam War. Like the book reviews, these should be submitted via Digital Dropbox according to the course schedule below. They should be typed, double-spaced, and have appropriate citations for additional sources consulted; you should use the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style for your style guide. Students will also make a brief oral presentation to the class, summarizing their film reviews. A list of films and further instructions for writing film reviews are located on the course Blackboard site.
4) As always, I expect each student to keep up with the weekly readings from the Olson and Roberts textbook. I may also assign primary source documents from time to time, which you will be expected to read and discuss in class. I reserve the right to administer pop quizzes or require additional writing assignments to ensure that you are reading these chapters and documents.
Attendance Policy:
Students are expected to attend class regularly and be on time. You are responsible for getting any information from class lecture and discussion that you might miss due to your absence before the next class meeting. Please consult the section on Class Attendance Policy in the catalog for official University policy.
Make-up Policy:
Students should provide me with an approved written excuse (doctor’s note, jury notice, obituary, etc.) if they must miss an exam or oral presentation. Make-up exams will be in identification and/or essay formats. Oral presentations should be rescheduled before the last regular class meeting (Thursday November 29, 2007). Outside writing assignments must be turned in on the date due; students will lose ten percentage points for each calendar day the assignment is late.
Communication Policy:
Students should check their University email accounts and the Announcements section of the Blackboard site for information about the course. It is the students' responsibility to consult these sources often and be aware of any announcements or revisions to the course schedule.
Students with Documented Disabilities:
Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments should speak directly to Disability Support Services and the instructor during the first two weeks of class. All discussions will remain confidential. This syllabus is available in alternative formats upon request. For assistance, please contact Mary Helen Walker, Office of Disability Support Services, D. F. Lowry Building, (910.521.6695) or visit the Office of Disability Support Services website.
Withdrawal from the Course:
The last day you may drop this course with a grade of “W” is Monday October 22, 2007.
Academic Honesty:
Academic misconduct in any form will not be tolerated. It is your responsibility to recognize and understand the various types of academic misconduct, including plagiarism. Please consult the Academic Honor Code in the Student Handbook or at UNCP’s Division of Student Affairs website for official guidelines regarding the definition and handling of academic misconduct. You may also consult the following websites for more information regarding plagiarism:
http://www.uncp.edu/tlc/plagiarism/index.htm
http://www.historians.org/governance/pd/Curriculum/plagiarism_intro.htm
http://plagiarismtest.org/
Grade Notification:
To protect the confidentiality of student records, I will not discuss grades via the telephone or email. Please see me personally or consult Blackboard or Braveweb if you wish to know your grades.
Course Schedule:
August 16: Introduction
August 21-23: Vietnam to 1945: Olson & Roberts, Prologue & chapter 1
Mark Bradley, “Making Revolutionary Nationalism: Vietnam, America and the August Revolution of 1945,” Itinerario 23 (1999): 23-51.
August 28-30: The First Indochina War, 1945-54: Olson & Roberts, chapter 2
Robert J. McMahon, “Harry S. Truman and the Roots of U.S. Involvement in Indochina, 1945-1953,” in Shadow on the White House, ed. David L. Anderson (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1993), 19-42.
September 4-6: Eisenhower and Vietnam, 1954-61: Olson & Roberts, chapter 3
David L. Anderson, “Dwight D. Eisenhower and Wholehearted Support of Ngo Dinh Diem,” in Shadow on the White House, ed. David L. Anderson (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1993), 43-62.
September 11-13: Kennedy and Vietnam, 1961-63: Olson & Roberts, chapter 4
Stephen E. Pelz, “John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Vietnam War Decisions,” Journal of Strategic Studies 4 (1981): 356-85.
September 18-20: LBJ Goes to War, 1963-65: Olson & Roberts, chapter 5
David M. Barrett, “The Mythology Surrounding Lyndon Johnson, His Advisers, and the 1965 Decision to Escalate the Vietnam War,” Political Science Quarterly 103 (Winter 1988-1989): 637-663.
September 25-27: Americanization, 1965-68: Olson & Roberts, chapters 6-7
Book review of Shanahan and Brackin’s Stealth Patrol due by midnight on Monday September 24, 2007.
October 2: Midterm Exam
October 4-9: Year of the Monkey, 1968: Olson & Roberts, chapter 8
James S. Olson and Randy Roberts, “Introduction: The Road to My Lai,” in My Lai: A Brief History with Documents (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1998), 1-25.
October 11-16: Vietnamization, 1969-73: Olson & Roberts, chapter 9
Scott Sigmund Gartner, “Differing Evaluations of Vietnamization,” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 29 (Autumn 1998): 243-262.
October 18: Fall Break holiday
October 23-25: Cambodia and Laos, 1969-71: Olson & Roberts, chapters 9 -10
No article this week!
October 30-November 1: Antiwar Movement: Olson & Roberts, chapter 9
Book review of Melvin Small’s Antiwarriors due by midnight on Monday October 29, 2007.
November 6-8: Peace is at Hand, 1971-73: Olson & Roberts, chapters 9-10
Tad Szulc, “How Kissinger Did It: Behind the Vietnam Cease-Fire Agreement,” Foreign Policy (Summer 1974): 21-69.
November 13-15: Fall of South Vietnam, 1973-75: Olson & Roberts, chapter 10
T. Christopher Jespersen, “Kissinger, Ford, and Congress: The Very Bitter End in Vietnam,” The Pacific Historical Review 71 (August 2002): 439-473.
November 20: Legacies and Lessons: Olson & Roberts, chapters 11-12
David L. Anderson, “One Vietnam War Should be Enough and Other Reflections on Diplomatic History and the Making of Foreign Policy,” Diplomatic History 30 (January 2006): 1-21.
November 22: Thanksgiving holiday
November 27-29: Oral presentations
December 4: Final Exam (10:45-1:15)
Grading Scale:
A 94-100
A- 90-93
B+ 87-89
B 84-86
B- 80-83
C+ 77-79
C 74-76
C- 70-73
D+ 67-69
D 64-66
D- 60-63
F 0-59 |
