HIS33100 The United States and the Vietnam War

Academic Year 2024/2025

The Vietnam conflict of the mid-twentieth century continues to evoke conflicting interpretations, meanings and memories among Americans. This course examines the role of the United States in Vietnam from 1945 to 1975, focusing on the foreign policy objectives and domestic political considerations which led to direct military engagement and which sustained the US war. Students will consider the modernization and limited war theories which fueled US intervention in Southeast Asia, and will seek to understand the character of the Vietnamese revolution. The war was shaped by American culture, and so close attention will be paid to the ways in which racial, gender and class differences defined individual and group experiences. The war transformed American society, too, dividing Cold War liberals and helping conservatism to become the dominant force in American politics for a generation. Students will examine relevant, often highly contentious, historiographical studies, and will analyze the role of the Vietnam experience in informing US foreign policy in the years following disengagement. By analyzing how public opinion and domestic political issues affected US policy in Vietnam, students will gain a greater understanding of the process of American foreign policy-making and how the war impacted American society.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course you should have:
• an understanding of the main issues and debates concerning the United States during the era of the Vietnam War and historiography relating to American society during the Cold War
• an awareness of the historical and intellectual context in which these works were written
• developed skills in dealing with primary and secondary sources
• experience of working and learning with others
• developed your skills in written analysis

Indicative Module Content:

All lectures will be delivered as recordings and will be issued each week. Seminars take place once per week and are two hours long. Attendance at all seminars is compulsory.

Week 1: Cold War Society
Week 2: US Support of French Colonialism
Week 3: Kennedy and Diem
Week 4: Choosing War
Week 5: The Body Count
Week 6: Class, Race and Gender in the US Armed Forces
Week 7: Popular Responses to the War
Week 8: Military Strategies for 'Victory'
Week 9: Congress and the Domestic Politics of Vietnam
Week 10: Nixon and US Withdrawal from Vietnam
Week 11: Myth, Memory and Commemoration
Week 12: Reading Week - no lectures or seminars

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Conversation Class

22
Specified Learning Activities

95
Autonomous Student Learning

95
Total

212
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This is a seminar based module, in which students meet for one two-hour seminar per week. Students are expected to prepare for the seminar by listening to a recorded lecture each week and by completing the required weekly reading materials. During the seminar students might complete short tasks (usually in small groups) and will be expected to discuss the topics with their peers and as a whole group.

The assessment includes a weekly learning journal where students reflect on a question or idea posed by the module coordinator. Students complete a 250 word reflection and have the opportunity to read their fellow students' reflections.

The final assignment is a research project, which is developed over the course of the module with direct support from the coordinator. Students present their work-in-progress to the whole class, and then deliver their project as an essay or podcast. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Participation in Learning Activities: Students will be graded on their participation during the seminar, and this includes participation in small group work. Please note that your grade is based on engagement, not attendance. n/a Graded No

20
Reflective Assignment: Weekly learning journals - students will respond to a question relating to the reading, which will be set each week. Each response will be 200-250 words, and will be submitted on Brightspace. n/a Graded No

30
Assignment(Including Essay): Research project on topic chosen by student:
- 750 proposal/literature review in Week 8
- 3000 word essay OR 20 minute podcast (with written references/bibliography) in Week 14.		 n/a Graded No

50

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Students will receive written feedback on all assignments via Brightspace. Group feedback will be given orally throughout the trimester. Students will meet individually with the module coordinator to discuss their research project.