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HIS33100

Academic Year 2026/2027

The United States and the Vietnam War (HIS33100)

Subject:
History
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
History
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Dr Sandra Scanlon
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

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.

About this Module

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 Policies from 1945-1961
Week 3: Kennedy, LBJ and the US Commitment to South Vietnam
Week 4: Fighting the Vietnam War
Week 5: Class, Race and Gender in the US Armed Forces
Week 6: 1968
Week 7: Violence and Atrocity
Week 8: Reading Week
Week 9: Popular Responses to the War
Week 10: Nixon, Thieu and Vietnamization
Week 11: US Withdrawal from Vietnam
Week 12: Vietnam Afterlives

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Advanced Beginner

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Advanced Beginner

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Advanced Beginner

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Competent

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Advanced Beginner

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Competent

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Competent

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Competent

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 2

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 1

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 2
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

95
Autonomous Student Learning

95
Conversation Class

22
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.

The use of generative AI is not permitted.
A proportion of written assignments in each module in the School of History are subject to moderation, meaning they undergo a second layer of review by another grader. This can include oral moderation meetings where the student is invited in for a short meeting with the module coordinator to discuss the assignment. Moderation contributes to better informed marking.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Research project on topic chosen by student:
- presentation on work-in-progress in Week 12
- 3000 word essay OR 20 minute podcast (with written references/bibliography) in Week 14.		 Week 12, Week 14 Graded No
50
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Students will be graded on their participation during the seminar each week, and this includes participation in small group work. Please note that your grade is based on engagement, not attendance. Week 12 Graded No
20
 No
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. Week 12 Graded No
30
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring 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.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Tues 09:00 - 10:50
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