SEMESTER at SEA COURSE SYLLABUS Colorado State University, Academic Partner Voyage: Spring 2020 Discipline: History Course Nu
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SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS Colorado State University, Academic Partner Voyage: Spring 2020 Discipline: History Course Number and Title: HIST 465 Pacific Wars: Korea and Vietnam Division: Upper Faculty Name: Jim Huffman Semester Credit Hours: 3 Class Meetings: A days, 1110-1230, Adlon Office Hours: A-odd days 1535-1630; B-even 1315-1410. Place TBA Prerequisites: The standard CSU prerequisites – three (3) history credits and no fewer than 45 total credits – have been waived by the instructor. COURSE DESCRIPTION American wars since the late 1940s have been long and ambiguous, with no decisive victories. This course will look at the wars in Korea and Vietnam that changed American perceptions of its role in the world even as they modified the world’s balance of power. Early in our voyage, we will focus on Korea, examining the war’s causes, its impact on the struggle between communism and capitalism, and its long-term impact on the Korean peninsula. By the time we reach Ho Chi Minh City, we will have begun our study of the long, costly Vietnam War, or what the Vietnamese call “the American War.” While in Vietnam, we will compare the ways the Americans and Vietnamese interpreted the conflict. Our goal will be twofold: to learn the “facts” of the wars, and to understand their broader meanings, as well as the issues that surrounded them. That means we will focus on becoming skillful interpreters, capable of articulating our thoughts clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing. The course will combine lectures and discussions. Requirements will include writing, discussion, and tests. LEARNING OBJECTIVES To gain a factual understanding of the contours of the wars in Korea and Vietnam, including their causes and legacies. To hone our interpretive skills: how to use historical material, how to form an argument, how to express our interpretations To grapple with the varying ways people in different locations understand the “facts” of their own past—in particular, how/why Vietnamese and Americans see the Vietnamese/American War differently. To become better communicators, both orally and in writing. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AUTHOR: Steven Hugh Lee TITLE: The Korean War PUBLISHER: Longman (imprint of Pearson Education) ISBN: 0-582-31988-9 DATE/EDITION: 2001 paperback AUTHOR: Mark Atwood Lawrence TITLE: The Vietnam War: A concise International History PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press ISBN: 978-0-19-975393-2 DATE/EDITION: 2008 paperback AUTHOR: Michael H. Hunt TITLE: A Vietnam War Reader: A Documentary History from American and Vietnamese Perspectives PUBLISHER: University of North Carolina Press ISBN: 978-0-8078-5991-9 DATE/EDITION: 2010 paperback TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE Note: E = electronic holdings Depart Ensenada, Mexico — January 5 A1—January 7: Introduction to Class: what we hope to achieve and how we will proceed The Korean War A2—January 9: East Asia at the end of World War II Question: What conditions in China, Japan, and Korea in 1945 made a new war likely? Gluck et al, “Seventieth Anniversary,” 531-537 (E) quiz; choose debate person A3—January 11: Occupation and Civil War in Korea Question: Why did unity prove impossible in postwar Korea? Lee, 1-35 Honolulu, Hawaii, USA — January 12 Reflection and Study Day—January 13 (no class) A4—January 14: An International War Breaks Out Question: What turned the North/South divisions into a war involving the whole world? Lee, 37-59 International Date Line Crossing — January 16 (Lost Day) A5—January 17: A Peninsula Enflamed Questions: What were the major events and dynamics of the war after the early months? Lee, 60-81 Study Day — January 19 (No Class) A6—January 20: Discussion/debate: Interpreting “Massacres” Question: Why did so many massacres occur and why did it take so long for them to be known? Choe, et all, entire article (E); Brown, “Historical Lessons,” 20-25 (E) A7—January 22: Long Negotiations (plus discussion of war’s perspectives) Question: What dynamics caused treaty talks to be so difficult and lengthy? Lee, 82-99; watch “M*A*S*H*” Kobe, Japan — January 24-28 A8—January 29: Korea and the World: After the War Question: How can we account for the different paths taken by the North and the South after 1954? Cumings, “Requiem,” 225-243 (E) quiz Shanghai, China — January 31 – February 5 A9—February 6: Test over Korean War The Vietnam/American War A10—February 8: War in Vietnam: An Overview Question: What basic facts do I need to know to make my stay in Ho Chi Minh City meaningful? Ho Chi Minh City — February 10-15 February 11: Field Class A11—February 16: In the Wake of World War II field class assignment Question: Why did the end of the Pacific War cause such instability in Vietnam? Lawrence, 1-26; Hunt documents 1.7 (declaration), 1.10 (peasants) Community Programming — February 17 (No Class) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — February 19-24 A12—February 25: Vietnam Against the French Question: Why did the French lose to the Vietnamese and what lessons might the Americans have learned from that loss? Lawrence, 27-46 A13—February 27: Debate: Should America Intervene? (Bernard Fall, Francis Fitzgerald, Bao Dai, Pham Van Dong [prime minister, North Vietnam)] John Foster Dulles, Ho Chi Minh, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Ngo Dinh Diem, Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu, Margaret Chase Smith Question: Given what was known in 1954, should America have become involved in Vietnam? Lawrence, 47-66 Cochin, India — February 29 – March 5 A14—March 6: The U.S. Buildup debate paper due Question: What forces pulled the United States into an active war in the early 1960s? Lawrence, 67-90; Hunt documents 1.12 (Ho denunciation), 1.13 (U.S. position), 2.8 (Kennedy administration) Community Programming — March 7 (No Class) A15—March 9: All-out War Question: What forces and factors created the relative stalemate conditions between the Vietcong and the South Vietnamese armies? Lawrence, 91-114; Hunt documents 3.5 (Tonkin), 3.6 (Bundy on bombing), 4.3 (McNamara doubts), 4.8 (Nixon plots) Port Louis, Mauritius — March 11 A16—March 12: The Tet Offensive Question: Who won the Tet battle: On the battlefield? On the psychological front? Lawrence, 115-136; Hunt documents, pp. 93-100 (Tet) A17—March 14: Discussion: The soldier’s view quiz Hunt documents, pp. 123-160 (choose 8 entries, including at least 3 from each side) A18—March 17: The War After Tet Question: How did the war’s dynamics change after 1968—and why? Lawrence, 137-159; Hunt document 7.1 (Le Duan) Cape Town, South Africa — March 18-23 A19—March 25: Vietnam on America’s Campuses Question: What caused the spread of the anti-war movement in America and what effect did it have? Hunt documents 6.4 (MLK), 6.6 (Cronkite), 6.8 (Weathermen), 6.19 (Kent State), 6.11 (Kerry) Watch “Good Morning, Vietnam” Study Day — March 26 (No Class) A20—March 27: Debate: Should America Withdraw? (Martin Luther King Jr., Walter Cronkite, Jane Fonda, Pham Van Dong, Nguyen Van Thieu, Robert McNamara, Dickey Chapelle [war photographer], Lyndon B. Johnson, Senator Patrick Leahy, Hubert Humphrey, Joan Baez, Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu Question: By the late 1960s, what was the general public opinion, in Vietnam and in America, of the war? Hunt documents 7.3 (Ford), 7.4 (Le Duan) A21—March 29: Peace Negotiations quiz, debate paper due Question: What issues drug out the peace negotiations for so long? Lawrence, 161-185 Takoradi, Ghana — March 30- April 1 Tema, Ghana — April 2-3 A22—April 5: Discussion: Looking Back at a Difficult Time indep field study Question: What were the implications of the war for both “winners” and “losers”? Hunt documents, 7.5 (Ky), 7.9 (Bao Ninh), 7.10 (Reagan), 7.11 (generals v. McNamara) A23—April 7: The War’s Legacy Question: How did the war change America’s view of itself, as well as its attitudes toward the military and international relations? “Herbicide Legacy,” 1196-1197 (E); “Haunting Legacy,” 1793-1795 (E) A24—April 9: How has Vietnam Changed the World? “Unending War,” 104-119 (E) Casablanca, Morocco — April 11-14 Study Day — April 15 (No Class) A25—April 16: Final Discussion: Comparing the Pacific Wars final paper due Question: What did these two wars have in common, and how did they differ? Arrive Amsterdam, The Netherlands — April 20 FIELD WORK Semester at Sea® field experiences allow for an unparalleled opportunity to compare, contrast, and synthesize the different cultures and countries encountered over the course of the voyage. In addition to the one field class, students will complete independent field assignments that span multiple countries. Field Class & Assignment The field class for this course is on Tuesday, 11 February 2020 in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Field Class attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Do not book individual travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of your field class. Field Classes constitute at least 20% of the contact hours for each course, and are developed and led by the instructor. Title: The “Vietnam War,” as the Vietnamese saw it Description: In order to learn about the way the Vietnamese understand their long war against first the French and then the Americans, we will visit sites that memorialize the war, the National Museum of Vietnam History and the War Remembrance Museum, after which we will spend time with a group of Vietnamese students for a discussion of what they have learned about the war. Learning Objectives: To understand how what Westerners call the “Vietnam War” fits into the broader Vietnamese historical context. To gain insight into the way the Vietnamese interpret the war and why they interpret it that way.