History 4023-Vietnam War

Instructor: Jeff Woods Office: Witherspoon 255 Office Hours: 10:00-11:00 p.m. MWF Phone: (501)968-0265(Office) E-Mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://faculty.atu.edu/jwoods/

I. Required Text George Herring, America’s Longest War Read the assigned texts and whatever handouts you receive carefully; you will be tested on their content.

II. Lectures Students are responsible for all of the material covered in class. The lectures reflect what I consider to be important; thus the exams will draw heavily from them.

III. Examinations There will be three exams: two mid-terms (one hour) and a final (two hours). The mid-terms will count 25% of the course grade each and the final will count 30%. All exams will require essay, multiple choice, and identification answers. (Tips: include an introduction, body, and conclusion in your essays; also provide specific examples from the course to support your assertions; for each identification, you must write a complete answer including four elements: who/what, when, where, and significance.) A portion of the multiple choice questions will come from the Herring text. Please bring blue books to exams.

Grading Scale 90-100 A 80-89 B 70-79 C 60-69 D 0-59 F

IV. Review Paper One paper, approximately 3-5 pages in length will count 20% of the total course grade. In the paper, you will review a book about the Vietnam War. The book review should concisely outline the thesis of the book and provide a brief summary of its contents (no more than a page.) It should evaluate the author’s writing style, use of research, and logic (no more than a page). The bulk of your paper should be devoted to assessing the book’s thesis and its relevance/significance for its intended audience. You will be graded on your writing as well as your understanding of content and your analysis of the text.

V. Make-ups Sorry, there are none unless negotiated well before the due dates (see Course Outline).

VI. Academic Dishonesty The student handbook clearly addresses the issues of plagiarism etc. These issues are serious and will be treated seriously by the instructor.

VII. Catalogue Description A study of the American involvement in Vietnam, from 1945 until 1975. Emphasis will rest on the actual period of war in Vietnam.

VIII. Supplemental Reading List: Stanley Karnow, Vietnam: A History David Halberstam, The Best and the Brightest Frances Fitzgerald, Fire in the Lake Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie Marilyn Young, The Vietnam Wars Robert Schulsinger, A Time for War William Duiker, The Communist Road to Power in Vietnam

IX. Course Goals A. Rationale The American experience in Vietnam arguably had the greatest impact on the United States national identity since the Civil War. The war revealed the country’s worst and dullest as well as its best and brightest. B. Basic Objectives Improving basic knowledge is the cornerstone of any history course. Students will be asked to acquire an understanding of fundamental terms, concepts, and issues. They also will be asked to apply critical thinking and analytical skills. C. General Education Objectives The General Education curriculum is designed to enable students to analyze problems, arrive at intelligent conclusions, and make reasoned choices. This course will meet these goals by requiring students to demonstrate advanced critical thinking, reading, and writing skills.

X. Course Outline

Week 1 8/22 Introduction 8/24 Geography and People Read Herring pp. 3-52 Week 2 8/27 Chinese and Independent Vietnam 8/29 French Rule 8/31 Japanese Invasion Week 3 9/3 No Class, Labor Day 9/5 Ho Chi Minh 9/7 Independence Read Herring pp. 53-88 Week 4 9/10 OSS Contact 9/12 French Indochina War 9/14 Dien Bien Phu and Geneva Read Herring pp. 89-130 Week 5 9/17 Saigon Military Mission 9/19 Ngo Dinh Diem 9/21 Exam I Week 6 9/24 Eisenhower and Advising 9/26 Kennedy and Advising 9/28 Ap Bac Read Herring pp. 131-170 Week 7 10/1 Buddhist Crisis 10/3 Assassination 10/5 No Class, AACHT Week 8 10/8 LBJ and Vietnam 10/10 Gulf of Tonkin 10/12 Rolling Thunder Week 9 10/15 Pleiku 10/17 Escalation 10/19 Bombing Strategy Read Herring pp. 171-224 Week 10 10/22 Attrition/Search and Destroy 10/24 Pacification 10/26 Exam II Week 11 10/29 Protests 10/31 Thieu/Ky 11/2 Credibility Gap Read Herring pp. 225-270 Week 12 11/5 Tet 11/7 Nixon 11/9 Vietnamization Read Herring pp. 271-322 Week 13 11/12 Cambodia and Loas 11/14 Pentagon Papers, My Lai 11/16 Phoenix Week 14 11/19 Book Review Due 11/21 No Class, Thanksgiving 11/23 No Class, Thanksgiving Week 15 11/26 Chau/Third Force 11/28 Collapse 11/30 Vietnam, China, and Cambodia Read Herring pp. 323-368 Week 16 12/3 Doi Moi Final Exam TBA