Admission requirements
Students must have passed both BA werkcolleges.
Description
America’s thirty-year involvement in Vietnam failed to prevent the unification of that country under Communist leadership. This seminar examines the course of America’s intervention in Vietnam under Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. Students will analyze the foreign policy background as well as the military and political aspects of the war. Other topics include the role of the news media in reporting the war and the influence of the peace movement in opposing it. Documentary sources will be used throughout. Film and literary sources will provide additional insights.
Course objectives
The student will gain insight and knowledge into:
The relationship between the United States and the rest of the world
The concept of “American exceptionalism,” especially as it relates to foreign policy
How foreign policy is formed, and the relationshio between foreign policy and public opinion
The course will sharpen the student’s ability:
To employ both traditional (print, film) and modern (digital) sources
To formulate and clearly express logical arguments in English (seminar paper/essay) and (optional) Dutch (essay).
To reflect critically upon the relationship between differing interpretations of te Vietnam War and ethical/political values (historical relativism)
To understand the contemporary relevance of the subject matter, especially as it relates to American foreign policy.
Timetable
See timetable History.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Course Load
Total course load: 280 hours
Compulsory class attendance: 28
Compulsory weekly reading: 140
Research and writing of essay : 60
Preparation of seminar presentation: 32
Assessment method
Class attendance: compulsory
Participation in discussion: compulsory
Essay (approx. 7.000 words): 75%
Seminar presentation: 25%
Blackboard
Yes. Contains syllabus, articles, documents, and links to websites.
Reading list
Students must buy the following books before the start of classes.
Michael Hunt, A Vietnam War Reader (2010)
Marilyn Young, The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990 (1992)
Michael Lind, Vietnam: The Necessary War (1999)
Registration
Via uSis
Contact information
Email: dr. G.C. Quispel.