THE ASSIGNMENTS
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About the Assignments: Much of this course is organized around a series of assignments. These assignments are designed not only to help you increase your understanding of critical issues in the history of the United States and Vietnam, but to increase your ability to interpret the documentary record on which that understanding is based. Moreover, the assignments are collaborative. For most assignments you will be asked to a) prepare and "post" a brief (1-2pp.) essay to be read by the other members of your group; and b) post a brief but substantive comment on each of the essays prepared by the other members of your group.
2. Most assignments require that you first
carefully read a chapter in each of the primary textbooks, Robert McMahon,
Major
Problems in the History of the Vietnam War, and George Herring,
America's Longest War. There are suggestions for additional readings
at the end of each chapter in Major Problems and a bibliographical essay
at the end of Herring's book.
You should also visit the web sites listed in
A
Guide to Web Resources for The Study of the United States and Vietnam.
You are encouraged to consult additional
readings and web resources in preparing your essays. But be sure
that you cite any sources that you use and that the words from someone
other than yourself are enclosed in quotation marks. Failure to do
so is plagiarism
and is one of the most serious violations of the University's Academic
Integrity Code.
3. In preparing your essay, be sure to cite the sources from which you are drawing. For our purposes, you may use parentheses, with a brief, informal citation. When citing a document from Major Problems, cite a shortened version of its title as it appears in the book, along with the page citation. e.g., (Dean Acheson Urges Aid for Indochina, Major Problems, p.84.) In citing an article from Major Problems, cite the author's name and the page number. e.g., (Duiker, Major Problems, p. 64.) In citing material from chapter introductions or head notes by the books editor, cite the editor's name and the page number. e.g., (McMahon, Major Problems, p.1).
4. Your essay should be carefully and clearly written.
5. Your essay must be posted to your Team's Lotus Discussion Database. For information about the Lotus Discussion Groups and how to use them, click on Using the Lotus Notes Discussion Databases.
6. It is absolutely critical that you post your essay by the scheduled deadline, which in most cases will be 5:00 p.m. on Sunday or Wednesday before the scheduled class meeting. This is to provide time for your team mates to read and submit comments on what you have posted before the class meets. Papers posted after the deadline will not receive full credit.
7. Finally, each of you will be expected to review and comment upon the essays posted by all the members of your team before the scheduled class discussion. Please note that your comments are to be substantive; not just "Johnny did a great job on this."
8. You will be graded on both your analysis and comments. The assignments will count for 50% of your total grade for the course. For details, see Assessment.
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THE ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment One: Vietnam: Early History, Colonialism, Nationalism and Communism. Carefully read chapter two in McMahon, Major Problems. Based on this reading, prepare a brief essay on one of the following four topics. Be sure to consult with the other members of your team in order to avoid picking the same topic.
What are the most important things we can learn from a) Vietnam's early history (prior to the 19th century); b) from its experience with French colonial rule; c) from the rise of nationalism in Vietnam; d) from the role of communism in Vietnam.Post your essays in your Team's Lotus Notes Discussion Database. Prepare thoughtful comments on the essays posted by each of your teammates.
Assignment Two: The Roots of American Commitment. Carefully read chapter three in McMahon, Major Problems and chapter one in Herring, America's Longest War. Then prepare a brief essay on the origins of the American commitment in Vietnam. How did the Cold War help lead the United States into Vietnam? Weigh carefully the importance of strategic and economic considerations. Also weigh the influence of political, ideological, bureaucratic and psychological factors that may have influenced U.S. decision makers. Did U.S. policy maker fully understand the circumstances in Vietnam? It is very important that you cite sources from among both the documents and essays in supporting your arguments. Post your essays in your Team's Lotus Notes Discussion Database. Prepare thoughtful comments on the essays posted by each of your teammates.
Assignment Three: The Deepening U.S. Commitment. Carefully read chapter four in McMahon, Major Problems and chapter 2 in Herring, America's Longest War. Then prepare an analysis of one of the documents in Major Problems. Be sure to check with your team mates in order to avoid duplication. In your analysis you should do the following:
- Drawing on America's Longest War and on Major Problems, briefly sketch the background or context for understanding the document.
- Briefly describe the document: who wrote it, when & why; what, if anything, is special or unique about it?
- What light does it shed on the origins of U.S. involvement in Vietnam?
- How does it compare or contrast with other documents in the chapter? Does it complement them? Contradict them?
- How does the document relate to the essays in the chapter in Major Problems? For example, does it help strengthen or weaken the case made in a particular article.
Assignment Four: Kennedy and Vietnam. Carefully read chapter five in Major Problems and chapter 3 in in Herring, America's Longest War. Assume you are an advisor to the President. Prepare a memorandum addressed to the President and dated July, 1963. In your memorandum you should describe the situation the United States faces in Vietnam, outline the President's options, and recommend a course of action that he should take. Where possible, cite information gleaned from the documents to support your analyses. Post your essays in the Lotus Notes Discussion Database. In commenting on one anther's essays, assume you are an advisor to whom the President has referred your teammates' memorandum for comment. Prepare to present arguments on behalf of your recommendation when the class meets.
Assignment Five: The War
Expands. Carefully
read chapter six in Major Problems and chapter 4 in in Herring,
America's Longest War. Based on your readings, prepare an essay
in which you compare and contrast the recommendations offered by
Robert McNamara and George Ball. Which set of recommendations did
Johnson follow? Why? Post your essays in your Team's
Lotus Notes Discussion Database. Prepare and submit thoughtful comments
on the essays of your teammates.
Assignment Six: The
Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front.
Carefully
read chapter eight in Major Problems. Drawing on chapter eight,
as well as on earlier chapters, prepare a brief essay in which you evaluate
the role Vietnam's history in shaping the actions of the leaders of North
Vietnam and the NLF. What role did nationalism play? What role
did communism play? How important was the experience of colonialism
and the war against France? How important were perceptions of the
United States and its aims? Post your essays in your Team's Lotus
Notes Discussion Database. Prepare and submit thoughtful comments
on the essays of your teammates.
Assignment Seven: The Republic
of Vietnam Carefully
read chapter 10 in Major Problems. Drawing on chapter ten,
as well as on earlier and later chapters, prepare a brief essay in which
you evaluate the origins and history of the Republic of Vietnam (South
Vietnam). What were its strengths? Its weaknesses? What
was American policy toward South Vietnam? Did U.S. policy change
over time? If so, how did it change and why? Post your essays
in the your Team's Lotus Notes Discussion Database. Prepare and submit
thoughtful comments on the essays of your teammates.
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Assignment Eight: U.S.
Military Strategy in Vietnam. Carefully
read chapter seven in Major Problems and chapter 5 in Herring,
America's Longest War. Prepare an essay evaluating U.S. military
strategy, as well as the proposed alternatives.
Post your essays in your Team's Lotus Notes Discussion
Database. Prepare and submit thoughtful comments on the essays of
your teammates.
Assignment Nine: The Tet
Offensive. Carefully
read chapter 9 in Major Problems and chapter 6 in Herring, America's
Longest War. Prepare a brief essay describing what occurred during
the Tet offensive of 1968 and discuss the battle's consequences, both militarily
and politically. Post your essays in your Team's Lotus Notes Discussion
Database. Prepare and submit thoughtful comments on the essays of
your teammates.
Assignment Ten: My
Lai Read Olson and Roberts,
My
Lai. Prepare an essay in which you describe what happened
at My Lai, how news of what happened became public, and the impact of that
news on both soldiers and civilians. Be sure to site the sources
for your observations. Post your essay to your Team's Lotus Notes
Discussion Database. Prepare thoughtful comments on your teammate'
s essays.
Assignment Eleven: The Anti-War Movement. First, read chapter 12 in Major Problems. Then interview some one (an AU faculty or staff member, a parent, a family friend) who is at least 50 years old and who was in college during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Ask them 1) what are their most vivid memories of the war; 2) how the war affected them; 3) what views they held about the war and whether these changed over time; 4) what impact do they believe the war had on the country. Prepare a brief essay summarizing the main points of your interview. Post your essay to the Lotus Notes Database for the ENTIRE CLASS. You should read one anther's interviews, but you need not prepare comments on them. Come to class prepared to compare and contrast what you have learned.
Assignment Twelve: Nixon
and Vietnam. Carefully read
chapter 11 in Major Problems and chapter 7 in Herring, America's
Longest War. Prepare an essay evaluating the success and/or failure
of Nixon and Kissinger's policies. Post your essays in your Team's
Lotus Notes Discussion Database. Prepare and submit thoughtful comments
on the essays of your teammates.
Assignment Thirteen:
The Role of the Media. Read
chapter 13 in Major Problems. Then go to Bender Library and
browse the pages of a major news magazine or newspaper. Focus especially
on October, 1963 (the assassination of Diem); August, 1964 (the Gulf
of Tonkin Resolution); July-August, 1965 (Johnson's Decision to Expand
the War); February, 1968 (the Tet Offensive); and
December 25-30, 1972 (the "Christmas bombing" of Hanoi and Haiphong).
Based on your survey, how would you evaluate the arguments offered in chapter
13 regarding the role of the media. Post your
essay to the Lotus Notes Database for the ENTIRE CLASS. You should
read one anther's interviews, but you need not prepare comments on them.
Come to class prepared to compare and contrast what you have learned.
Assignment Fourteen: The Paris Peace Accords. Read chapter 14 in Major Problems. Also read the 1954 Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference on Indochina (Major Problems, p. 124) and the NLF's 10 Point Negotiating Statement of 1968 (handout). Prepare an essay in which you compare and contrast these two documents the Paris Peace Accords of 1973. Post your essay to your Team Discussion Database. You should read one anther's essays, but you need not prepare comments on them. Come to class prepared to compare and contrast what you have learned.
Assignment Fifteen: Rent or borrow from the library a feature film or documentary on Vietnam. Screen it. Then write a brief essay evaluating the way in which the war is depicted. Post your essay to the Lotus Notes Database for the ENTIRE CLASS. You should read one anothers interviews, but you need not prepare comments on them. Come to class prepared to compare and contrast what you have learned.
Assignment Sixteen:
Read Chapters 1 and 15 in Major Problems and chapter 8 in Herring,
America's
Longest War.
Then visit the Vietnam Memorial. Prepare
an essay addressing the following questions: What does the Vietnam War
memorial symbolize? To whom? Compare and contrast the Vietnam
Memorial with the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington. What differences
can you identify in the two and what do you think is the significance of
those differences. For additional credit, you may compare and contrast
the Vietnam and Iwo Jima memorials with the Korean War Memorial on the
Mall (realizing that the Korean War Memorial was established after the
Vietnam War and after the Vietnam Memorial was constructed). Post
your reflections to the Entire Class Database. You should read one
anothers interviews, but you need not prepare comments on them. Come
to class prepared to discuss what you have learned.