HR394-6-AU-CO:
The United States and the Vietnam War
PLEASE NOTE: This module is inactive. Visit the Module Directory to view modules and variants offered during the current academic year.
2023/24
Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
Inactive
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
02 March 2021
Requisites for this module
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This module offers students the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War and the profound impact that this conflict has had on American politics and political culture since it concluded.
The module examines how the United States first intervened in Vietnam during the Second World War and the early Cold War, Lyndon Johnson's decision to commit large numbers of ground troops in 1965, combat in the air and on the ground, the disastrous Tet offensive and its impact on American claims of progress, Richard Nixon's slow withdrawal of troops and simultaneous expansion of the war's territorial scope into Laos and Cambodia, and, finally, the fall of Saigon and Communist victory in April 1975.
Along the way, we also consider the broader social and cultural dynamics of the war, and some of its long-term consequences.
This module aims to challenge students by requiring them to engage with the study of the war itself, and with scholars` interpretations and popular memory of the conflict. The module therefore encompasses not just international and military, but also cultural, history. Combining these approaches will help students understand the enormous effect that the war has had on American public life, why it is important to understand it, and why so many `myths` surrounding American involvement in Southeast Asia still persist.
By the end of this module, students will be able to:
1. Critically assess various explanations as to why the United States became involved in the Vietnam War;
2. Explain how the United States fought in Vietnam;
3. Assess the main schools of thought, especially orthodox and revisionist approaches, on the American failure in Vietnam;
4. Analyze the impacts of the war on the United States, and especially on US politics, society and culture;
5. Demonstrate an understanding of some Vietnamese perspectives on the conflict.
General reading list:
Hess, Gary R., Vietnam: Explaining America’s Lost War (Malden, MA and Oxford: Blackwell, 2009).
Karnow, Stanley, Vietnam: A History (London: Pimlico, 1994).
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
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Description |
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Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Andrew Priest, email: apriest@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Andrew Priest
Belinda Waterman, Department of History, 01206 872313
Yes
Yes
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 40 hours, 38 (95%) hours available to students:
2 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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