HIST 420 - The U.S. and Vietnam

2020-2021 Catalog Year

Credit(s): 4
Lecture: 4
Non-Lecture: 0
This seminar focuses on the history of the Vietnam War. On a military level, the American intervention in Southeast Asia was a disastrous failure, marking the first time our nation lost a war. The historical significance of the U.S. intervention, however, goes well beyond the military defeat itself, or even the impact of that defeat on America’s broader foreign policy aims. Indeed, the Vietnam War threw into question many of the fundamental assumptions underlying the nation’s self-image. In this sense, the U.S. intervention proved to be a critical turning point not only in Southeast Asian history but in American history as well. In exploring this contentious history, we will focus on a range of topics, including: the history of colonialism and revolutionary nationalism in Southeast Asia; the political, ideological, diplomatic, and military history of the American war; the specific nature of the warfare itself, including its human consequences, ecological impact, and moral implications; the social history of the war (particularly in terms of race, class, and gender); the ideology, tactics, and efficacy of the anti-war movement; the battle over the historical memory of the war and its relationship to our national identity.

Prerequisite(s): HIST 302 (HIST 301 also recommended)
Offered: Not on a Regular Basis
Program Attribute: HAMR, HLAC