Assigned Readings

Discussion

Vietnam: Suzerainty, Colonialism, and War in A Distant Land

Jan. 19

Introduction to course: Where is Vietnam? Why should we care? My own interest in Vietnam and biases.

Introductions. The Syllabus; the Course; My Expectations; Introductions.

Jan. 24

Karnow Preface, Chapter 1: "The War Nobody Won".

What it is what it isn't; how many perspectives are there on Vietnam? 

Jan. 26

Karnow, Chp. 2, "Piety and Power." Karnow, Chapter 3, "The Heritage of Vietnamese Nationalism."

Video 1: Roots of War.

Jan. 31

Karnow, Chapter 4, "The War with the French," and Chapter 5, "The Light that Failed."

Effects of Colonialism; Significance of Nationalism. The rise and demise of the French; why they failed; lessons US might have learned? 

Feb. 2

Finish assigned readings.

Video 2: The First Vietnam War (1946-1954).

The US (JFK, LBJ) Takes Charge:   US Foreign Policy; Truth and War; the Vietnam War

Feb. 7

Karnow, Chapter. 6, "America's Mandarin," and Chapter. 7, "Vietnam is the Place."

America's growing commitment; why it increased but was ambiguous; American foreign policy and what drives it (stalemate machine; bureaucratic politics; domestic sources of US foreign policy). 

Feb. 9

Finish assigned readings.

Video 3: America's Mandarin (1954-1963). Discussion.

Feb. 14

Karnow, Chp. 8, "The End of Diem."

America's complicity in the coup? Significance of coup.

Feb. 16

McNamara, "Preface" and Chp 1, "My Journey to Washington." McNamara, Chp. 2, "The Early Years: January 19, 1961-August 31, 1963," and Chp. 3, "The Fateful Fall of 1963: August 24-November 22 1963."  Essay 1, Due at the Beginning of Class:  French Colonial Experience: Lessons that might have been learned?

Continue America's complicity in the coup? Significance of coup. Why McNamara waited 30 years to speak up.  

Feb. 21

Karnow, Chapter. 9, "The Commitments Deepen," and Chapter. 10, "Disorder and Decision." And and McNamara, Chapter 5, "Tonkin Gulf Resolution: July 30- August 7, 1964,"  

How LBJ inherited Vietnam; what he did with his inheritance and why? Tonkin Gulf--Was truth the first casualty? Or was it simply confusion? 

Feb. 23

McNamara, Chapter 4, "A Time of Transition: November 23 1963-July 29 1964," 

The Great Society vs Vietnam;

Feb. 28

Finish assigned readings.

Video 4: LBJ Goes to War (1964-1965).

Mar. 2

McNamara Chapter 6, "The 1964 Election and Its Aftermath: August 8 1964-January 27 1965." And Karnow, Chapter. 11, "LBJ Goes to War."

What LBJ inherited.  The Decisionmaking process. 

Mar. 7

Karnow, Chapter. 12, "Escalation," and Chapter 13, "Debate, Diplomacy, Doubt."  

LBJ and the "wise men" take charge.

Mar. 9

McNamara, Chp. 7, "The Decision to Escalate: January 28-July 28 1965)."

Slippery slopes, quagmires, or is the American foreign-policy process just messy?

Mar. 14

Finish assigned readings.

Video 5: America Takes Charge, 1965-1967.

Mar. 16

McNamara, Chp. 8, "The Christmas Bombing Pause--An Unsuccessful Attempt to Move to Negotiations: July 29 1965-January 30 1966," and Chp. 9, "Troubles Deepen: January 31 1966-May 19 1967."

Missed Opportunities?

Mar.  21

Finish assigned readings.  Look and read ahead!

Video 6: America's Enemy, 1954-1967.

Mar. 23

Finish assigned readings.  Essay 2, Due at Beginning of Class: Americanization of the Vietnam war; how the US got involved.  Look and read ahead!

Video 11: Homefront USA. Discussion.

Mar. 30

Spring Break

Apr. 4

McNamara, Chp. 10, "Estrangement and Departure: May 20 1967-February 29 1968," and Karnow, Chp. 14, "Tet."

Impact of Tet? Video 7: Tet, 1968.

Apr. 6

Philip Caputo, A Rumor of War.

Video 8: Vietnamizing the   War

Apr. 11

Philip Caputo, A Rumor of War.

Apr. 13

Philip Caputo, A Rumor of War.

An Early In-Country View of the Vietnam War—a War of Utility of Futility? 

Apr. 18

Donovan, Once A Warrior King. 

Pacification--a new approach.

Now Comes Nixon: US Foreign Policy; Truth and War; Indochina War; The Ignominious End

Apr. 20

Donovan, Once A Warrior King

Pacification, its various iterations, logic of effort. Was it succeeding? 

Apr. 25

Finish assigned readings.

Video 9: No Neutral Ground: Cambodia and Loss.

May 2

McNamara, Chap. 11, "The Lessons of Vietnam," and Karnow, Chap. 16, "The Peace that Never Was."

Post mortems, etc.  What lessons?

May 4

Video 10: Peace is at Hand, 1968-1973. Discussion

May 5

Students to watch in media library as fits students' schedule

Video 12: The End of the Tunnel, 1973-1975.
Video 13: Legacies.   

May 9

Finish assigned readings.  Take-Home Final, Due Monday, May 9 (due 1545).