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WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS

L22 HIST 4894: ADVANCED SEMINAR

THE UNITED STATES IN VIETNAM:

ORIGINS, DEVELOPMENTS, AND CONSEQUENCES

Krister KnappFall 2011

Office: Busch 133Eads 210

Office Hrs: Tues. 10:15 – 12:15TH: 2:30 –5:00

Office Phone: 5-6838Hist. Dept: Busch 113

ept. Phone: 5-5450

DESCRIPTION

This course focuses on America’s involvement in Vietnam from the era of French colonialism through the collapse of United States intervention and beyond. Special attention will be given to political, military, diplomatic, and economic aspects as well as to international relationships and the significance of the experience and subsequent developments upon both American and Vietnamese societies.

GOALS

  • Master an advanced body of historical knowledge
  • Write an advanced research paper based on primary (and secondary) sources
  • Explore and ponder the complex relationship between war, nation states, ideologies, individuals and institutions of power

TEXTS

Marvin E. Gettleman, et al. Vietnam and America: Documented History (1985)

Graham Greene, The Quite American (1996, 1955)

Le Ly Hayslip, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places (1990, 1989)

George Herring, America's Longest War, 4th ed. (2001)

David Maraniss, They Marched into Sunlight(2004, 2003)

Bao Ninh,The Sorrow of War (1996)

All the books are required and available for purchase at the campusbookstore. Except for The Sorrow of War, which may be borrowed through Mobius or Illiad, they are also kept on 2 hour reserve atthe reserve desk in Olin Library.

REQUIREMENTS

1.PARTICIPATION AND READINGS: You are expected to be an active participant in the learning process of this course. This means that you must complete all reading assignments in a timely manner and come to class prepared to engage other members of the group in lively discussion. More than oneunexcused absence from class and/or abstaining from participation will adversely impact your final grade.

2.LEADING DISCUSSION: Based on consultation with me beforehand, each of you will lead one discussion on the readings for that week. You must post your questions to the Telesis page for this course (see below) by 6 PM on the Wednesday before Thursday’s class in order to give other students to read and reflect on them for class discussion.

3.RESEARCH PAPER: Each of you will write one research paper of approximately 20-25 pages in length on a topic of your choice (approved by me) that is based on both primary and secondary sources. This paper will be conceived, designed, presented and written in several stages during the course of the semester (see the Course Schedule below for due dates) as follows:

A. Proposals: These will be 2-3 pages in length and include your proposed topic, time period, thesis/argument, and any other relevant information, plus a preliminary bibliography of at least five primary and five secondary sources.

B. Progress Reports: These will be 7-10 pages in length and include revisions of the above, an outline of your paper, a draft of one or two sections,a plan for finishing the remaining sections, and an expanded bibliography.

C. Rough Drafts: These will be 20-25 pages in length and will constitute your best effort to write an entire first draft of the paper before receiving extensive comments from me.

D. Final Drafts: These will be 20-25 pages in length and incorporate my comments, and will represent your best effort to write the final version of you research paper.

4. ORAL PRESENTATIONS:Each of you will give an oral presentation of your research paper to the rest of the class at the end of the course (about 10 minutes each). Guidelines for giving oral reports can be found on Telesis.

EVALUATION

Your grade will be based on four components: class attendance and participation (20%), writing discussion questions and leading discussion (20%), oral report (20%), and one research paper (40%). Your final grade will be calculated on a 100 point scale: 98-100 = A+, 93-97 = A, 90-92 = A-; 88-89 = B+, 83-87 = B, 80-82 = B-; 78-79 = C+, 73-77 = C, 70-72 = C-; 68-69 = D+, 63-67 = D, 60-62 = D-; 59↓ = F. There is no pass/fail option for this course.

LATE POLICIES

All written work must be turned in on time. Please note that late papers will be reduced by one-third grade point for each day they are late! Thus, a paper that earned an A- but was turned in one day late would automatically drop to a B+. All written work must also conform to the standards of college essay writing (see the Guidelines for College Essay Writing on Telesis). Extensions will be granted only for religious holidays and for extreme medical emergencies (documented) such as grave illness or a death in the family. Please bring such cases to my attention immediately rather than waiting until the last minute.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Graduate students will be required to fulfill all the undergraduate assignments except that your research paper must be 25-30 pages in length, have more sources, and meet the standards of graduate student writing, research,and analysis. Topics must be approved in one-on-one consultation with me by the fourth week, and be in the form of the Research Proposal (See Course Schedule).

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Students who need disability-related accommodations (learning and physical) are encouraged to meet and work with Libby Lessentine, the Disability Resources Coordinator (ext. 5-4062, . Her office is located in the Center of Advanced Learning in Cornerstone in the South 40. I will do everything I can to accommodate your needs as well.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY & PLAGIARISM

To plagiarize is defined as “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own” (Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 898). This includes but is not limited to submitting someone else’s work (in whole, part or paraphrase) as one’s own without fully and properly crediting the author (intentionally or not); submitting as one’s original work materials obtained from an individual or agency; and/or submitting as one’s own original work material that has been produced through unacknowledged collaboration with others. “Cyber cheating” is also plagiarism. It includes cutting and pasting someone else’s web work and submitting it as your own; downloading essays, papers, etc. from the web and turning them in as your own; and buying essays, papers, speeches etc. from the web and turning them in as your own. Plagiarism is absolutely forbidden. It is the worst form of academic cheating. Its violation is taken very seriously. Plagiarizers will be punished accordingly. Punishment ranges from automatic failure of the assignment and failing the course to various levels of official university sanctions, including suspension and even expulsion. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE! Students should review the Academic Integrity Policy that they signed upon entering the University, and recall that Washington University has a “three-strikes-and-you’re-out” policy. See also:

OFFICE HOURS

Office hours are for you. You should utilize them for consultation of your discussion questions. You are also strongly encouraged to come to them to discuss the course material and when you have questions. A good deal of learning and confidence-building occurs during one-on-one conversation with the professor. If you cannot make the designated office hours, contact me to schedule an appointment.

TELESIS

Telesis is the Washington University web-based course management system. You can reach Telesis at or through WebSTAC at You will need your WUSTL KEY to access it. Once you are logged on, find HIST 4894. Click it on and go to the various options. The Telesis page for this course is meant to be used exclusively by its members. You should check it regularly. All up-to-date information will be posted there including the course flyer, syllabus, reading schedule, writing assignments, discussion questions, and links touseful web pages for your research papers. Also, you should utilize the discussion tab for general discussion carried on outside of class. Questions meant exclusively for my attention should be sent to my e-mail.

COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to change)

KEY

ALW = America’s Longest War

VA = Vietnam and America

QA = The Quiet American

HE = When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

SW = The Sorrows of War

MS = They Marched into Sunlight

Sept 1:Introduction to the course; Vietnam before the French, Before 1850

Discussion Question Sign-up, and “Vietnam” Reading Handout and Discussion

Sept. 8:French Colonialism and Vietnamese Nationalism, 1850-1945

ALW, Preface and pp. 3-8

VA, Part I

Sept. 15:The 1st Indochina War and the Origins of U.S. Involvement in Vietnam, 1946-54

ALW, pp. 8-30

VA, Part II

Sept. 22:The Eisenhower Commitment and the Revolt in the South, 1954-60

ALW, pp. 30-51 & Chap 2

VA, Part III

QA, all

Sept. 29:Kennedy’s Dilemma and Diem’s Demise, 1961-63

ALW, Chap 3

VA, Part IV

Research Paper Proposals Due

Oct. 6:Johnson’s War in the South and with the North, 1963-65

ALW, Chap 4

VA, Part V

Oct.13:Escalating the War, 1965- 68

ALW, pp. 171-204 & 213-223

HE, Prologue & Chaps 1-5 (rest optional)

Oct. 20:TET: The Year of the Monkey, 1968

ALW, Chap 6

VA, Part VII

Oct. 27:Nixon’s Strategy and Escalating the War (Again), 1969-1972

ALW, pp. 271-310

VA, pp. 427-430 & 434-455

SW, all

Research Paper Progress Reports Due

Nov. 3:The Americans and Vietnamese Who Fought the War

VA, pp. 455-470

MS, Chaps. 1-4, 9, 12, 14-17, 20, 25 and pp. 441-443, 457-460, 466-474, 480-486 & 491-93

Nov. 10:The War at Home

ALW, pp. 204-13

VA, Part VI

MS, Chaps. 5-8, 10, 11, 13, 18, 19, 21-24, 26 and pp. 443-457, 460-466, 474-480, 486-491 & 493-504

Nov. 17:War Powers and the End of the 2nd Indochina War, 1973-75

ALW, pp. 310-320 & 327-329

VA, pp. 430-434 & 471-500

Nov. 24:NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING BREAK

Dec. 1:Consequences and Legacies of the U.S. Involvement in Vietnam, 1975+

ALW, pp. 323-327 & 329-368

VA, pp. 500-522

Research Paper Rough Draft Due

Dec. 8:Oral Reports of Research Papers

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Dec. 19:Research Paper Final Draft Due (by 4:30 pm, in my mailbox, Busch 116)

COURSE EVALUATION

Students will be given the opportunity at the end of this course to evaluate it, the content, and the professor. The College of Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis strongly recommends that you fill out and submit course evaluations, and your professor finds them useful for improving his performance and future versions of this course. To fill one out, go to