IC299 Vietnam: Imperialism, Communism, and Globalism
(pre-trip) Fall 2016
Meeting time: Monday 7-9pm Good Hall 321
Emil Nagengast David Sowell
GH316 ext 3650 Founders 311 ext 3535
Office Hours: appt by emailOffice Hours: appt by email
IC 299 Vietnam consists of a pre-trip course in the fall semester, a required trip to Vietnam over winter break, and a post-trip course in the spring semester. After completing IC299 pre-trip we will spend two weeks in Vietnam examining first hand the topics that we have covered in the pre-trip segment of the course. The winter trip is not a separate course and does not carry any independent academic credits, but this trip is a required part of the IC299 pre-trip fall course. It is alsopart of the IC299 post-trip spring course. In the post-trip segment of the course, we reflect upon and dig more deeply into the topics that we studied in the fall and during the trip. Students will take a very active role in determining the topics of the post-trip.
VietnamTrip Information
Departure: December 29, 2016Return; January 13, 2017
Course Fee: $2850 (Covers: Round Trip flight: New York-Hanoi, Housing, Meals, Transportation in Vietnam, Field Trips)
Overview:The pre-trip semester is the first of this three part IC course. The pre-trip course will cover one thousand years of Vietnamese history, but will focus on the following moments: the rise of Vietnamese nationalism under Ho Chi minh; French colonialism; Vietnam’s long struggle for liberation; the US and the Cold War in Vietnam; the transition to communism (recall that victory by Vietnam meant the reorientation of the south); the Doi Moi reforms; the economic and social consequences of Vietnam’s push for a globalized economy. Throughout this course, and especially during the winter trip, we will try to view all of these topics from the Vietnamese perspective. In the spring semester IC299 post-trip, we will reflect upon and analyze these topics.
Course Objectives: Some of the questions that will guide our readings and discussions in IC299 pre-trip, IC299 post-trip and throughout the trip in Vietnam are:
1)In what ways did the long history of Chinese domination shape the current attitude of the Vietnamese toward Chinese?
2)How did the French “Mission Civilisatrice” affect Vietnam’s domestic institutions and culture?
3)Why did Ho Chi Minh embrace communism as the ideological foundation for his nationalist struggle?
4)Was communism primarily a means to the end of national liberation? Or was communism a primary goal in itself?
5)How did the war against the US affect the current attitude of the Vietnamese toward the US and “the west”?
6)Is Vietnamese foreign policy more anti-west or anti-China?
7)Why did the Vietnamese leadership introduce the Doi Moi (“renovation”) Reforms in the 1980s?
8)In what ways were these reforms similar to and different from Gorbachev’s and Deng’s reform strategies?
9)Were the Doi Moi reforms successful? How do we define “successful”?
10)Is the Vietnamese government justified in suppressing individual human rights for the purpose of promoting economic development?
Attendance and Participation: This class will be one of mutual discovery. We will guide you to the best of our abilities, but the success of the course is dependent upon you. We expect intelligent participation from all students this semester.We do not give a grade explicitly for "class participation," but consistent positive contributions in the classroom occasionally provides justification for raising a student’s final course grade by up to five percent. We will meet with you during the semester to discuss your participation grade.
Attendance is required. Unless we receive direct authorization from the Dean of Students (because of a death in the family, for example) all students must take all the exams at the scheduled times.
Academic Integrity: It is expected that all work prepared for this course be done individually except where explicitly stated. Joint study sessions are not only permitted, but encouraged. Joint preparations of written assignments will not be allowed. Examinations are to be done by each student without any form of assistance, either from another individual or any form of notes not expressly permitted in the assignment. You must cite the source of information on every writing assignment. Improper use of information found on the internet for your research papers will result in AT LEAST a zero on your paper, and most likely an F in the course.Please read the Pathfinder for the College’s Academic Integrity Policy. If you are not sure about what constitutes plagiarism it is your responsibility to find out (i.e. ask us). Plagiarism entails either: using someone else's words or ideas without providing a citation;OR providing a citation, but "cutting and pasting" from a source without using quotation marks to indicate that you are using someone else's exact words. To avoid plagiarism you must paraphrase the cited information (i.e. put it into your own words).
Accommodations for a Documented Disability In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, students with a documented disability are eligible to request reasonable accommodations.To make such a request or for more information, please contact Beth Bleil, Director of Disability Services, in the Office of Academic Support by visiting her office in Founders Hall, emailing her at , or calling 814-641-5840. It is best to submit accommodation requests within the drop/add period; however, requests can be made at any time in the semester. Please keep in mind that accommodations are not retroactive.
Format: We will meet for two hours per week throughout the fall semester. There will be frequent quizzes. There will be a midterm exam and a take home exam. The course will be a combination of lectures and discussion.
The fee for the Vietnam trip is attached to this fall semester course because we need to have students financially committed to the trip in September – so that we can pay for airfare and other expenses. Students receive a separate grade for this course, but in order to receive IC credit students must complete IC299 post-trip in the spring semester.
Writing Assignments: The heart of IC299 will be two four-sixpage interdisciplinary papers that combine personal reflection and primary research. Each student will identify paper topics that are linked to the themes raised in the readings. We will require meetings with the professors through the fall semester so that each student can receive feedback on the paper before he/she submits a final draft. The students will have the opportunity to rewrite the first paper. Paper topics will be discussed in class. Papers in the post-trip will constitute a synthesis of learning in the pre-trip and Vietnamese experience.
Grading: Final Exam25 per cent
Quizzes25 per cent
Draft essay20 per cent
Final essay30 per cent
Withdrawal Policies: Students are not permitted to withdraw from the course after the Thanksgiving break. Students must sign a statement of financial obligation on September 19. If they withdraw from the class after September 19, they must pay for the airline ticket that we purchased for them, in addition to any other expenses that we incur in preparation for the trip. An exemption from this financial commitment will be granted in the event of a personal injury that does not allow travel.
A student can complete IC299 pre-trip, but not go on the Vietnam trip. But they would have to pay for the airfare (and other costs), unless they have a medical excuse. Also, they will not get IC credit unless they complete IC299 post-trip - and go on the Vietnam trip.
Required Texts (available in the bookstore)
Troung Buu Lam Colonialism Experienced: Vietnamese Writings on Colonialism, 1900-1931
Frances Fitzgerald Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and Americans in Vietnam
David Elliot Changing Worlds: Vietnam’s Transition from Cold War to Globalization
Additional readings will be assigned throughout the semester
Course Schedule with Assigned Readings:
Week 1 August 29 Introduction
Week 2September 5Western Views of Colonialism and Modernization
Reading: Excerpts from Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, Walt Rostow
Week 3 September 12 Vietnamese Views of Colonialism
Reading: From Troung Buu Lam Colonialism Experienced: Vietnamese Writings on Colonialism, 1900-1931
1) Chapter 2
2) “A New Method to Study Civilization”
Week 4 September 19 Vietnamese Views of Colonialism
Reading: From Troung Buu Lam Colonialism Experienced: Vietnamese Writings on Colonialism, 1900-1931
1)Chapter 3:“The Vietnamese Description of Colonialism”
2)Document 12: “Appeal to the League of Nations”
3)Document 17:“Manifesto”
Week 5September 26 Ho Chi Minh
Readings:
1)“Equality” (1922)
2)“In a High Civilization” (1922)
3)“Vietnamese Declaration of Independence” (1945)
4)“Ho Chi Minh’s Obituary in the New York Times” (1969)
5)History Channel Documentary on Ho Chi Minh
Week 6October 3 A Survey of Vietnam’s History
Reading: Chapter 2 “Nations and Empires” in Frances Fitzgerald Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and Americans in Vietnam
Week 7October 10 The American War
Reading: Frances Fitzgerald Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and Americans in Vietnam
(pp. 197-227, 231-263)
Week 8October 17 The American War Tet and The Pentagon Papers
Reading: Excerpts from the “Pentagon Papers” and from Fire in the Lake
Week 9 October 24 The American War Nixon and the Vietnamese Experience
Reading: Frances Fitzgerald Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and Americans in Vietnam
Week 10October 31Overview of the American War
Reading: Little Hanoi Girl (film)
Week 11November 7Vietnamese Culture and Language
PAPER DRAFT DUE
Week 12 November 14 Doi Moi Reforms
Reading: David W.P. Elliot Changing Worlds: Vietnam’s Transition from Cold War to Globalization (Chapters 1, 2, 3)
Week 13 November 21Doi Moi Reforms
Reading: David W.P. Elliot Changing Worlds: Vietnam’s Transition from Cold War to Globalization (Chapter 7)
Week 14November 28 Human rights and development
Reading: “Violations of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Vietnam” Joint Report by Vietnam Committee on Human Rights and the International Federation for Human Rights
Week 15December 5 Conclusions
FINAL PAPER DUE
Take HomeFinal Exam Due: December 12