HST 375 - The Vietnam Wars

Min Units: 3
Max Units: 3
From 1945 to 1979 the Vietnamese fought wars against two superpowers. During this three-decade struggle, the conflict in Vietnam was transformed from a local civil war into an international event. Vietnam came to embody many of the trends of the post-World War II era: the end of European empires, the rise of the United States, the tensions of the Cold War, and the realities and limits of American power. This course will study these and many other issues related to the Vietnam Wars. Rather than focus on the war itself, we will primarily discuss the nature and morality of war and the impact that warfare has on individuals at home and abroad. This course will begin by investigating the rise of nationalism across Asia in the interwar years. It will then proceed to the French and American intervention in Southeast Asia while also paying close attention to the Vietnamese experience. This course will engage with a variety of historical texts, memoirs, fiction, film, and popular culture. It will also address contemporary issues, including the long-term impact of the war on the French, Vietnamese, and American psyche. Along the way we will ask questions about the limits of American power, the decision-making abilities of officials in France and the United States, the morality of total war, as well as focus on issues of race, gender, class, poverty, popular culture, ethics, nationalism, mutual responsibility, and the impact of war on humans. (U/G) Occasionally