Proseminar: The Vietnamese Conflict
Syllabus and Survival Guide
History
497 – Spring 2014
Thursday 7:00 pm – 9:45 pm, Sierra
Hall 268
Instructor
Dr. Thomas W. Devine
Office Hours: Sierra Tower 624, Tuesdays and
Thursdays 1:00-2:00 and by appointment gladly given.
Email: tom.devine@csun.edu Phone:
(818) 677-3550
Spirit of the Course
For years, the Vietnam War has
haunted many Americans, from high government officials, to antiwar protesters,
to veterans, to the survivors of those who didn’t make it home. As time passes,
passions cool, and the availability of reliable documentation grows, however, we can confront the “ghosts” of Vietnam with
greater personal detachment and historical confidence.
In particular, we are better able to
place the war in a broader context. We
see, for example, that its origins long predated American involvement, and that
the issues at stake – particularly for the Vietnamese – transcended the cold
war considerations of Washington, Moscow, and Beijing. Likewise, we can view the war more clearly
through the eyes of various groups – elites in Hanoi, Saigon, Paris, and
Washington who directed the conflict; the soldiers on all sides who fought it;
the various groups in the United States that opposed or supported it; and the
peoples of Southeast Asia who tried to survive it as best they could. Finally,
as ideological fervor dissipates, we can assess more candidly the legacy of the
Vietnamese revolution, the military and political decisions made on all sides
of the conflict, the motives for US intervention in Vietnam, and the effects of
the war on American society.
In this course we will not only read and assess the latest
scholarship on these and other issues, you will research and write your own
historical account of a Vietnam War-related topic drawing on a variety of
primary and secondary sources. You will finish the course with a better
understanding of the war, the circumstances that precipitated and sustained it,
and the myriad reactions to it. You
will also engage fully in the process of historical writing: devising a
research question, developing an argument, identifying main themes, producing
an outline, and revising a draft essay into a polished final paper.
Finally, we
will be working to develop skills that will serve you well in the world outside
Sierra Hall – the ability to think critically, to construct a logical and
compelling argument, to evaluate and interpret evidence in order to reach a
conclusion, and to convey information to others who may have no prior knowledge
of a subject. Whether you choose a career that relates directly to the study of
history or not, such skills are invaluable.
In essence, this course, along with
your 498, is the capstone of your academic experience in college. Most of you
will not have the opportunity to engage in this kind of exercise again. Make
the most of it by giving the course your full effort and doing the assigned
work to the best of your ability. Believe it or not, in later years you’ll
appreciate that you did.
Reading
The following books – listed in the order in which we will
read them – are available at the Matador Bookstore. All other readings will be provided in class
or made available on the web syllabus. The
Bookstore sends back all books after week four of the semester, so if you plan
to purchase your books there, you should buy all of them early in the
semester.
•
George C. Herring, America’s Longest War: The United States and Vietnam,
1950-1975 (4th edition) Book
website
•
Mark Philip Bradley and Marilyn B. Young, eds., Making Sense of the Vietnam
Wars: Local, National, and International Perspectives
•
Melvin Small, Antiwarriors: The Vietnam War and the Battle for America’s
Hearts and Minds
•
Michael H. Hunt, A Vietnam War Reader
To subvert the system and to save yourself some money, you
should consider buying used copies of the books. You are likely to find used or discounted
copies at significantly lower prices at the following websites.
www.bookfinder.com;
www.half.com;
www.amazon.com;
www.abebooks.com
On Line Resources
Documents Related to US Policy in Vietnam
Wilson Center Digital Archive (Indochinese War)
Requirements
& Grading
Participation (15%)
Quizzes (10%)
Primary
Source Analysis Paper 1 (10%)
[Due March 6]
Primary
Source Analysis Paper 2 (10%)
[Due March 29]
Preliminary
Assignments and Rough Draft [Due April 25] (20%)
Final Paper
[Due May 15] (30%)
• All grading is based on 100 points and will be done on the
+/ – system.
•
Late work will be penalized. Anything submitted more than a week after its due
date will not be accepted.
•
Any assignment not turned in or not
accepted will receive a grade of ZERO in the calculation of the final
grade.
•
You must earn a “C” or better to receive credit for this class.
Explanation of Requirements
Participation
This grade
will be based on the quality of your participation in the class
discussions, your completion of occasional short writing assignments, and your
ability to meet deadlines over the course of the semester.
Quizzes
During the first part of the semester there will be quizzes
on the assigned reading. The purpose of the quizzes is to provide you an
incentive for completing the reading and to enable me to ascertain who has read
and who hasn’t. If you have done all the reading – or even most of it – you
should have no difficulty doing well on the quizzes.
Primary
Source Analyses
These assignments will prepare you for the kind of primary
source analysis you will be doing in your research paper. For both assignments,
I will give you several primary sources you will use as “evidence” to produce a
short interpretative essay (1200 words). For the first assignment, the entire
class will use the same sources; for the second, you and I will choose sources
relevant to your topic and you will produce an essay based on those sources.
Preliminary Assignments and Rough
Draft
There will be a handful of short, low stakes assignments
during the first half of the semester – some graded, some not, some completed
in class, some at home – that will help you in the preparation of your research
paper. You will also submit a complete (or near complete) rough draft a few
weeks before your final paper is due. The grade on that assignment will be
based on a rubric that I will distribute the class before the due date of the
draft. In evaluating your draft, I will be assessing the quality of your
research and argument, the coherence of the paper’s organization, and the
clarity of the writing. I will also give you extensive feedback and suggestions
for improvement that you should incorporate into your final paper.
Final
Paper
The final
paper – roughly 20 pages exclusive of footnotes and bibliography -- is the core
requirement of this course. It will reflect your thorough knowledge of the
topic, effectively incorporate primary sources, and draw from various kinds
of primary and secondary sources. It will offer a compelling answer (well
supported with specific evidence) to a sharply focused question and will be
well-organized, properly documented, and clearly written.
Surviving
History 497…
Attendance
Since this class meets only once a week and its success
depends on active student participation, it is important – and it is expected –
that you will be at every session. I take attendance before and
after the break. I understand that an occasion may arise that makes it
impossible to come to class. Out of fairness to your classmates who do attend
every week, however, each absence past the first two will reduce your final
grade.
Time
Management
The key to success in History 497 – and really in all of
your courses – is time management. Students who fail History 497 usually do so not
because they cannot do the work, but because they did not manage their time
well. You are writing a term paper, not a
“last-two-weeks-of-the-semester paper.” Your final product should reflect a semester’s
worth of work – and will be evaluated accordingly. Deadlines will come up on
you much quicker than you think. Be prepared to meet them. Do not let “the
perfect” be the enemy of “the done.” Fifteen weeks is not much time to research
and write a 20-page paper, so by week 3 you should have chosen a topic and
begun to read in secondary sources. I will encourage you to stay on track, but
ultimately you will determine whether you manage your time effectively.
Common
Courtesy
You are at a university among professional people so you
should try to act like you belong here. Do not embarrass yourself by behaving
badly. Arrive on time and do not walk out in the middle of class unless it is
an emergency or you have spoken to me about it ahead of time. Do not leave at the break and expect to be
credited with having attended the entire class. Don’t speak while others
are speaking. Turn off and put away all cell phones and other electronic
gadgets while you are in class. Texting or constantly playing with your phone
during class is rude and distracting to me and your classmates. In short, act courteously
and professionally. Try to show some class. It’s part of being an educated
person.
Academic
Honesty
This should go without saying,
but, unfortunately, academic dishonesty is a fact of life. Do
not plagiarize from written sources or from the web. Since plagiarism is always obvious and easily caught
(I know how to use Google too), it is better to hand in your own work and get a
C than someone else’s and get an F. All plagiarized assignments will receive a
grade of zero. Beyond that, your name will be circulated among other faculty as
someone who lacks integrity and you risk being expelled from the University. If
you are unsure what plagiarism is, please consult with me BEFORE
you hand in an assignment.
Problems
If you are feeling overwhelmed, find yourself falling
behind, or are having any problems outside of class that are adversely
affecting your performance in class, be sure to let me know. Do not wait until the end of the semester
when it will be too late. I am more than willing to work with you to insure you
“survive,” but I need to know you are having difficulties. Either come to see
me or send an email as soon as a problem arises and we can work something out.
If you are struggling academically, I will gladly give you extra help.
Schedule of Topics & Assignments
23 January Historical
Argument: An Introduction
Reading:
Making Sense of the Vietnam Wars, pp. 23-44
George Herring, “Franco-American Conflict in
Indochina, 1950-54”
30 January The Vietnam War: An Overview to 1965
Reading:
Herring, The Longest War, Chapters 1-4
Chapter
1 Chapter
2 Chapter
3 Chapter
4
6 February The Vietnam War: An Overview from 1965
Reading:
Herring, The Longest War, Chapters 5-8
Making
Sense of the Vietnam Wars, pp.
91-108
13 February The War at Home: Emergence of a Movement
Reading:
Small, Antiwarriors, Chapters 1-4
20 February The War at Home: Legacy of a Movement
Reading:
Small, Antiwarriors, Chapters 5-9
Adam
Garfinkle, “Ironies of Protest”
27 February Reading Primary Sources
[Bring Hunt, A
Vietnam War Reader with you to class.]
Paper Proposal due in class.
6 March NO CLASS
[First Primary Source Analysis Due via email]
13 March Troubleshooting: The Challenges of Turning
Research into a Research Paper
20 March NO CLASS
[Individual
meetings with Professor]
27 March NO CLASS
[Second Primary Source Analysis Due via email]
4 April Integrating Primary and Secondary Sources
Reading: Bradley
and Young, Making Sense of the Vietnam Wars, pp. 111-134; 171-198
Hunt, A
Vietnam Reader, 2.1; 2.5; 2.6; 2.7;
2.12; 3.8; 3.9; 3.10; 5.6 through 5.11.
11 April SPRING
BREAK
18 April Structuring a Narrative and Writing as a Reader