HR394-6-FY-CO:
The United States and the Vietnam War
2024/25
Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 27 June 2025
30
10 April 2024
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA MT26 Criminology and American Studies (UK Study),
BA MT27 Criminology and American Studies (Including Year Abroad),
BA MT28 Criminology and American Studies (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA MT3R Criminology and American Studies (Including Placement Year),
BA MT62 Criminology and American Studies (UK Study) (Including Placement Year)
This module offers students the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the United States` involvement in the Vietnam War and the profound impact that this conflict has had on American politics and political culture since it concluded.
The module encompasses not just international and military history, but also social and cultural aspects of the war. Combining these approaches will help students understand the enormous effect that the war has had on American public life, why it is important to understand it, and why so many myths surrounding American involvement in Southeast Asia still persist.
The aims of this module are:
- To challenge students by requiring them to engage with the study of the war itself, and with scholars` interpretations and popular memory of the conflict. The module therefore encompasses not just international and military, but also cultural, history. Combining these approaches will help students understand the enormous effect that the war has had on American public life, why it is important to understand it, and why so many `myths` surrounding American involvement in Southeast Asia still persist.
By the end of the module, students will be expected to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the causes and consequences of United States involvement in the Vietnam War.
- Conduct independent research on the topic with guidance from the module convenor.
- Use primary and secondary sources as evidence to analyse aspects of the history of the war.
- Produce written work critically addressing political, social, and cultural dimensions of the war.
- Explain and evaluate different historical interpretations of the war.
- Demonstrate an understanding of different national and international perspectives on the war.
- Manage their time effectively to produce written work by required dates.
- Present their written work on this topic clearly and using the appropriate academic conventions.
General Reading List:
- Hess, Gary R., Vietnam: Explaining America's Lost War (Malden, MA and Oxford: Blackwell, 2009).
- Karnow, Stanley, Vietnam: A History (London: Pimlico, 1994).
This module will be delivered via:
- One 1-hour lecture per week.
- One 1-hour class per week.
- Robert A. Pape, Jr. (1990) 'Coercive Air Power in the Vietnam War', in International Security. vol. 15 (2) , pp.103-146
- (7/3/2009) Fall of Saigon 1975. ITN report from early May 1975 by Sandy Gall.
- David M. Barrett. (1989) 'The Mythology Surrounding Lyndon Johnson, His Advisers, and the 1965 Decision to Escalate the Vietnam War', in Political Science Quarterly. vol. 103 (4) , pp.637-663
- Philip E. Catton. (1999) 'Counter-Insurgency and Nation Building: The Strategic Hamlet Programme in South Vietnam, 1961-1963', in The International History Review. vol. 21 (4) , pp.918-940
- Jimmy Carter, Veterans Day Remarks at Ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, 11 November 1978, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/veterans-day-remarks-ceremonies-arlington-national-cemetery-0
- George J. Veith and Merle L. Pribbenow II. (2004) '"Fighting Is an Art": The Army of the Republic of Vietnam's Defense of Xuan Loc, 9-21 April 1975', in The Journal of Military History. vol. 68 (1) , pp.163-213
- Fredrik Logevall. (2004) 'Lyndon Johnson and Vietnam', in Presidential Studies Quarterly. vol. 34 (1) , pp.100-112
- George C. Herring. (1982) 'American Strategy in Vietnam: The Postwar Debate', in Military Affairs. vol. 46 (2) , pp.57-
- John E. Mueller. (1980) 'The Search for the "Breaking Point" in Vietnam: The Statistics of a Deadly Quarrel', in International Studies Quarterly. vol. 24 (4) , pp.497-519
- Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5139/
- (Monday, November 1, 2010 at 9:23 AM EST) President Ford Address at a Tulane University Convocation (April 23, 1975) on Vimeo.
- Mark Zuckerberg accused of abusing power after Facebook deletes 'napalm girl' post | Technology | The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/08/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-napalm-girl-photo-vietnam-war
- Jeffrey Kimball. (2006) 'The Nixon Doctrine: A Saga of Misunderstanding', in Presidential Studies Quarterly. vol. 36 (1) , pp.59-74
- (18/5/2008) Australian report on Xuan Loc, April 1975 (and interview with Le Minh Dao).
- David Milne. (2007) '"Our Equivalent of Guerrilla Warfare": Walt Rostow and the Bombing of North Vietnam, 1961-1968', in The Journal of Military History. vol. 71 (1) , pp.169-203
- Selverstone, Marc J. (2010) 'It's a Date: Kennedy and the Timetable for a Vietnam Troop Withdrawal', in Diplomatic History. vol. 34 (3) , pp.485-495
- Mark Atwood Lawrence. (2002) 'Transnational Coalition-Building and the Making of the Cold War in Indochina, 1947-1949', in Diplomatic History. vol. 26 (3) , pp.453-480
- Lyndon B. Johnson: Address at Johns Hopkins University: "Peace Without Conquest.", https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/241950
- Gregory A. Daddis. (2012) 'The Problem of Metrics: Assessing Progress and Effectiveness in the Vietnam War', in War in History. vol. 19 (1) , pp.73-98
- Masur, Matthew. (2009) 'Exhibiting Signs of Resistance: South Vietnam's Struggle for Legitimacy, 1954-1960*', in Diplomatic History. vol. 33 (2) , pp.293-313
- Donald Trump a conquering hero for bikers at Rolling Thunder rally | US news | The Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/29/donald-trump-bikers-rolling-thunder-rally
- Jimmy Carter, Address at Commencement Exercises at the University of Notre Dame, 22 May 1977, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-commencement-exercises-the-university-notre-dame
- Pang Yang Huei. (2006) 'Beginning of the End: ARVN and Vietnamisation (1969–72)', in Small Wars & Insurgencies. vol. 17 (3) , pp.287-310
- McMahon, Robert. (2002) 'Contested Memory: The Vietnam War and American Society, 1975-2001', in Diplomatic History. vol. 26 (2) , pp.159-184
- Chester Pach. (2010) '“Our Worst Enemy Seems to Be the Press”: TV News, the Nixon Administration, and U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Vietnam, 1969-1973', in Diplomatic History. vol. 34 (3) , pp.555-565
- T. Christopher Jespersen. (2002) 'Kissinger, Ford, and Congress: The Very Bitter End in Vietnam', in Pacific Historical Review: University of California Press. vol. 71 (3) , pp.439-473
- David Culbert. (1998) 'Television's Visual Impact on Decision-Making in the USA, 1968: The Tet Offensive and Chicago's Democratic National Convention', in Journal of Contemporary History. vol. 33 (3) , pp.419-449
- Ken Hughes. (2010) 'Fatal Politics: Nixon's Political Timetable for Withdrawing from Vietnam', in Diplomatic History. vol. 34 (3) , pp.497-506
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Primary Source Analysis (1500 words) |
|
25% |
| Coursework |
Review (1500 words) |
|
25% |
| Coursework |
Essay (3000 words) |
|
50% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Andrew Priest, email: apriest@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Andrew Priest
History UG Administrators: hrugadmin@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 88 hours, 85 (96.6%) hours available to students:
3 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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