WELLESLEY COLLEGE
POL3 227: The Vietnam War Spring 2008
Professor William A. Joseph
PNE 232, x2201 Office hours: TBA
The PURPOSE OF THIS
COURSE is to understand and analyze the origins, development,
consequences, and legacies of war and revolution in Vietnam from the early
twentieth century to the present. After an introductory session, the next week
or so will be spent discussing the meaning and causes of revolution, the
relationship between revolution and war, and the tactics and strategies of both
revolutionaries and those who want to stop them from winning power and
achieving their revolutionary goals.
The remainder of the course
will focus specifically on revolution and war in Vietnam and will consider
topics such as: the impact of French colonialism on traditional Vietnamese
society; the role of World War II in shaping nationalism and communism in
Vietnam; leadership (particularly that of Ho Chi Minh), organization, and
tactics of the Vietnamese revolutionary movement; the motives, stages, and
strategies of American intervention in Vietnam; expansion of the conflict to
Cambodia and Laos; important events such as the Tet Offensive and the My Lai
Massacre; the anti-war movement in the United States; political and economic
development in Vietnam since the end of the war and the reunification of the
country under communist rule in the mid-1970s.; and the lessons and legacies of
the Vietnam War for both Vietnam and the United States.
Requirements: The written assignments for the
course, tentative due dates, and their proportion of
the final course grade are as follows:
· Take-home mid-term covering material
through "The French War" due Friday, Feb. 28 (20%)
· Research note covering the
"American War" due Friday, April 4 (20%)
· Research note covering "Issues
& Analysis" due Wednesday, May 7th (last day of classes) (20%)
· Self-Scheduled Final Exam (40%)
Please see the list of "Responsibilities and
Expectations" for the course that is attached to this syllabus.
Required Books: The following books are available
for purchase in the bookstore. They are also on reserve in the Library
Video Assignments: There are both required and
recommended video assignments for this course. The required videos should be
taken just as seriously as the required reading. All required and recommended
videos are on reserve at the library and many of them can also be borrowed from
the instructor. We may try to arrange group showings of some of the videos; students
are also encouraged to view the videos in groups, if possible. For a list of
many of the videos on the Vietnam War available in the College Library, see the
Videos on
the Vietnam War at Wellesley College link on the on-line syllabus, the
course conference, or the instructor's homepage
(http://www.wellesley.edu/Polisci/wj/).
Internet Assignments: There are quite a few Internet
assignments for this course, which can be accessed via the on-line syllabus or
the FirstClass course conference. There is an extraordinary wealth of
information about the Vietnam War on the Internet: some suggested sites can be
found on the "Vietnam
Links" on the on-line syllabus, the course conference, or the
instructor's homepage (http://www.wellesley.edu/Polisci/wj/.
Photograph Books: Photographs are a particularly vivid and affecting way to
try to understand the realities of the Vietnam War. The four listed below are
particularly remarkable and are available in Clapp Libary. I urge you look at
one of more of these books at some point during the course.