HIST 341 The Vietnam War
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "If America's soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read 'Vietnam'." The American military experience in Southeast Asia, during the height of the cold war, was traumatic for many Americans, including many who did not share King's antiwar views. Years later, the Vietnam War remains a specter haunting American politics and culture. This course considers how the war came about, why it took the direction it did, what the alternatives were, how Americans have viewed the war since the 1960s and why it continues to matter so much to so many.
Prerequisites
4 Undergraduate credits
Effective August 1, 1998 to present
Meets graduation requirements for
Learning outcomes
General
- Can critically evaluate contemporary claims made concerning the Vietnam War, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
- Can explain why the United States fought a war in Vietnam and why the United States lost the war, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
- Gains a grasp of the basic events, historical background, and developments of the war fought by the United States in Vietnam, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
- Understands the experiences of both Americans and Vietnamese, of multiple perspectives, in the Vietnam War, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
- Understands the relevance and continuing impact of historical understanding of the Vietnam War in American society and politics, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum
Goal 5: History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Employ the methods and data that historians and social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition.
- Examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures.
- Use and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories.
- Develop and communicate alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues.
Goal 8: Global Perspective
- Describe and analyze political, economic, and cultural elements which influence relations of states and societies in their historical and contemporary dimensions.
- Demonstrate knowledge of cultural, social, religious and linguistic differences.
- Analyze specific international problems, illustrating the cultural, economic, and political differences that affect their solution.
- Understand the role of a world citizen and the responsibility world citizens share for their common global future.
Fall 2024
| Section | Title | Instructor | books | eservices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | The Vietnam War | Lowen, Rebecca | Books for HIST-341-50 Fall 2024 | Course details for HIST-341-50 Fall 2024 |