COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This half course narrates and analyzes the history of the Vietnam War from the perspective of both Vietnamese and Americans. It begins by outlining the history of Vietnam including French colonial involvement. It focuses on the American stage of the war (1965-75) with its repercussions on the rest of the world. The course is based on a series of bi-weekly lectures interspersed by a film history of the war produced by PBS. The film series should provide the basis for class discussion both of the war and the way it was represented in the media