Module Information

Module Identifier
HQ38620
Module Title
The Vietnam War (Part 2)
Academic Year
2016/2017
Co-ordinator
Dr Jessica Gibbs
Semester
Semester 2
Co-Requisite
HQ38520
Other Staff
 

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Seminar 10 x 2 Hour Seminars
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Written Essay - 1 x 2,500 words  50%
Semester Exam 2 Hours   - Examination  50%
Supplementary Assessment (resit) Written Essay - 1 x 2,500 words  50%
Supplementary Exam 2 Hours   - (resit) Examination  50%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of a substantial body of historical knowledge in the field of US political, social and cultural history
2. Demonstrate an understanding of key debates in the history of the domestic impact of the Vietnam War within the United States.
3. Read, analyse and reflect critically on selected secondary and primary texts, including non-textual sources, and consider these as evidence for the historian of the domestic impact of the Vietnam War.
4. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of particular historical arguments and where necessary challenge them.

Aims

This module acts as an accompanying module to the Special Subject, Semester One, The Vietnam War, but while that module focuses upon political and military matters, this one will examine the enormous domestic political, social and cultural impact of the conflict in the United States, both at the time and in the decades since 1975. There is an extensive literature on these topics, and a wide range of engaging and intellectually stimulating primary materials that can be used to cast light upon them.

Brief description

The module focuses upon the different ways in which the Vietnam War affected the United States, both at the time and subsequently. It considers the response of different social groups to the conflict, looking at race, gender and social class in relation to attitudes towards the war and involvement in both the war effort and in the anti-war protest movement. It examines the cultural and demographic impact of the war, including the reception and assimilation of hundreds of thousands of Indochinese refugees, and the challenges posed to the United States by the re-integration of veterans and the vexed question of amnesty for those who had evaded the draft.

Content

1. The war and social class
2. Women and the Vietnam War
3. Race and the Vietnam War
4. Culture
5. The pro-war movement
6. Veterans
7. Amnesty
8. Refugee flight from Indochina
9. Refugee resettlement in the United States
10. Legacy

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number
Communication Written communication skills will be developed through the coursework and written examination; skills in oral presentation will be developed in seminars but are not formally assessed.
Improving own Learning and Performance Students will be advised on how to improve research and communication skills through the individual tutorial providing feedback on submitted coursework.
Information Technology Students will be encouraged to locate suitable material on the web and to apply it appropriately to their own work. Students will also be expected to word-process their work and make use of Blackboard. These skills will not be formally assessed.
Personal Development and Career planning Students will develop a range of transferable skills, including time management and communication skills, which may help them identify their personal strengths as they consider potential career paths.
Problem solving Students are expected to note and respond to historical problems which arise as part of the study of this subject area and to undertake suitable research for seminars and essays.
Research skills Students will develop their research skills by reading a range of texts and evaluating their usefulness in preparation for the coursework and the written examination.
Subject Specific Skills Students will develop their understanding of a key topic in US foreign policy history, focusing in particular upon the domestic political, social and cultural impacts of the conflict. Students will develop their understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different types of historical document (such as memoir, news footage, news reports, film and literature) for the study of this topic.
Team work Students will be expected to play an active part in group activities (e.g. short group presentations in seminars) and to learn to evaluate their own contribution to such activities.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6