HS 420 Vietnam 1954-1979
HS 420: Vietnam 1945-1979 Spring 2015
Mr Smith dsmith@innovationcharter.org Rm 206/Afterschool Tue3-4
Link to National Geographic Article "Hanoi: Shedding the Ghosts of War" May 2004 http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/print/features/world/asia/vietnam/hanoi-text
Course Summary: The origins, causes, conduct and legacy of the Vietnam Wars will be the foundation of this history elective. A major skill in the course will be interpreting history through different perspectives: What was the view of a Vietnamese soldier? Of an American General? Of an anti-war protester? Music, political cartoons, online exhibits and films will be a featured part of the course. A second skill is decision making. Students will prepare position papers and debate the historical questions raised in 1964: Should the Vietnam War be escalated? What were the different strategies or options at the time? Finally, you will choose a work of art that evokes and remembers the war, and evaluate the legacy and lessons of the war. In the final unit, students will choose from these options : create a memorial, conduct an original oral history project, research the war from the Vietnamese perspective or apply the lessons of Vietnam to modern conflicts.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
Why did the US lose the Vietnam War? Why did the North Vietnamese win?
How should the Vietnam War be remembered? What are the lessons/legacy of Vietnam?
KEY TEXTS/RESOURCES:
The Vietnam Reader, Stewart O’nan; Vietnam’s Unseen War , Hearts and Minds (DVD), Dear America: Letters From Home (Documentary), The Sorrows of War by Bao Ninh, The Vietnam war Remembered from all Sides by Christian Appy
Course Overview- See Course Calendar for Specific Assignment/Project dates
January 2015
Unit I 1945-1964
The First IndoChina War: Vietnam Revolutions
Vietnam: Geography, Culture, Nationalism and French Colonialism
Ho Chi Minh
America & Vietnam: The Bitter Heritage~Vietnam & American Democracy
by Arthur Schlesinger Ch 1-2 ‘How we got there’ and ‘What we did there’
Project/Assessments: Work Habits/Enduring Understanding
Exam #1: Key Terms, Essential History, Concepts, Map
February 2015
Unit II 1964-1968
Second IndoChina War: Causes and Decision Making
EQ: Should the US escalate the conflict in Vietnam?
Was the Tet Offensive a turning point in the conflict?
Project/Assessments: Research/Enduring Understanding
Decision Making: What should be the US Policy in Vietnam ?
Perspectives: The Tet Offensive 1968 (News Broadcast)
Exam #2: The Conflict 1964-1968
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (Book and DVD)
March-April 2015
Unit III : The Experience of War 1968-1975
EQ: How did the North Vietnamese win the war? (Why did the US lose)
What are the human costs of war?
Project/Assessments: Effective Communication/Enduring Understanding
Exam #3: History of the War (1968-1975)
Literature of the War: Comparing Two Works of Art/Fiction
-Vietnamese The Sorrows of War by Bao Ninh
-American The Things they Carried (T. O’brien) or Dispatches(Michael Herr)
April-May 2015
Unit IV Legacy and Memory of Vietnam
EQ: How should the Vietnam War be remembered? What are the lessons/legacy of Vietnam?
Projects/Assessments: Research-Enduring Understanding
Independent Research & Presentation: The Legacy of the War (Choice)
Memorials: Research and Create a Memorial
Oral History: Research and Conduct Original Interview
Music/Film: Study and Analysis of Vietnam Songs[3] or Movie[1]
Lessons of Vietnam: The Vietnam Syndrome and US Policy