Module Information

Module Identifier
HQ38820
Module Title
The Vietnam War: The View from Southeast Asia
Academic Year
2019/2020
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Co-Requisite
Other Staff

Course Delivery

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

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Essay  (2,500 words)  50%
Semester Assessment Written document analysis 1  (1,500 words)  25%
Semester Assessment Oral presentation  25%
Supplementary Assessment Essay  (2,500 words)  50%
Supplementary Assessment Document analysis 1  (1,500 words)  25%
Supplementary Assessment Document analysis 2  (1,500 words) Students must take elements of assessment equivalent to those that led to the failure of the module.  25%

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Demonstrate familiarity with a substantial body of historical knowledge in the field of Southeast Asian political, social and cultural history, as well as research produced by scholars from other disciplines where appropriate.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of key debates in the history of the Vietnam War, and the Cold War more generally throughout Southeast Asia.

3. Read, analyse and reflect critically on selected secondary and primary texts and consider these as evidence for the historian of the Vietnam War from a Southeast Asian perspective.

4. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of particular historical arguments and where necessary challenge them.

Brief description

The module focuses upon the different ways in which the war affected the countries of Southeast Asia, paying particular attention to the priorities of local elites as they negotiated not only super-power politics but also decolonization. It will consider the role played by the United States – and to a lesser degree the communist powers – on managing the process of nation building during this period: the role of US aid in shaping policy (with a priority placed on security) and the various attempts to win hearts and minds.

Content

1.Decolonization and the end of World War II

2.The First Indochina War: Communist or Nationalist?

3.SEATO and US policy in Asia

4.Neutralism to Bandung

5.Diem’s vision

6.A culture of violence?: the 1965 Indonesian massacre

7.The American War: Politics

8.The American War: Cultures and Memory

9.Vietnam: Cultural impacts in Thailand

10. Laos and Cambodia

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 and 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 assignments.
Research skills Students will develop their research skills by reading a range of texts and evaluating their usefulness in preparation for the coursework.
Subject Specific Skills Students will develop their understanding of a key topic in the history of the twentieth century, focusing in particular upon an understanding of this episode from the perspective of Southeast Asian communities. 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