HIST 348 The Vietnam Wars
This course examines the string of armed conflicts that unfolded in Vietnam in the middle part of the 20th century, focusing on their military, political, cultural, and social dimensions. It explores how, when, and why war broke out in Vietnam, and why major powers such as France, the United States, China, and the Soviet Union intervened. It examines how combat shaped the lives of everyone it touched and how the wars sparked fierce debates about nationhood, imperialism, and armed struggle across the globe. And it ponders the legacies war left. In so doing, this course seeks a fuller reckoning with the causes, costs, and consequences of the Vietnam Wars.