Hello Students,

My name is Joe Escobar and I will be teaching HST195 History of the Vietnam War Spring Term at Lane Community College.  The course is a completely online class and it is probably already full.  Any student wanting to add the class should definitely sign up on the official MyLane waitlist (if there are openings on that 5 person list) AND on my unofficial wait list (CLICK HERE).

HST195 is not a “correspondence” or independent study course, where students can work through the material at their own pace.  Neither can students “work ahead” and finish the course content “early”.  All students will complete materials at a weekly pace throughout the ten week term.  Students will participate in activities online which require them to be studying the same material at the same time.  Finally, students must physically come to campus to take the midterm and final exams in a secure, proctored environment.  (Students outside of the Willamette Valley can arrange for a proctor in their local area.)  CLICK HERE for information about arranging a proctor.  If you are not able to abide by these requirements, you should not enroll in this particular course.  If you are already enrolled, be sure to drop the course immediately.

HST195 is a online class, and as such, it will require a significant amount of writing.  As a matter of fact, the only way you can really earn a grade in this online course, besides the two exams, will be through your written communication, in assignments and online forums.  While there is no official writing course prerequisite, if you have not successfully passed WR121, WR122, and WR123, or if your writing skills are not already at a college level, I would highly recommend against your taking this class.

To help you decide whether to take this course or not, I have published all of my student evaluations on this website.  I’ve even written responses to some of them (in red).  See them by clicking the appropriate link on the top, right hand corner of this web page.

As an online class, we will use Moodle extensively to accomplish our work.  Once registered, you will be able to login to the site with your L# and MyLane passphrase. The site URL is:

http://classes.lanecc.edu

Once logged in, you should take the time to print (if necessary) and read the course syllabus and watch the video screen captured class orientation.  (The orientation will be available on Monday, the first day of the term.)

If you are officially enrolled in the class, make sure you login before the term starts.  If you have questions, Moodle message me immediately.  If you have never sent a Moodle message, take a quick look at the help video I’ve provided.  Also, be sure that you have your correct email address in the MyLane/Moodle system in order to receive the official class communications required for you to be successful in this course.

Although you may check out the DVD set from the LCC library to watch at home, you will be responsible for viewing numerous OTHER required video materials from the internet that I will post each week.  Therefore, it is highly recommended that you have high speed internet access.  (If you can view YouTube videos and the sample video I’ve provided in Moodle, then you should be able to watch the online videos required for this course.)

I highly recommend that you test your online video viewing capability right now. 

CLICK HERE for a sample video clip.  It will provide you with a quick technical check of you computer’s abilities and internet connection speed.  It’s only two and a half minutes in length and should begin to play audio and video almost immediately.  (If the above link does not work, TRY THIS ONE INSTEAD.)

Written materials will also be provided to you in an online format.  CLICK HERE for a sample PDF file that you should be able to download and read on your computer.

If you cannot successfully complete the steps above (video and PDF), then you either need to fix the problem or drop the class.

Finally, I wanted to let you know about the course textbooks.  The books are available in the LCC Bookstore and elsewhere. 

1. •America's Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950-1975
   by George C Herring
   Format: Paperback: 416 pages
   Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education; 5th edition (November 15, 2015)
   # ISBN-13: 9780073513256
   

1. ◦$40 with free shipping from Amazon.com.  It can also be rented or purchased used.  Amazon also offers a Kindle edition.
   

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3. •Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered from All Sides
   by Christian G. Appy
   Published 2004
   # ISBN: 0142004499
   # ISBN-13: 9780142004494
   Format: Paperback, 608 pages
   Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
   

1. ◦$14 new or starting at $2 used (shipping additional) from Amazon.com, who also offers a Kindle edition.
   

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5. •   Vietnam - A Television History
   

        Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC

        DVD Release Date: July 27, 2004

        Run Time: 660 minutes

        ASIN: B0001WTWOC

1. 1. ◦$35 new from Amazon.com  (The entire series can also be viewed on YouTube... see the link in Moodle)  The DVDs are NOT for sale in the bookstore, since you can check them out from the LCC library.
      

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I look forward to meeting you online and working with you during the term.

Until then,

Joe Escobar

History Instructor

Lane Community College

last updated 3/20/2017