The Vietnam War: A Television
History
HST 195 - 3 credits
Lane Community College
4000 East 30th Avenue
Eugene, OR 97405
#2137 Florence
#3613 Cottage Grove
Students will use an internet-capable computer to:
- Send email to the instructor
- Post messages to the class bulletin board
- Turn in written assignments using a computer via the internet
- Complete exams in an LCC Computer Testing Lab
Fax (541) 463-4160
Phone Numbers
Fax (541) 463-3974
- A Noble Cause? - America and the Vietnam War
by Gerard J. DeGroot
Paperback - 391 pages, published 2000
Pearson Education Limited; ISBN: 0582287170
- The Origins of the Vietnam War
by Fredrik Logevall
Paperback - 156 pages, published 2001
Pearson Education Limited; ISBN: 0582319188 - The Vietnam War
by Mitchell Hall
Paperback - 136 pages, published 2000
Pearson Education Limited; ISBN: 0582328594
This Telecourse is an integrated instructional program consisting of a thirteen (hour-long) episode video series, two examinations, and two written assignments. In addition to the videos, students are required to read 3 textbooks. (391, 156, and 136 pages respectively)
Upon completion of this course, students should:
- Grasp the political, social, and economic realities of the Vietnam War.
- Know the chronology of the key events in the Vietnam War.
- Appreciate that the Vietnam War was a milestone in American history that has shaped the American character and helped to change political, economic, military, and social institutions.
- Realize that the Vietnam War left numerous issues unresolved, many which will continue to challenge this nation and the world into the 21st century.
- Comprehend the war and its aftermath from multiple perspectives, from hawk to dove, American to Vietnamese, soldier to civilian.
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
No late work is accepted. You have two written assignments (and an optional extra credit assignment) to complete during the term. They are due, for all students, whether on Main Campus or in Cottage Grove or Florence, by the due date and time. Since all assignments are turned in via the internet, students will have to plan accordingly.
No make up exams are given. Students will have a 4 or 5 day period of time during which they must complete the midterm and final exams. These dates and times are listed on the class calendar below.
I am accessible via phone, fax, email, voicemail, or in person at scheduled appointments. Although not required for the course, you will find that using email will be extremely helpful, since I check my email multiple times each day, weekends included. Since this is a distance course, I encourage you to utilize this technology. My job is to help make this a successful experience for you. You will find that I enjoy helping my students.
All students MUST join the class listserv during the first
week of the term. Instructions are below. I will use the
listserv to send email to remind you of paper deadlines, pending exams,
and the posting of your grades. I will also use it
to "return" your written assignments, You must have an
email
address to participate. If you don't have one, contact me to learn how
to get your own email address for free.
- Go the class homepage at http://teach.lanecc.edu/escobarj
- Click the Join Class Email Listserv link (near the bottom)
- Add appropriate information in required fields
- Click the Add Me button (at the bottom)
There is also a class bulletinboard which students may use to post questions and/or comments about the material. See the Post to or Read Class Bulletin Board link on the class homepage.
Your grade in this course will be based on the following:
|
Midterm Exam 30% |
Letter Grades will be as follows: A+= 100% A=93%-99% A-=90%-92% B+=87%-89% B=83%-86% B-=80%-82% C+=77%-79% C=73%-76% C-=70%-72% D+=67%-69% D=63%-66% D-=60%-62% F=<60% |
Some students will be able to take the class for a Pass/No Pass grade. This option will not positively or negatively affect your GPA. Check with your counselor to see of this option will work for your own academic situation. Students have until the end of the 8th week of the term to change from a grade to a Pass/No Pass option, or to drop the course altogether, without it ever appearing on your transcripts. Of course, full tuition refunds only apply to those students who drop classes before the end of the FIRST week of the term.
Getting Your Grades
Students grades will be available on the class website. Written Assignments will be emailed back to you. If you would like to receive your grade information in another manner, please contact your instructor.
The objective exams consist of multiple choice questions, true/false, matching, maps, etc. Each objective exam will have between 50 and 100 questions. Most students will complete an exam in one hour, although you may have as much time as you need. Exams must be completed by 5:00 pm on the last testing day. You will have a 4 or 5 day window in which to take each exam. See the calendar below. There are no make-up exams. Before each exam, a study guide will be posted on the class website under the HANDOUTS link.
The actual exams can only be taken on LCC's Main Campus in CEN456, the Social Science Computer Testing Lab. Be sure to bring a photo ID with you on exam day.
IMPORTANT - Exams may also be taken in the LCC Outreach Centers (Florence or Cottage Grove) and nearly all of the Community Learning Centers (Churchill, Elmira, Junction City, McKenzie, Oakridge, Thurston, and Willamette). Students will need to contact the learning center coordinator at least one week in advance of their exam. Hours of operation vary from location to location. The exam deadline is absolute.
Students will complete two written assignments during the
course of the term.
Each paper must be submitted via the internet by clicking the TURN
IN ASSIGNMENT link on the class homepage. You will
be prompted to enter your full, 9 digit LCC student L# in the User ID
box
(leave the Password box blank). Next, you will follow the written
instructions and copy and paste the text of your paper (from whatever
word processing program you use) into the appropriate field on the
internet webpage. Then you will click the submit button.
After confirming that you are ready to submit, you will see a web
page thanking you for your submission.
I will grade your papers online and the results, your paper, my comments, and the grade will be emailed back to you after approximately one week.
Since this method of turning in assignments is probably new to
most students, we will have a practice run during the first week or two
of the course. Your first practice assignment will be to turn in
a
single paragraph about yourself. Answer this question. What
would you like me to know about you? That's it. Since this
is an independent study telecourse, I rarely get to meet with students
fact to face (except for a very formal orientation session the first
week that lasts less than an hour). So have fun with this
"assignment" and surprise me. I can't wait to see what you have
to
say. Complete this "assignment" by Friday, October 10 at 3pm, the
end of the second week of the term.
Again, the purposes of this assignment are:
- To see if you can follow the directions above
- To copy and paste text from one computer application to another
- To complete the task by the deadline
- To inform the instructor a little bit about yourself (I'm especially interested in purposes 1, 2, and 3)
Students will complete two written assignments during the
course of the term. See the calendar below
for deadlines. Late work will not be accepted.
The Written Assignment is an essay based on a question found on the
list of questions located under the HANDOUTS link
of the class website. Although subjective in nature, these
papers should be based on factual information and must not be
written in first person (eg. "I think", "I feel", "My opinion", "We
are told".). Each paper is to be typed, source-noted,
spell-checked, grammatically correct, and proofread, and be the
equivalent of 2 to 3 double-spaced pages in length.
Since your papers will be turned in via the internet using
copy and paste, they will not retain any special formatting, like bold,
italics, underlining, centering, or superscripting. This is fine
in that none of these are required on your papers. You will,
however, have to make two very important adjustments as you type your
papers.
#1 Instead of clicking a <return> and <tab>
on your keyboard at the end of one paragraph and the start of another,
simply put an extra blank line between paragraphs by clicking
<return> <return> at the end of a paragraph.
#2 Footnote your sources within the text of your papers
by following the direct quote or referenced sentence(s)/paragraph with
an open parenthesis, author/source, page number, close parenthesis.
Examples.
"Recognizing an opportunity, Ho returned to Vietnam in February, 1941."
(DeGroot, 24)
"In the states, children play cowboys and indians. In Vietnam,
the children play it for real." (Video #1, U.S. soldier)
You must incorporate document, textbook, and video
information into your responses and answer ALL questions and
sub-questions (in an integrated manner) to receive a decent grade.
Students will choose one question they would like to answer from the
list of questions located under the HANDOUTS link
of the class website
The most difficult task required of any instructor is that of
grading papers. Although the purpose of this assignment is not to
grade papers on spelling and grammar, problems in these areas can
only detract from the readability and enjoyment of the paper, not to
mention the lack of care or proofreading they illustrate. You do not
want me to be proofreading your papers. You want me to be reading
your best work and best effort. Therefore, I urge you to seek
assistance if writing is not one of your strengths. For more help,
other than your instructor, you should contact the Counseling/Advising
Center, the Study Skills Learning Center, The
Writing Center, the English Department, and/or the Library staff.
Combined, these papers are nearly one half of your grade in this class (40%), more than each of the exams. Consider what you are required to do in order to adequately prepare for just one of these exams, such as reading hundreds of pages of text and watching several hours of video. This should give you an indication of the effort I am looking for in the written assignment.
In summary:
- Proofread your papers
- Do not plagiarize. Violators will be punished to the furthest extent of LCC's academic honesty code
- Written Assignment #1 is due Friday, October 31, by 3pm.
- Written Assignment #2 is due Wednesday, November 26, by 3pm.
IMPORTANT - The papers are due, submitted via the
internet, by 3:00 pm on the deadline day. See VERY IMPORTANT
INFORMATION section above.
Students will have nearly five weeks to complete each paper;
therefore, no late papers will be accepted. See the calendar below.
Many Vietnam Era Veterans believe that the little-known movies Hanoi Hilton, Hamburger Hill, and Letters Home From Vietnam offer a more accurate depiction of the war and what it was like to be there than mega box-office hits such as Born on the 4th of July or Platoon. Rent either Hanoi Hilton or Hamburger Hill or Letters Home From Vietnam and write a review of the movie. How accurately do you believe this movie depicts a soldier's life in Vietnam? How has the movie increased your understanding of this tragic historical experience?
The Extra Credit Assignment will be submitted via the internet, and is due Friday, November 14, by 3pm. Again, no late work will be accepted.
- Videos are available for term-long loan from the LCC Library.
- You may also view the videos while at the library in their media section. Check with the Reference Desk in the Library for additional information
All videos must be viewed thoughtfully and critically. You may find yourself pausing the videos and rewinding in certain places to hear and see something again. You may consider watching them a number of times. Do not expect that a casual viewing of the tapes will prepare you for the expectations of this course.
See page titled SPRING TERM DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE DETAILS
#2137 Florence
#3613 Cottage Grove
Video materials are available at the outreach centers for registered students.
IMPORTANT - The calendar of assignments and exams is the same for Main Campus and Outreach Center students. Exams must be COMPLETED by 5pm on the deadline day. See VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION section above.
For Outreach Center hours of operation, see page titled FALL TERM DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE DETAILS
See the calendar below for deadlines.
You are STRONGLY encouraged to complete readings, viewing, and assignments in the following order:
- Read the text and study guide BEFORE viewing the corresponding video.
- Take notes. Write questions and reactions.
- Watch the video.
- Take notes. Write questions and reactions.