HST 404/504-01 America's Wars in Asia:
(The Pacific War, the Korean War, & the Vietnam War in Perspectives)

 

Spring 2005                                                                                 Class Room: AD336
                                                                                                    Time: MWF 12:30-1:20am
Instructor: Dr. Pingchao Zhu
Office: 315 AD
Office Hour: 1:30-3:00pm, MWF, or by appointment
Office Phone: 885-7166, or 885-6253
Email: pzhu@uidaho.edu
Website: www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~pzhu
 
COURSE DESCRIPTION
            This course is about war.  More precisely, it is a special subject on three major wars the United States fought in Asia between 1941 and 1975: the Pacific War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.  The course includes general examination of military strategy and tactics, discussion on major campaigns and battles, analysis of politics and diplomacy, review of the anti-war and peace movements, and reflection on human suffering and consequences of the war.  Perspectives from all sides of the war, including the United States, Japan, China, North Korea & South Korea, and Vietnam, will be presented in order to evaluate major issues and problems in American foreign policy in the twentieth century.  While a profound knowledge of U.S. foreign policy is not a prerequisite, students are expected to adopt critical thinking in understanding various theories and events.  Relevant scholarship, important theories, and major schools of thought will be introduced and discussed throughout the course.
 
TEXTBOOKS
1. Mark D. Roehrs & William A. Renzi, World War II in the Pacific, New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2004.
2. Eugene Franklin Clark, USN, The Secrets of Inchon: The Untold Story of the Most Daring Covert Mission of the Korean War, New York: Berkley Books, 2002.
3. Bao Ninh, The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam, New York: Riverhead Books, 1993.
 
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Three Exams                                    100 points each
2. Two Book Reports                             80 each
3. Attendance & Participation                 40
                                                              
1. Examinations consist of essay, short answers, & Identifications and they are not cumulative.  Questions mainly come from lectures and readings of the textbooks.
 
2. Book reports
1)Book Report One is on The Secrets of Inchon by Clark.  Students should write the essay to include the following aspects:
            a. Identify the secret mission of then Lt. Clark, (where, who were involved, what they encountered, etc.) and how was the mission accomplished.
            b. Who were the people that assisted Lt. Clark during the mission and what happened to some of them later?
            c. What were Clark’s views on the US action in Korea, on North Korean action against South Korea, on South Korean soldiers’ ability in the war, and on his “secret mission” in general?
            d. How important was “the secret mission” to the Inchon Landing in mid-Sept, 1950?  What were Clark’s and US military’s assessment, and what is your assessment?
            e. Anything you have learned from this book that you did not know before reading it.  Also give your own assessment of the book for its strong as well as weak points.  
           
2) Book Report Two is on The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh.  The report should include the following questions:
            a. Describe the main character Kien in the novel (his personality, experience in the north Vietnamese military, personal life, family, friends, and other related stories);
            b. Why did Kien join the North Vietnamese army?  Why did he continue to fight?  What was the goal/motive for Kien, or North Vietnamese soldiers?
            c. What was the life like for the North Vietnamese soldiers in the war?  Describe some of their private moments during the war (such as the relations between Kien and his girl friend Phuong)?
            d. How did the North Vietnamese soldiers view the US soldiers?  Do you see any differences of similarities between the soldiers of both sides? 
            e. What do you learn about the war from the other side from this novel?  How much you did not know before reading Bao Ninh’s book?  Is his story convincing?   How do you tie the title of the book The Sorrow of War to the story in the novel?
            f. Finally, choose a couple of the review excerpts from the back cover of the book or on the pages inside the front cover and give your personal comment; do you agree or disagree with the review assessments, why?
 
**Please be aware that Clark's book is one of history while Bao Ninh's is a history based fiction.  Therefore, apply different perspectives when reading each and write the book reports accordingly.
**Both book reports should be typed, double spaced in 12 font, and 4-6 pages in length.  Information of the book MUST be properly cited on the first page before the main text as listed in the textbook category.  Any quotation MUST be properly cited as the following example:
 
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As Kien listened to the conversation about the war, he wanted to disagreed with his comrades-in-arms: “It wasn’t true that young Vietnamese loved war…If war came they would fight, and fight courageously.  But that did not mean they loved fighting” (p. 75).
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3. Attendance is students’ own responsibility.  Since examination questions come mainly from the lectures and readings, it is important to attend the class and participate.
 
GRADUATE STUDENTS should meet with the instructor to make arrangement for additional work for graduate credits.
 
GRADING SCALE  A=500-450   B=449-400   C=399-350   D=349-300   F=299 and below

Academic Honesty
This instructor requires the entire class to follow the Policy of Academic Honesty from the University of Idaho.  All work you turn in is expected to be your own, created specifically for this class.  Material taken from other sources must be clearly acknowledged in your notes.  Plagiarism or other forms of cheating are very serious offenses that will result in failure of this course and can lead to academic suspension or dismissal by the university.  This also applies to a person who knowingly aids another in attempting to gain credit for work not mostly of his/her own intellectual effort. All cases will be referred to the Dean of the Students.

Attached to the course syllabus is a copy of the University of Idaho Policy on Academic Honesty.  Finding of violation of this policy in student's course assignment will result in "0" grade for the assignment, and possibly an "F" for the course.  Please read the university policy carefully and follow it to the letter.  This instructor will not negotiate the university policy in any way.

Class Policy
1. Late Papers: unless student obtains advanced permission from the instructor, or submits legitimate written notes for military, university, or jury duties, late paper will receive 10 points deduction per day.  Please do not assume that placing your late paper in my mailbox automatically means you have turned in the paper on time.   When it is stated on the syllabus that the paper is due on Monday, it means the paper is due in class on Monday, not by 5pm on Monday.

2.Make-up Exam: can only be granted with legitimate reasons (such as medical emergency, university or military duties) accompanied with written notes.   Oversleep or out of town for personal business cannot be taken into consideration.

3. “Incomplete” Grade can only be granted toward the end of the semester under the condition that student has performed well in the course throughout the semester but can not possibly complete a couple of remaining assignments as a result of medical problem, military service, or other emergencies.  Again, a written note is required to prove the situation.  A grade cannot be changed to “I” after the final grade has been entered.


COURSE SCHEDULE
 
Week 1           Jan. 12-14 (Class begins on Wed.)
                        Introduction to the course
                        The rise of the United States
                        Japanese Militarism
                        The Pacific region
                        Reading:  Roehrs & Renzi, Chapt. 1
 
Week 2           Jan. 19-21 (No class on Monday, Human Rights day)
                        The Pacific War, I
                        European theater
                        Sino-Japanese War
                        U.S.-Japan relations
                        Reading: Roehrs & Renzi, Chapt. 2
 
Week 3            Jan. 24-28
                        The Pacific War, II
                        Pearl Harbor
                        War Diplomacy
                        Reading:  Roehrs & Renzi, Chapts. 3 & 4
 
Week 4           Jan. 31- Feb. 4
                        The Pacific War, III
                                Allied Counter Offensives
                        Reading: Roehrs & Renzi, Chapts. 5-7

Week 5           Feb. 7-11
                        The Pacific War, IV
                        Japan at War
                        The atomic bombs (Black Rain (movie))
                        Reading: Roehrs & Renzi, Chapts. 8-10

Week 6           Feb. 14-18
                        The Pacific War, V
                        Allied Occupation
                        New Japan & U.S.-Japan Alliance
                                Reading: Roehrs & Renzi, Chapts. 11-12
                        **1st mid-term examination on Friday

Week 7          Feb. 23-25 (no class on Monday, Presidents' Day)                                        
                        The Korean War, I   
                        Postwar Korea
                        Sino-Soviet relations
                        Reading: Clark, intro, Chapts. 1-3

Week 8           Feb. 28-Mar. 4
                        The Korean War II
                         China at war with the U.S.
                        General MacArthur's war
                        The 38th Parallel
                        Reading: Clark, Chapts. 5-6

Week 9           Mar. 7-11
                        The Korean War, III
                        Negotiating while fighting
                        The POW issue & the armistice
                        Reading: Clark, Chpts. 7-9

Week 10          Mar. 14-18 Spring Recess, No Class

Week 11          Mar. 21-25
                         The Korean War, IV
                        The Korean War in literature
                        The Silver Stallion (Korea)
                        The Manchurian Candidate (U.S.)
                        The Heroic Sons and Daughters (China)
                        Reading: Clark, Chapts. 10-12 & Epilogue
                                 **1st Book Report (Clark’s) due on Friday

Week 12         Mar. 28-Apr. 1
                        The Korean War V
                        The two Koreas
                        Issue of unification
                        Reading: handouts

Week 13          Apr. 4-8
                        The Vietnam War, I
                        Postwar settlement
                        Ho Chi Minh
                        The NFL/Vietcong
                        Reading: Bao Ninh, pp. 1-68
                                 **2nd Examination on Friday

Week 14         Apr. 11-15              
                        The Vietnam War, II
                        Gulf of Tonkin resolution
                        Americanization
                        The Tet Offensive
                        Reading: Bao Ninh, pp. 68-146

Week 15         Apr. 18-22
                        The Vietnam War, III
                        Nixon & Vietnamization
                        U.S.,China, and the Vietnam War
                        Anti-war movement                 
                        Reading: Bao Ninh, pp.146-192

Week 16         Apr. 25-29
                        The Vietnam War, IV
                        My Lai
                        Sorrow of the War
                        Reading: Bao Ninh, pp. 192-233
                        **2nd Book Report (Bao Ninh’s book) due on Friday

Week 17        May 2-6
                        The Vietnam War, V
                        Postwar Vietnam  
                        War stories from all sides
                         Major Problems in U.S. Foreign Policy

Week 18         May 9-13 Finals Week
                        May 10, Tue. Final Examination, 1-3pm
                       
                       
**The above course schedule is subject to changes by the instructor.