HIST 2475 America's War in Vietnam
This course will examine America's thirty-year military involvement in Southeast Asia, one of the most controversial episodes in U.S. history. Students will read a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, from recently declassified state and Defense Department documents to poetry and short stories. Course readings are selected from various points on the left-right political spectrum, with both "hawks" and "doves" receiving their day in court. Lectures will include the origins of the Cold War; the Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon presidencies; antiwar activism and other Vietnam era movements; and American soldiers' experience during and after service in Vietnam.
Course overview
- Department
- History
- School
- MCAS
- Credits
- 3
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Offered
- Periodically in the Fall
Requirements fulfilled
- International Studies: Concentration: Cooperation and Conflict – approved courses (six courses in one concentration) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- History: Free history electives (two courses at the 2000 or 4000 level) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- History: LAMA electives in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, or Africa (two courses at the 2000 or 4000 level) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- History: U.S. History elective (one course at the 2000 or 4000 level) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 4.49 / 5 · Very Good
- Instructor rating
- 4.68 / 5 · Excellent
- Terms evaluated
- 4
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Seth Jacobs | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 1–3 hrs/week | 252 of 290 |
| Fall 2023 | Seth Jacobs | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 1–3 hrs/week | 196 of 237 |
| Fall 2022 | Seth Jacobs | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 1–3 hrs/week | 202 of 245 |
| Fall 2021 | Seth Jacobs | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 1–3 hrs/week | 63 of 98 |