{"ModuleCode":"SE3228","ModuleTitle":"The Universe Unraveling: Narratives of War in Indochina","Department":"Southeast Asian Studies","ModuleDescription":"The module takes students from the origins of revolutionary anticolonial movements in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in the 1920s, through the years of war in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s to their legacies in today’s diasporic communities. In addition to a core text, students will read a variety of first-person accounts written by anyone from revolutionary leaders to foot soldiers to children to doctors to Buddhist monks. 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[P, G]"}],"AcadYear":"2014/2015","History":[{"Semester":1,"ExamDate":"2014-12-04T13:00+0800","Timetable":[{"ClassNo":"1","LessonType":"Lecture","WeekText":"Every Week","DayText":"Monday","StartTime":"1400","EndTime":"1600","Venue":"AS7-0102"},{"ClassNo":"E1","LessonType":"Tutorial","WeekText":"Even Week","DayText":"Wednesday","StartTime":"1000","EndTime":"1200","Venue":"AS3-0620"},{"ClassNo":"E2","LessonType":"Tutorial","WeekText":"Even Week","DayText":"Friday","StartTime":"1000","EndTime":"1200","Venue":"AS3-0620"}],"IVLE":[{"Announcements":null,"Forums":[],"Workbins":[],"Webcasts":[],"Gradebooks":[],"Polls":[],"Multimedia":[],"LessonPlan":[],"ID":"0afa7ef2-31f2-4541-bf8e-34ff308c77b2","CourseLevel":"1","CourseCode":"SE3228","CourseName":"THE UNIVERSE UNRAVELING: NARRATIVES OF WAR IN INDOCHINA","CourseDepartment":"","CourseSemester":"Semester 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In addition to a core text, students will read a variety of first-person accounts written by anyone from revolutionary leaders to foot soldiers to children to doctors to Buddhist monks. The objective is to see the wars from multiple perspectives and to investigate how first-person accounts may complement, complicate, or even contest orthodox narratives of revolution and war. By the end of the module on Indochina, we will have learned to take a critical and humanistic approach to a variety of texts and will have developed a broad understanding of the region’s wars as military, political, technological, economic, social, and cultural processes lived by ordinary people.","Order":1},{"ID":"1e5f053b-8835-4692-be49-41f07234cfff","Title":"Learning Outcomes","Description":"The objective is to see the wars from multiple perspectives and to investigate how first-person accounts may complement, complicate, or even contest orthodox narratives of revolution and war. By the end of the module on Indochina, we will have learned to take a critical and humanistic approach to a variety of texts and will have developed a broad understanding of the region’s wars as military, political, technological, economic, social, and cultural processes lived by ordinary people. ","Order":2},{"ID":"6e5f053b-8835-4692-be49-41f07234cfff","Title":"Syllabus","Description":"SE3228: The universe unraveling: narratives of war in Indochina
\r\nLecture: Mondays, 14:00 – 16:00
\r\nTutorials: Wednesdays/Fridays, 10:00 to 12:00
\r\n
\r\nGerard Sasges
\r\ngerard.sasges@nus.edu.sg
\r\nAS3 06-16
\r\n
\r\nThe module takes students from the origins of revolutionary anticolonial movements in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in the 1920s, through the years of war in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s to their legacies in today’s diasporic communities. In addition to a core text, students will read a variety of first-person accounts written by anyone from revolutionary leaders to foot soldiers to children to doctors to Buddhist monks. The objective is to see the wars from multiple perspectives and to investigate how first-person accounts may complement, complicate, or even contest orthodox narratives of revolution and war. By the end of the module on Indochina, we will have learned to take a critical and humanistic approach to a variety of texts and will have developed a broad understanding of the region’s wars as military, political, technological, economic, social, and cultural processes lived by ordinary people.
\r\n
\r\nReadings: Each week there will be three types of readings, each serving a different purpose. The “background” reading provides general context for the period and the issue discussed. The “problem” reading investigates a particular issue in more depth. Finally, the “narrative” reading gives students a personal view on the issue or period. All three will be woven into the class discussion each week. All readings for the module will be uploaded in PDF format to the module’s IVLE workbin.
\r\n
\r\nClasses: Classes will combine lecture and seminar formats, and I will often pose questions for you to work through in groups, in pairs, and individually. If you don’t do the readings, you’re going to look pretty silly. Similarly, if you don’t come to class you’re going to look really silly when it comes time for the final exam.
\r\n
\r\nTutorials: Tutorials are a time for us to come together and share our ideas and experiences as we work through the stages of the “Perspectives” assignment. Assignments form part of the discussion and are handed in at the end of the tutorial, so attendance is CRUCIAL. If for whatever reason you cannot attend your regular tutorial, arrange to attend the alternate or else you risk a failing grade for your assignment.
\r\n
\r\nAssessment: You will be assessed on the basis of a five-part “Perspectives” project on a topic you choose yourself, and on your performance on a final, open-book essay-style exam covering material from the entire module.
\r\n
\r\nPerspectives Part 1: potential topics ungraded
\r\nPerspectives Part 2: annotated bibliography 10%
\r\nPerspectives Part 3: objective account 20%
\r\nPerspectives Part 4: peer review 10%
\r\nPerspectives Part 5: personal account 30%
\r\nFinal Exam: open book, material from entire module 30%
\r\n
\r\nAll written assignments are due on the date stated in the module guide or as assigned in class. If you’re supposed to present an assignment in tutorial (Perspectives Parts 1, 3, and 4), then failure to do so will mean a failing grade. I’ll only make exceptions in the case of a documented illness or family emergency. For work not involving a tutorial presentation, a late penalty of one +/- grade per day applies to work turned in late.
\r\n
\r\nPerspectives: The central feature of this class is a semester-long-part project that allows you to examine a particular “event” in the course of the Indochinese Wars from multiple perspectives. That “event” might be a particular moment or process, such as the overthrow of President Ngo Dinh Diem or Land Reform in the DRV; it might be a particular institution like the Hoa Hao sect or the colonial secret service; it might be an issue like feminism or even drug use among US servicemen. The point is to pick something that you’re interested in and that will allow you to explore in depth some aspect of the Indochinese Wars.
\r\n
\r\nPart 1: This part allows you to experiment with potential topics. Look at the syllabus, at some of the websites below, read some of the assigned readings, and make a list of topics you find interesting. When you’ve settled on three potential ones, make a list with brief notes explaining exactly what each one is and including three reasons why you think it might be interesting. Print it out and bring it to the tutorial in Week 4. You’ll make a short five-minute presentation to the group about your three potential topics, and hand in the list to me at the end of your tutorial (Week 4 tutorial, ungraded).
\r\n
\r\nPart 2: Now that you’ve settled on a topic, it’s time to begin researching. In this part, you’ll develop an annotated bibliography of three to five sources related to your topic. At least two of those sources must be scholarly sources, i.e. written by a university academic. For a description of an annotated bibliography and how to do it, check out the website at the Trent History Project in the list of useful websites below. You don’t have to read each source completely, just enough to make a decent summary. And at the end of the bibliography, include an overall summary that lists three issues related to your topic that you’ve identified as important. The assignment is due in tutorial in Week 6 (Week 6 tutorial, 10%).
\r\n
\r\nPart 3: Now it’s time to write an “objective” account of what happened. This should be between 2000 and a maximum of 3000 words. This is important: YOU ARE NOT MAKING AN ARGUMENT. You are simply telling a story of what happened when and in what context. I know in university we’re always supposed to be arguing for one side or another, but here there is no side to argue, no how or why to demonstrate. There is only what. My intention is to take a step backward and make sure you really know what happened. Print out your account and bring it to tutorial in Week 8. In tutorial you’ll make a brief summary (5 minutes) of the event, including your thoughts on which character you might choose for Parts 4 and 5 of the project, and what issues that character would allow you to explore. At the end of the tutorial, we’ll choose partners for Part 4 of the project, and you’ll hand in your account to me (Week 8 tutorial, 20%).
\r\n
\r\nPart 4: By this point, you’ll have had four weeks to work on a draft of your final “Perspectives” assignment. Before tutorial in Week 12, you’ll meet with your partner and exchange drafts. For those of you doing a non-textual final assignment you’re just going to have to figure out a solution (you’re smart people; I’m sure you’ll come up with something). Then you’ll do a peer review of your partner’s draft assignment using the template at the end of this syllabus (also available in the IVLE workbin). Bring two copies of the peer review to tutorial. In tutorial you’ll make a short five-minute presentation based on your review (i.e. you’re describing your partner’s assignment and they’re describing yours). At the end of your tutorial you’ll hand one copy to your partner and the other to me (Week 12 tutorial, 10%).
\r\n
\r\nPart 5: This is what it’s all been building towards: a retelling of your “event” through the eyes of a participant. We’ve seen many different ways of telling first-person narratives in this module, and I encourage you to experiment with different ways of telling the story you want to tell. It could be a memoir, it could be letters home, it could be a scrapbook, it could be a video diary, it could be almost anything. In evaluating the assignment I’ll be thinking about four different criteria. First, is it historically accurate? Are there any factual errors? Second, is it rich and detailed? Do I really get a feel for the time and the place? Third, is it believable? Could the “plot” really have unfolded as related? Do the characters act like real human beings with real motivations and emotions? And fourth, does the story illuminate some of the issues raised by your “event?” Does it allow me to engage with important historical or human problems but in a more immediate way? Easy, right? You can submit your project either electronically, at my office during office hours, or in my mailbox by the end of Reading Week at 17:00 on 22 November 2014 (22 November, 30%).
\r\n
\r\nFinal Exam: The final exam will be open-book, with a choice of essay questions covering the material from the entire module including films (TBA, 30%).
\r\n
\r\nPlagiarism: All written work is to be your own original work, done for this module. DO NOT PLAGIARISE. Plagiarism is taking someone else’s words, ideas or arguments without acknowledging them appropriately. If you use the exact words taken from a source, they must be in quotation marks and the source must be referenced. If you paraphrase, give the source in a reference. See the NUS policy on plagiarism at http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/graduate/plagiarismwarning.htm and ‘Plagiarism prevention resources’ at http://www.cit.nus.edu.sg/plagiarism/ for more details. Any student found to have committed or abetted the offence of plagiarism will be subject to disciplinary actions in accordance with Section 1 (I) of Statute 12 (Discipline) of the National University of Singapore. In addition, the student may receive no mark/grade for the relevant assignment or may fail or be denied a grade for the module.
\r\n
\r\nUseful websites:
\r\nHow to get the most out of a class: http://www.trentu.ca/history/workbook/lecturesandseminars.php
\r\n
\r\nScholarly sources:
\r\nhttp://www.trentu.ca/history/workbook/scholarlysources.php
\r\n
\r\nAnnotated bibliographies: http://www.trentu.ca/history/workbook/annotatedbibliographies.php
\r\n
\r\nHow to do an exam:
\r\nhttp://www.trentu.ca/history/workbook/exampreparation.php
\r\n
\r\nThe Indochina Wars 1945-1956:
\r\nhttp://indochine.uqam.ca/en/bibliography.html
\r\n
\r\nThe Indochina Wars 1858-1986:
\r\nhttp://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/facultypages/EdMoise/bibliography.html
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n","Order":3},{"ID":"4e5f053b-8835-4692-be49-41f07234cfff","Title":"Schedule","Description":"Week 1 (11 August): Introduction
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nWeek 2 (18 August): the colonial period
\r\n
\r\nBackground: Mark Philip Bradley, Chapter 1
\r\nProblem: David Del Testa, “Railway workers”
\r\nNarrative: Vu Trong Phung, “Household servants”
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nWeek 3 (25 August): WWII and the August Revolution
\r\n
\r\nBackground: Jessica Chapman, “Anticolonialism in Vietnam’s Wild South”
\r\nProblem: Nguyen The Anh, “Nationalist discourse”
\r\nNarrative: Bui Tin, From Cadre to Exile (excerpt)
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nWeek 4 (1 September): the First Indochina War
\r\n
\r\nBackground: Mark Philip Bradley, Chapter 2
\r\nProblem: Edwin Moise, “Land reform”
\r\nNarrative: Duong Thu Huong, Paradise of the Blind (excerpt),
\r\nTutorial: potential topics (Project Part 1)
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nWeek 5 (8 September): Cambodia between the superpowers
\r\n
\r\nBackground: Milton Osborne, “Gaining Independence”
\r\nProblem: Kenton Clymer, “Cambodia viewed from the US”
\r\nNarrative: Norodom Sihanouk, “Manila Interlude,” and “What Price Dollar Aid?”
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nWeek 6 (15 September): the Ngo Dinh Diem experiment
\r\n
\r\nBackground: Mark Philip Bradley, Chapter 3
\r\nProblem: Ed Miller, “Ngo Dinh Diem”
\r\nNarrative: Mike Montesano, Interview with Jeffrey Race
\r\nTutorial: filmic narratives, hand in annotated bibliography (Project Part 2)
\r\n
\r\nRECESS WEEK
\r\n
\r\nWeek 7 (29 September): the Tet offensive and its international context
\r\n
\r\nBackground: Mark Philip Bradley, Chapter 4
\r\nProblem: Lien-Hang T. Nguyen, “The War Politburo” (pp. 4-58)
\r\nNarrative: Xiaobing Li, ed. “Russian missile officers,” “Chinese troops in the jungle,” “A Korean Captain”
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nWeek 8 (6 October):
\r\n
\r\nLecture cancelled for Hari Raya Haji
\r\nFilm: watch one of the suggested films
\r\nTutorial: present your topic and hand in your “objective account” (Project Part 3)
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nWeek 9 (13 October): Laos and the air war
\r\n
\r\nBackground: Martin Stuart-Fox, “War and Revolution, 1964-1975”
\r\nProblem: Fred Branfman, “Introduction” (pp. 3-38).
\r\nNarrative: “Voices from the Plain of Jars”
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nWeek 10 (20 October): the end of war?
\r\n
\r\nBackground: Mark Philip Bradley, Chapter 5 (pp. 147-182)
\r\nProblem: Ngo Vinh Long, “Post-Paris Peace struggles and the fall of Saigon”
\r\nNarrative: Larry Engelmann, ed. Tears before the Rain (excerpts)
\r\nTutorial: Cancelled for Deepavali
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nWeek 11 (27 October): Democratic Kampuchea
\r\n
\r\nBackground: Milton Osborne, “Revolution in Cambodia”
\r\nProblem: Kevin McIntyre, “Geography as destiny”
\r\nNarrative: Molyda Szymusiak, The Stones Cry Out (excerpt)
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nWeek 12 (3 November): War’s Legacies
\r\n
\r\nBackground: Mark Philip Bradley, Chapter 6 (pp. 183-197)
\r\nProblem: Trung Dinh Dang, “Southern Land Reform”
\r\nNarrative: Nguyen Huy Thiep, “The General Retires”
\r\nTutorial: peer reviews of assignments (Project Part 4)
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nWeek 13 (10 November):
\r\n
\r\nNarrative: Gerard Sasges, ed. “Laundromat owner,” “Taco truck cook” and “Prison inmate.”
\r\n
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\r\n
\r\nWorkload Components : A-B-C-D-E
\r\nA: no. of lecture hours per week
\r\nB: no. of tutorial hours per week
\r\nC: no. of lab hours per week
\r\nD: no. of hours for projects, assignments, fieldwork etc per week
\r\nE: no. of hours for preparatory work by a student per week","Order":9}],"ReadingFormatted":[],"ReadingUnformatted":[]}],"Lecturers":["Gerard Sasges"],"LecturePeriods":["Monday Afternoon"],"TutorialPeriods":["Wednesday Morning","Friday Morning"]}]}