University of Maryland at College Park HONORS 248W:AMERICA IN THE 60s Syllabus for Spring 2010 Instructor: Professor John M. Newman; 540-746-3196; jmn1950@comcast.net Class: ANA 0120; Monday, 12:00-2:30 Course Objective The objective of this course is to provide you with an understanding of the history and issues of the 1960s from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Civil Rights, American Culture, The Cold War, the Vietnam War, Cuba, and the power struggles of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon are some of the principal areas to which we will devote attention. Required Assignments and Grading Policy Your grade will be determined as follows: class participation 10%; film survey paper 10%; analytic paper on the Vietnam War 20%; term paper 25%; final exam 35%. Refer to the sections below for more information on these assignments. Required Readings John Newman, JFK and Vietnam (New York: Warner Books, 1992). Note: you may purchase this book at the bookstore in Stamp Union. Course Packet #126. Note: you may purchase this packet only at the Maryland Book Exchange. The packet contains the following articles and/or excerpts: Branch, Taylor, Parting the Waters (New York: Simon and Schuster1988), and Pillar of Fire (New York: Simon and Schuster , 1998) Hampton, Henry, and Steve Fayer, Voices of Freedom (New York: Bantam Books, 1991) Selected CIA documents on Martin Luther King from the National Archives and Records Administration Thornton, Richard C, The Nixon-Kissinger Years (New York: Paragon House, 1989), and “Soviet Strategy and the Vietnam War,” Asian Affairs, March-April, 1974 McNamara, Robert S, In Retrospect (New York: Times Books, 1995) Brewin, Bob, and Sydney Shaw, Vietnam on Trial (New York: Atheneum 1987) University of Maryland, College Park, Honors Program HONR 248W House Select Committee on Assassinations, Alleged Assassination Plots (Washington DC: US Government Printing Office, 1979) CIA, Inspector General’s Survey of the Cuban Operation (October 1961) (National Archives and Record Administration) Pollard, Robert A., “The Cuban Missile Crisis: Legacies and Lessons,” The Wilson Quarterly, autumn 1982 Selected US Government documents on Anti-Cuban operations in 1962 from the National Archives and Record Administration Blight, James G., The Shattered Crystal Ball: Fear and Learning in the Cuban Missile Crisis (Lanham MD: Littlefield Adams, 1992) Required Video Materials CBS Reports “Vietnam Deception: The Uncounted Enemy.” This is a special 60Minutes program. University of Maryland nonprint media #DS 558.2.U63. (This video is will be shown in class.) “Eyes on the Prize,” selected segments; these are located at Hornbake Library, non-print media (4th floor). You must choose at least two of thirteen. Schedule of Readings and Assignments 1/25—Orientation and Overview 2/1 Reading: 1. Branch, Parting the Waters, Chapter 5 (Montgomery Bus Boycott); pp. 451-465 (Summer of Freedom Rides); pp. 656-670 (Fall of Ole Miss); and pp. 726-802 (Greenwood and Birmingham Jail). 2. Branch, Pillar of Fire, Chapter 40 (Saigon, Audubon and Selma). Preparation for 2/1 seminar: Go to Hornbake Library, non-print media and choose one segment of “Eyes on the Prize.” During and after viewing the video, prepare notes on the content and what you thought was most significant and interesting about it. Be prepared to discuss your reactions during class. 2/8 Reading: 1. Hampton and Fayer, Voices of Freedom, Chapter 5 (Freedom Rides); and Chapter 19 (King and Vietnam). 2. Selected CIA documents on Martin Luther King from the National Archives and Records Administration. Special Audiotape presentation: rare MLK speeches on the Vietnam War Discussion topic: The Civil Rights Movement of the 60s 2 University of Maryland, College Park, Honors Program HONR 248W Further preparation for 2/8 seminar: Go to Hornbake Library, non-print media and choose another segment of “Eyes on the Prize.” Again, during and after viewing the video, prepare notes on the content and what you thought was most significant and interesting about it. Be prepared to discuss your reactions during class. 2/15 Reading: 1. House Select Committee on Assassinations, Alleged Assassination Plots; 2. Inspector General’s Survey of the Cuban Operation, pp. 3-33 (History of the Project); pp. 143-150 (Conclusions and Recommendations). Be prepared to discuss the anti-Castro plots in class. 2/22 Seminar topic: Music in the 1960s Preparation for the 10/5 seminar: pick five songs from the 60s and analyze and prepare notes on the content. Be prepared to discuss them in class. 3/1 Reading: 1. JFK and Vietnam, first half. 2. Thornton, “Soviet Strategy and the Vietnam War.” Slide Presentation: JFK and Vietnam, I. Discussion Topic: JFK and Vietnam, 1961-1962 3/8 Reading: 1. JFK and Vietnam, second half. 2. McNamara, In Retrospect, Preface; Chapter 2 (The Early Years); Chapter 3 (The Fateful Fall of 63); Chapter 11 (Lessons of Vietnam); McNamara's War in Retrospect by James Galbraith. Slide Presentation: JFK and Vietnam, II Discussion Topic: JFK and the Withdrawal from Vietnam, 1963 3/22 Reading: 1. Brewin and Shaw, Vietnam on Trial, Introduction, chapters 1-3. 2. Thornton, The Nixon-Kissinger Years, Introduction. Special Documentary Presentation: CBS Reports: The Uncounted Enemy -- A Vietnam Deception Discussion topic: LBJ and escalation in Vietnam 3/29 Seminar: the 60s as reflected in film and documentaries. Assignment due: Turn in survey paper: film and documentaries 4/5 Preparation for 4/5 Seminar: Log on to CSPAN home page and open video library tab and enter “John Newman.” Click on 1/4/2010 interview comparing JFK & Vietnam to Obama and Afghanistan. Prepare notes on similarities and differences and be prepared to discuss in class. 4/12 Reading: Unger, The Movement; Introduction; and Chapter 5 (The Movement, 6768). Discussion topic: Protest, the “New Left,” and the counterculture. Be prepared to discuss your term paper topic and possible thesis. Assignment due: Analytic paper on the Vietnam War. 4/19 Video Presentation: Best Evidence 4/26 Special presentation: the Kennedy Assassination 3 University of Maryland, College Park, Honors Program HONR 248W Note: there is limited seating for parents, family members and friends if you let me know ahead of time. Tape recorders are permitted; video cameras are not. 5/3 Review Assignment due: turn in term paper 5/10 Final Exam Writing and Editing Your Written Assignments In order to receive a high grade for any written assignment, it must be well organized and written and must cover all assigned topics and questions. It is also important that you carefully proofread each assignment for grammar and spelling. One or two minor errors will not affect your grade. However, papers that have several errors will be downgraded one letter grade, and papers that are full of errors may be downgraded by two or more letter grades depending on the severity of the errors. If you know you have trouble with grammar and spelling, please use the university writing center for help. If your paper is late your grade will be affected. DO NOT email your paper. All late papers must be turned in at the information desk in Ann Arundel Hall. Your Film Survey Paper Unlike the term paper, the film survey paper gives you flexibility to adopt a structure of your choice. This survey must be about three to five films and/or documentaries from or about the 60s. Your survey must briefly identify the subject or plot of the documentary or film, and must clearly state how it does or does not address the main political, social and cultural issues of the 60s. We will discuss this paper further in class. There are fewer format requirements for this survey than the term paper. However, it must be typewritten, double-spaced, 5 pages minimum in length, and you must cite your source materials using the endnote format. Your Paper on Vietnam The required sources for this paper are the readings JFK and Vietnam, Vietnam on Trial, and Thornton’s Soviet Strategy and the Vietnam War, and the video presentation on Westmoreland V. CBS, and the class lectures. The minimum length is 7 pages, doubled spaced. No introduction or conclusion is necessary. It must be structured in five parts, with each part subtitled: 1961, 1962, 1963, 1967 and 1962 compared, and How does Thornton explain Soviet Strategy and the Vietnam War and the Fall of Khrushchev? For four sections you must identify and explain two things: what was really happening on the battlefield in Vietnam and what US military intelligence was reporting on the battlefield situation. For the three periods, 1961, 1962, and 1963, you must also identify and explain the key NSAMs that directed US policy in the Vietnam War. You must cite your sources using the endnote format (see the term paper guidelines below for more on this). 4 University of Maryland, College Park, Honors Program HONR 248W Your Term Paper: Requirements and Helpful Hints Term papers that do not follow the introduction and conclusion format described below will be returned for rewrite and reduced by one letter grade. Papers which do not use the required number of major secondary works (i.e. real books, not articles, encyclopedias, or internet matter) will be two letter grades. When picking your topic, begin with a broad area, but narrow it down before you do much writing. The more you refine your topic the easier it is to research and write the paper. You must use the required readings where they apply to your topic, and you must use at least four outside secondary sources. This means books, not reference works or Internet material. The more books the better. You may also use article length source material and interviews, but these may not be substituted for the required major secondary studies. Each component of your paper should reflect appropriate and varied use of source materials. We will discuss in class the issue of how internet material may be used. Your term must be a minimum of 10 pages in length, double-spaced and must contain the following structural parts: an introduction, main body, and conclusion. Use the sub titles, “Introduction” and “Conclusion.” Your introduction is crucial. Most important, it must have a thesis statement succinctly stated in the first sentence. If you do not comply with this requirement, your grade will be lowered one letter grade. The introduction should not exceed one page, and needs to briefly lay out the principal parts or ideas which buttress the thesis or focus of the paper. Your introduction must include an explicit scope statement (this means you must use the word “scope”) and an explicit methodological statement (this means you must use the word “method” or “methodology”). If you do not comply with this requirement, your grade will be reduced one letter grade. There are several methodologies you may employ, such as compare and contrast, chronological or topical; the reason for this requirement is to ensure that you know which approach you are using and stick to it. We will discuss scope and method in detail in class. You must include a brief sentence characterizing your source materials at the end of your introduction. Your main body should run for about 8 pages. You may subdivide it into two or three subsections if this adds clarity. Make sure you use paragraphs to break up your ideas into compact compartments, and pay attention to their order once you have an initial draft of the entire paper. Check to see if your paragraph structure/order is consistent with your methodological statement in the introduction. Do not use direct quotations which are too long; it is a simple matter to reduce them by paraphrasing. Directly quoted material should not exceed 15% of the material in the body of your paper. 5 University of Maryland, College Park, Honors Program HONR 248W Your conclusion needs to restate your thesis or main idea in the very first sentence. Then the conclusion must revisit the main points made in the paper, one by one, showing how they support and establish your main idea or thesis. Finally, if there are interesting implications or thought questions the conclusion is the place to put them. They will not clutter your main body and your thesis does not rest on them, and thus they will not distract the reader when presented as an afterthought. The unfettered development of your argument is the mark of an excellent paper. The only notation I will accept for this paper is the endnote system. Do not place notes at the bottom of the page or in parentheses inside the text (MLA). The citations in your paper must be numbered one up (do not repeat numbers) and correspond to the list of numbers in the section of the paper entitled “Endnotes.” I will check this; if you do not comply with this requirement, your grade will be reduced one letter grade. You must cite the appropriate required works and all outside sources often and where they are relevant to the thesis and main points of your paper. I will check this. A few citations will not satisfy the requirement for properly referencing your work, and neither will one citation for a book. Preparing for and Participating in Class; Turning in Assignments on Time Preparing for class is an individual responsibility. Please prepare for each class. We only meet once a week and therefore it is incumbent upon you to keep abreast of the reading. This class will include lectures and seminars. You must prepare for and participate in the seminars and class discussions. Late assignments will be downgraded one letter grade for each class they are late. Only a verified medical emergency constitutes a valid excuse for being late. Excuse or not, if personal problems reach the extent that you fall behind on two consecutive assignments, you must—as a matter of policy—schedule a meeting with myself and the Honors Advisor. During this meeting we will evaluate your situation and draw up a formal schedule for completion of the course requirements. Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Academic dishonesty and plagiarism could be fatal to your career. Academic dishonesty and plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional. The simplest way of explaining these terms is that they boil down to this: it is to take something that you did not create and to present it as if it were your own. It is your responsibility to understand what these terms mean. We will discuss them during the first class. If you feel you still do not understand what these terms mean, ask for a copy of the university guidelines on academic dishonesty and plagiarism at the Honors information desk. Remember that academic dishonesty and plagiarism standards apply not just to the term paper but also to the quizzes. While it is fine to study together and help one another, when you answer quiz questions, the answers must be yours and yours alone. Do not copy someone else’s answers to quiz questions. 6 University of Maryland, College Park, Honors Program HONR 248W Contacting and meeting with the instructor I prefer to communicate by phone. You may call me at 540-746-3196. My e-mail address is jmn1950@comcast.net. Use email only when necessary—we will discuss this further in class. I will not accept any assignments via e-mail or fax. If you want to talk you could use the e-mail to signal your upcoming schedule and I could pick a time to call you or meet with you. There are times I can meet with you on Mondays and Tuesdays. Generally I will wait around after class to see if there are questions. I can also meet you before class. University Guidelines • Academic Accommodations: If you have a documented disability, you should contact Disability Support Services 0126 Shoemaker Hall. Each semester students with documented disabilities should apply to DSS for accommodation request forms which you can provide to your professors as proof of your eligibility for accommodations. The rules for eligibility and the types of accommodations a student may request can be reviewed on the DSS web site at http://www.counseling.umd.edu/DSS/receiving_serv.html. • Religious Observances: The University System of Maryland policy provides that students should not be penalized because of observances of their religious beliefs, students shall be given an opportunity, whenever feasible, to make up within a reasonable time any academic assignment that is missed due to individual participation in religious observances. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor of any intended absences for religious observances in advance. Notice should be provided as soon as possible but no later than the end of the schedule adjustment period. Faculty should further remind students that prior notification is especially important in connection with final exams, since failure to reschedule a final exam before the conclusion of the final examination period may result in loss of credits during the semester. The problem is especially likely to arise when final exams are scheduled on Saturdays. • Academic integrity: The University of Maryland has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/whatis.html 7 University of Maryland, College Park, Honors Program HONR 248W The University of Maryland is one of a small number of universities with a studentadministered Honors Code and an Honors Pledge, available on the web at http://www.jpo.umd.edu/aca/honorpledge.html. The code prohibits students from cheating on exams, plagiarizing papers, submitting the same paper for credit in two courses without authorization, buying papers, submitting fraudulent documents, and forging signatures. The University Senate encourages instructors to ask students to write the following signed statement on each examination or assignment: "I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this examination (or assignment).” CORE Distributive Studies: You may have chosen this course as part of your CORE Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies Program, the general education portion of your degree program. CORE Distributive Studies courses are designed to ensure that you will take a look at several different academic disciplines and the way they create and analyze knowledge about the world. A faculty and student committee approved this CORE Distributive Studies course because it will introduce you to ideas and issues that are central to a major intellectual discipline and because it promises to involve you actively in the learning process. Please take advantage of the opportunities this course offers you. 8