HUM 455, don't panic!

For all the Holocaust folks, don't panic, the essay on "Architecture of Doom" can't be due today because we haven't even finished watching it...we will reschedule the due date. TBA at present.

Sick!

I have been felled by a vicious cold and have had to surrender--no voice, stumbling around--so teaching today would be a gruesome exercise. See you all on Monday!

Holocaust response assignment

We will watch the Peter Cohen documentary, "Architecture of Doom," on February 15 in class. Here are the instructions for the response assignment you will tackle after viewing it:

Documentary films make a claim to present objective truths, like written documents. Peter Cohen, the director of “Architecture of Doom, “ uses actual footage from the l930s and 40s, quotes from historical records and documents, and describes actual events. In doing so, however, he presents a particular interpretation of National Socialism and makes arguments about its origins and the motives of its proponents. How do you understand Cohen’s interpretation? Which aspects of Nazism and the Holocaust does it help you understand? What objections can you make to Cohen’s interpretation? Overall, do you find it convincing? Be sure to use specific facts and scenes from the film in your answer.


Write your response—this is a “response” paper-- in a 3-5 page paper(ballpark), preferably typed, due Monday, February 27. There are no right or wrong answers—I will evaluate you on the basis of how clearly and effectively you present your response

Vietnam midterm questions...

Without further ado, the Vietnam midterm...the image you see above is the Vietnam Memorial Wall, taken by me with my back to the Korean War memorial.


History 388—US and Vietnam spring 2012
Midterm exam
For Wednesday, 29(!) February 2012

Directions Part I(100%): Prepare the following questions, taking care to support your statements with specific evidence from the lectures, readings, videos and any independent reflection you have done. You MIGHT get a chance to choose your question, but then again, I might reserve that right as class dictator, so make sure you know all three. Trust me, they WILL ask the one you don’t do!

1. One of the architects of the Vietnam war, JFK/LBJ Defense Secretary Robert Strange McNamara, listed as one of his life lessons, “Empathize with your enemy” in a conflict or war. You are an advisor to McNamara and the year is l961, the year JFK came to office. Adopting the perspective of the Viet Minh leadership, write a profile of the group for McNamara, including what conditions in the country account for their appearance, what their objectives are and why they seem to be so popular among ordinary Vietnamese. Conclude by describing how they view Diem and the United States, and what you believe the United States should do about them.

2.As a senator, President John F. Kennedy visited Vietnam in the last years of the Viet Minh’s war with the French. He and his brother Robert declared that the US should not stand in the way of “rekindled nationalism” and criticized their father and others who had backed the re-imposition of French rule on Vietnam after the war. Yet this was the same John Kennedy who told his advisers in l962 that United States foreign policy” must be credible” and the “place to make it credible is Vietnam.” Write an essay in which you explain why changed his mind, and what measures he took to prevent a Ho Chi Minh victory there.

3.Ngo Dinh Diem was the United States’ choice to head an anti-Communist south Vietnamese government. On paper, he was a good candidate: he was intelligent, well-spoken, religious and knowledgeable about his patron, the United States. President Eisenhower and others hoped that he would convince the Vietnamese to reject Ho Chi Minh and embrace the US-backed anti-Communist government. Why were Diem and his government unsuccessful in this?

Questions about Nazis and the arts

Today's class features a documentary about an exhibit of art the Nazis viewed as "degenerate." This is a good way to approach the Nazi world view, i.e. by analyzing what they viewed as unacceptable and why, and then what they liked and approved of and why. Here are some questions/exercises to guide your thinking on this:


What did Hitler have against the artists labeled “degenerate”?

How would you define “degenerate?”

What does HIS choice of art tell you about him and the Nazi party?

Why would the Nazis, or any dictatorship, hate “modern” art?

Based on their preferred art, how would you describe the Nazi world view? What are their priorities?

Bring in for next time(you can find lots of art online)an example of art the Nazis would've approved of and/or one which they would have labeled "degenerate" or otherwise unacceptable.

Today's room for HUM 450

Folks, today we will be exiled to East 207 again...we have the Auditorium only on Wednesdays in February, but every day in March and April...hooray!