Information on Teaching the Vietnam War is found in two sections on this website:

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Teaching the Vietnam War
A Selected Bibliography

The following list of books and journal articles deal with teaching the Vietnam War, from elementary school through higher education. Additional articles and annotations for pre-1989 citations may be found inWriting About Vietnam: A Bibliography of the Literature of the Vietnam Conflict (Boston: G. K. Hall, 1989) by Sandra M. Wittman. Contact your local library for any of the materials listed. If your library does not own the needed item, ask the librarian to order the book or article through interlibrary loan. Most libraries will honor such requests. EJ and ED numbers indicate ERIC documents.

See also Effective Library Assignments.

Arnoldt, Robert P. with Jacqueline A. Marx. Vietnam Insights: A Guide to the American Experience in Vietnam--1940 to Present. West Dundee, Ill.: Visions Unlimited, 1991.

Dunn, Joe P. Teaching the Vietnam War: Resources and Assessments. Los Angeles: California State University, Center for the Study of Armament and Disarmament, 1990.

Edmonds, Anthony O., ed. Resources for Teaching the Vietnam War: An Annotated Guide. Pittsburgh: Center for Social Studies Education, 1992.

Front Lines: Soldiers' Writings from Vietnam. Cambridge, Mass.: Indochina Curriculum Group, 1975. (ED 210 231)

Gilbert, Marc Jason, ed. The Vietnam War: Teaching Approaches and Resources New York: Greenwood Press, 1991.

Griffin, William L. and John Maciano. Teaching the Vietnam War: A Critical Examination of School Texts and an Interpretive Comparative History Utilizing the Pentagon Papers and Other Documents. Montcalir, N.J.: Allanheld, Osmun, 1979.

Hazen, Walter A. Vietnam War. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Instructional Fair/TS Denison, 1997.

Kelsey, Ann and Anthony Edmonds. Resources for Teaching the Vietnam War. Rev. ed. Pittsburgh: Center for Social Studies Education, 1996.

Johannessen, Larry R. Illumination Rounds: Teaching the Literature of the Vietnam War. Urbana, Ill.: National Council of Teachers of English, 1992.

Kroll, Barry M. Teaching Hearts and Minds: College Students Reflect on the Vietnam War in Literature. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1992.

Olson, Grant, ed. Modern Southeast Asian Literature in Translation: A Resource for Teaching. Tempe, Ariz.: Program for Southeast Asian Studies, Arizona State University, 1997.

Starr, Jerold M., ed. The Lessons of the Vietnam War. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Center for Social Studies Education, 1996.

The Vietnam Era: A Guide to Teaching Resources. Cambridge, Mass.: Indochina Curriculum Group, 1978. (ED 201 565)

The Vietnam War: Teacher's Resource Manual Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Globe Fearon, 1997.

For additional information, see Wittman, Sandra. Writing About Vietnam: A Bibliography of the Literature of the Vietnam Conflict. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1989.

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Journal Articles

Adams, Nina. "Teaching About the Vietnam War: Bringing It All Back Home to the Classroom." Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars 21, no. 2. (1 April 1989):156-160.

Banit, Thomas. "Vietnam Education in New England." New England Journal of History. 47, no. 1 (Spring 1990):56-64.

Berman, David M."Perspectives on the Teaching of Vietnam." Social Studies 77, no. 4 (July/August 1986):165-68. (EJ 343 111)

_____. "Teaching Vietnam Through Vietnamese Sources." Social Studies Journal 14 (Spring 1985):30-37. (EJ 312 823)

Burson, George. "Using Oral History to Teach the Vietnam War." OAH Magazine of History 3, nos. 3-4 (Summer/Fall 1988): 39-40. (EJ 391 311)

-----. "What Should Our Students Know About Vietnam?" OAH Magazine of History 3, nos.3-4 (Summer/Fall 1988): 10-12. (EJ 391 302)

Capps, Walter H. "On Teaching Today's Students About the Vietnam War." Federation Review 8 (May/June 1985):10-13.

Carter, Candy. "The Vietnam War and Era in the English Classroom." in Whole Language Catalog. Edited by Kenneth S. Goodman, Lois Bridges Bird, and Yetta M. Goodman. Santa Rosa, Calif.: American School Publishers, 1991, 292.

Casciato, Arthur D. "Teaching the Literature of the Vietnam War." Review (Charlottesville, Va.) 9 (1987):125-47.

Christie, N. Bradley. "Teaching Our Longest War: Constructive Lessons from Vietnam." English Journal 78, no.4 (April, 1989): 35-38.

Cohen, Steven. "Vietnam in the Classroom." Social Education 52, no. 1 (January 1988):47-48. (EJ 364 265)

Cussler, Elizabeth B. "Vietnam: An Oral History." English Journal 76, no. 7 (November 1987):66-67.

DallaGrana, Wade. "Vietnam in the High School Curriculum." Social Education 52, no. 1 (January 1988):49-50. )EJ 364 266)

Dunn, Joe P. "Teaching Teachers to Teach the Vietnam War." Social Education 52, no. 1 (January 1988):37-38. (EJ 364 260)

_____. "Teaching the Vietnam War in High School." Social Studies 74, no. 5 (September/October 1983):198-200. (EJ 288 888)

_____. "Teaching Vietnam as History." Teaching History: A Journal of Methods 6, no. 2 (Fall 1981):50-59.

Ehrhart, W. D. "Teaching the Vietnam War," In In the Shadow of Vietnam: Essays, 1977-1991. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1991, 143-148.

______. "Why Teach Vietnam?" Social Education 52, no. 1 (January 1988):25-26. (EJ 364 255)

Endres, William Bliss. "Teaching Vietnam: Reflections Beyond the Immediate." English Journal 73, no. 8 (December 1984):28-30. (EJ 308 219)

Franklin, H. Bruce. "Teaching the Vietnam War Today: Who Won and Why?" The Chronicle of Higher Education 23, no.10 (4 November 1981):64.

Glassman, Joel. "Teaching Students and Ourselves about the Vietnam War." Social Education 52, no. 1 (January 1988):35-36. (EJ 364 259)

_____. "Teaching the American-Indochina War: An Interdisciplinary Experiment." Teaching History: A Journal of Methods 12, no. 1 (Spring 1987):3-9. (EJ 353 077)

-----. "Using Literature in a Course on the Vietnam War." College Teaching 37, no. 3 (Summer 1989): 91-95. EJ 395 358.

Goodman, Allan E. "Scholars Must Give More Serious Thought to How They Teach and Write About the War in Vietnam." The Chronicle of Higher Education 36, no.45 (25 July 1990):A36.

_____. "A Symposium on Vietnam." Teaching Political Science 12, no. 4 (Summer 1985):140-98. The entire issue is devoted to Vietnam.

Heath, Douglas E. "A Map Exercise for Teaching About the War in Vietnam."
Journal of Geography. 80 no3 (March, 1981):101-04. (EJ255544)

Israel, John. "Vietnam in the Curriculum." Teaching Political Science 12, no. 4 (Summer 1985):181-86. (EJ 325 825)

James, David and Rick Berg. "College Course File: Representing the Vietnam War." Journal of Film and Video 41, no. 4 (Winter 1989):60-74. (EJ 403 739).

Johannessen, Larry R. "Literature Assignment of the Month: Teaching the Vietnam War: Two Short Stories." Notes Plus 8, no. 1 (1 September 1990):12-15.

_____. "Transforming Hearts and Minds with the Literature of the Vietnam War." Paper presented at the conference The United States and Viet Nam: From War to Peace Notre Dame, Indiana, December 4, 1993. (ED 363 8830

_____. "Vietnam in the English Classroom." Paper presented at the Eighth National Council of Teachers of English Annual Spring Conference. Charleston, South Carolina, April 8, 1989. (ED 310 407)

_____. "The Vietnam War in Young Adult Literature: Practical Approaches That Foster Response." Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Council of Teachers of English, 83rd, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 17-22, 1993. (ED 363 872)

Kirschner, George, and Eric Weisberg. "Teaching and Learning About the Vietnam War." Social Education 52, no. 1 (January 1988):51-52.

Klopfer, Lisa. "Southeast Asian Studies Online Resources." College & Research Libraries News. 64, no.2 (February, 2003).

Latham, Paul. "Teaching Modern World Studies, with an Emphasis on the Conflict in Indochina." Teaching History: The Journal of the History Teachers' Association of New South Wales 23, no. 4 (January 1990):29-30.

Mandel, Norma H. "The Use of a Novel to Discuss Vietnamese Refugee Experiences." English Journal 77, no. 5 (September 1988):40-44. )EJ 376 067)

Oldham, Perry. "On Teaching Vietnam War Literature." English Journal 75, no. 2 (February 1986):55-56. EJ 329 373.

Olson, Karen, and John Low. "Vietnam in the Classroom: Fact, Fiction and Truth." 1985. (ED 265 912)

Pike, Douglas. "Teaching the Vietnam Experience as a Whole Course." Teaching Political Science 12, no. 4 (Summer 1985):144-51. (EJ 325 821)

Rice, Joseph A. "Let's Frag Old Sarge: The Viet Nam Experience Becomes Relevant." Journal of English Teaching Techniques 5, no. 3 (February 1972):15-21. (EJ 069 338)

Schlene, Vicki J. Teaching about Vietnam and the Vietnam War. ERIC Digest (September, 1996). (ED411175)

Sears, Laurie J. "Authoritative Voices and the Vietnam Experience: Teaching About Vietnam During the Gulf War." Journal of Urban and Cultural Studies 2, #1 (1991):115-117. (EJ 437 079)

Shaw, Ella. "Letters from Vietnam: A Film/Book Combination for a Nonfiction Course." English Journal 80, no. 1 (January 1991): 25. (EJ 421 113)

Starr, Jerold M., ed. The Lessons of the Vietnam War. 3rd ed. Pittsburgh: The Center for Social Studies, 1996.

_____, ed. "Teaching the Vietnam War." Social Education 52, no. 1 (January 1988):23-24. (EJ 364 254)

_____. "Teaching the Vietnam War: Looking Behind the Controversies." International Journal of Social Education 4, no. 1 (Spring 1989):86-93.

Stewart, Margaret E. "Vietnam War Novels in the Classroom." Teaching History: A Journal of Methods 6, no. 2 (Fall 1981):60-66.

Taylor, Sandra. "Teaching the Vietnam War." History Teacher 15, no. 1 (November 1981):57-66.

Totten, Sam. "The Lessons of Vietnam." Curriculum Review 25, no. 1 (September/October 1985):87-89. EJ 324 155.

Trask, David F. "Official Histories of the War in Vietnam: Why They Are Produced and What Is Available for Classroom Use." Teaching Political Science 12, no. 4 (Summer 1985):187-94. (EJ 325 826)

Vietnam: A Teacher's Guide. Focus on Asian Studies, special issue, no. 1 (Fall, 1983).

Warren, John C. America's Intervention in Vietnam: An Anthology. White Plains, N.Y.: Longman, 1987.

Wilcox, Fred A. "Pedagogical Implications of Teaching Literature of Vietnam." Social Education 52, no. 1 (January 1988):39-40. (EJ 364 261)

Young, Marilyn B. "Teaching the War." In Unwinding the Vietnam War: From War Into Peace. Seattle: Real Comet Press, 1987, 356-362.

Zeiger, Susan. "Daughters, Fathers, and Vietnam: Reflections on Teaching the War at a Women's College." Women's Studies Quarterly 23 (Fall, 1995):155-169.

For additional information, see Wittman, Sandra. Writing About Vietnam: A Bibliography of the Literature of the Vietnam Conflict. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1989.

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The Brockport Vietnam Project
The State University of New York at Brockport offers a study abroad program in Vietnam. Participants study courses in language, culture, and history at Danang University (the state university), Duy Tan University (a private university), and the School of Politics (a state political education institute). Each institution exposes students to different philosophies and teaching approaches in Vietnam. Participants also engage in educational activities in providing service in the community. This website describes the program and includes information on program features and objectives, admission criteria, and fees and estimated expenses.

Conflict in Indo-China
Conflict in Indochina 1954-1979, part of the Modern History program at Charles Stuart University in Australia, provides key historical features of Cambodia and Vietnam, a list of Internet resources, a list of acronyms, a glossary, and a timeline among other use features for teaching events in Indochina.

The Cost of War
Poway (California) high school teachers Dennis Moore, Jenny Thiem, and Perry Minamide have created an interesting interdisciplinary WebQuest which explores the questions: Under what conditions would you serve your country to fight a war?, When is war worth its costs?, What would you be willing to fight for?, and What types of conflict are worth a fight (war)? Students taken on the roles of nurse, statesman, poet statistician, and conscientious objector. Classroom activities are included.

History of the Vietnam War
Dr. Bruce Solheim's Vietnam War history course at Citrus College in Glendora, California, examines the controversies and questions surrounding the war. The website features nine briefings, a chronology of the war, and related Web links in addition to the class schedule and syllabus. This is a good model for those interested in creating a course on the war.

History 183, The Vietnam War
The course syllabus and notes for Temple University Professor Richard H. Immerman's Vietnam War history course at Temple University provides a good example of a well-constructed course.

Investigating the Vietnam War
Designed to help students carry out research on the Vietnam War, this useful site includes background information on and links to time-lines, personal accounts, statistics, images, military information, biographies, and course projects, helpful to those planning a Vietnam War course. It facilitates interviews with veterans and members of the peace movement via e-mail. In addition, Dr. Robert Blackburn, the website's resident historian, is also available to answer individual questions on the war. Also included are relevant links and personal histories plus a search engine to access them.

The Lessons of the Vietnam War
The Center for Social Studies Education, established in 1984 to promote teaching of the Vietnam War in U.S. schools, provides textbooks, handbooks, resource guides, and videos in addition to coordinating speakers and teachers to provide workshops and conferences on the teaching of the war. The website includes learning objectives for the Lessons of Vietnam series, units included its Vietnam War curriculum, and a listing of additional teaching tools and related websites.

The Limits of Power: The United States in Vietnam
This ten-day teaching unit was developed by the Choices for the 21st Century education project at Brown University, Boston to guide students in evaluating how successive U.S. administrations viewed the Vietnam War. Included are teaching resources, suggestions for background reading, and a suggested ten-day lesson plan. There is a charge for the unit.

Studying the Vietnam War Online
Bob Starr's website presents a guide to studying the Vietnam War using online resources only. Included is a recommended study track which includes articles analyzing U.S. involvement, general reference sources, country studies, information on foreign relations, a discussion of weapons, and an essay on why the war should be studied. The author recommends printed literature as a supplement.

Teach Vietnam: Echoes from the Wall
Teach Vietnam: Echoes from the Wall, subtitled History, Learning and Leadership Through the Lens of the Vietnam War Era, provides a wealth of resources for teachers and students. Sponsored by Winstar, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and corporate sponsors, the site's resources include timelines, New York Times Learning Network articles, a teachers' guide, lesson plans, a suggested calendar of events, a suggested public relations plan for teaching the war, guidelines on using outside speakers, links to websites, a faq, photographs, and film footage. A site search engine is included to locate valuable primary and secondary source documents. The site was designed to use the latest in internet technology and includes numerous audio and video presentations necessitating a powerful and fast computer for optimum utilization. It is an interactive educational tool that aims to give high school students a "heightened sense of responsibility, leadership and global understanding and to help create generations of enlightened historians and informed citizens.

Since the Vietnam War is an often-debated and emotional topic, it is important to evaluate websites on the war. For an essay critical of Teach Vietnam: Echoes from the Wall, see The Newest Vietnam Teach-In by Kenneth Lloyd Biullingsely in The National Review. Billingsley challenges the balance and comprehensiveness of the presentation. Teachers and students are advised to evaluate the information on the site and compare the content with content presented on other websites and in books and journal articles. See also: Evaluating Websites.

ThinkQuest Internet Challenge Library
Thinkquest is an interactive educational useful as a teaching tool. Included on the site are interactive units such as Radical Times:The Antiwar Movement of the 1960's; Mental Relapse...Back in the 1960s; America at War; Recent History; The Cold War, War & Conflict--Past, Present, Future; Vietnam: Then and Now: Vietnam War; Southeast Asia; Collective Amnesia: The Vietnam War; and Art's Unfighting Feelings. Search for units from the search box or the list of subject areas.

The Video Project
The Video Project is a non-profit source of educational media programs "for a safe and sustainable world." Included among the videos available are the following titles: Peace is Every Step: Meditation in Action: The Life and Work of Thich Nhat Hanh; Touching Peace: An Evening with Thich Nhat Hanh; Voices of Veterans; Peace Trees Vietnam: Reversing the Legacy of War; and Beyond Vietnam: Lessons Unlearned.

Vietnam: A Teacher's Guide
The Asia Society's Focus on Asian Studies published a special issue in Fall, 1983 in which a teacher's guide for the PBS television series Vietnam: A Television History was made available. Although designed for secondary school use, the guide, available at this website, can be useful teachers in higher education, especially community colleges, as well.

Vietnam: A WebQuest
Instructor Gerald McMullin has created an effective learning experiences for students. The project asks students to consider whether a mural commemorating the Vietnam War memorial should be built in an imaginary town, and, if so, what it should look like. Students are provided with the viewpoints of a historian, Vietnamese immigrant, Vietnam veteran, and a protestor and required to undertake additional research to decide on a position which they then must support. Although designed for high school students, this unit could also be useful for community college students.

The Vietnam Conflict: An Academic Information Portal for Research
Vietnam veteran John Swensson, Professor of English at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, provides a wealth of information on the Vietnam War on his website. Included are link packages to topics such as amnesty, Agent Orange, films, memorials, special forces, and statistics in addition to the class syllabus, information on the research process and citing sources, sample research papers, and topical book list and video collection. The college also offers a study abroad program in Vietnam which is described.

The Vietnam War: Past and Present
Brian Sims has created a very useful resource for high school history teachers. The website is designed to provide a background to the war for teachers beginning work on teaching the Vietnam War and ideas on how to utilize the Internet. Included are annotated links to historical websites and to an annotated list of curriculum ideas. A good starting place for educators.

Other articles related to the teaching of the Vietnam War and syllabi may be found at:

The American Experience in Vietnam
Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library
Associated Colleges of the South Online Viet Nam Course
The Cultures of Southeast Asia
Literature of the Vietnam War
South East Asia Web
Teaching About Vietnam and the Vietnam War
Teaching & Studying the Vietnam War Experience
Teaching Ethical Decision Making During War
Teaching the Vietnam War (FPRI)
Teaching the Vietnam War: Conference Report
Teaching the Vietnam War with the Greeks
Teaching with Documents: The War in Vietnam (NARA)
Vietnam Experience
The Vietnam Experience Online
Vietnam Introduction
Vietnam War, Past & Present: A Teacher's Resource