No event has had more impact on recent American history than the Vietnam War. The war began as an attempt to save the "free nation" of South Vietnam from Communism. Within a few years, it provoked enormous domestic protest, led to widespread resistance and evasion of the draft, and called the whole basis of American foreign policy into question. The war ended with the withdrawal of American troops in 1973 and the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975, but since then there has been no agreement on the "lessons" we should draw from the conflict. This course will explore the diplomatic and political origins of the war, the military conduct of the war, and the domestic political opposition to it. It will also examine popular films dealing with the Vietnam War to show how Hollywood has attempted to recreate our collective memory of Vietnam and create new myths which threaten to replace the historical reality of the war.