The Vietnam War and Visual Culture

This course examines how our understanding of one of the most mediated armed conflicts of the twentieth century has changed. Why has "Vietnam" become a metaphor for imperial wars and how has it figured in cultural production within and beyond the United States? Considering photographs, films, and personal narratives beginning during the war and continuing into the present, we recognize the fictive and flexible nature of history and how even the worst experiences are made available for collective memory and mass consumption. The course works to decenter the United States and takes into account long-range ramifications and multiple voices. Enrollment limited to 17 first year students and sophomores.