Course Description

This course examines film and short fiction as vehicles for the production of Vietnamese cultural identities in the modern era. Vietnam’s tumultuous modern history—marked by colonial rule, wars, division and unification, emigration, and economic reform—has led to constant reassessments of national identity. This course explores how fiction and film reflect and shape these identities across time and communities.

We begin with short fiction from the late French colonial period, then analyze depictions of the Vietnam War by foreign and Vietnamese artists. Finally, we explore postwar media from both the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and diasporic communities.

Evaluation

• Attendance, participation & postings: 40%
• Midterm paper: 25%
• Final interview: 35%

Required Texts

1. Bao Ninh, The Sorrow of War, ISBN: 978-1573225434
2. Thi Bui, The Best We Could Do, ISBN: 978-1419718786
3. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing, ISBN: 978-1643751351
4. Monique Truong, The Book of Salt, ISBN: 978-0618446889
5. Vũ Trọng Phụng, Dumb Luck, ISBN: 978-0472068043
6. Quan Manh Ha (trans.), Luminous Nights, ISBN: 978-2359071108
7. Other readings posted on Courseworks

Class Preparation

• Weekly class (1hr50min); film screenings are mandatory and occur outside of class.
• Students must post a short reflection (max 350 words) by noon on Wednesday before class, 6 times total.

Participation

• Attendance is mandatory (1 excused absence with makeup work allowed).
• Passive attendance and non-curricular device use lower participation grade.

Midterm Essay

• One 6–8 page critical essay (not a research paper).
• Thesis statement required in advance for approval.

Final Interview

• Open-book, 25-minute individual interview testing comprehension of major themes.

Writing Guidelines

• Typed, double-spaced, 12pt font, 1-inch margins
• Include name, date, essay title; number and staple pages
• Citation styles accepted: MLA, CMS, or APA

Academic Integrity

Violations (e.g., plagiarism) result in zero credit and disciplinary action. See Columbia’s Policy.

Disability Accommodations

Contact Disability Services (212-854-2388 / disability@columbia.edu) for accommodations.

1. The Trauma of Modernity

• Week 1 – Introduction (1/16)
  • Read: “Little Red Riding Hood” (The Narrative Arc)
  • Suggested: George Johnson, NYT: “A Widening World of Hand-picked Truths”
• Week 2 – Identity, History, and the American Gaze (1/23)
  • Read: Goscha “Prologue”; Jamieson “Preface”; Barthes on narrative; Lan Cao
  • Film: Platoon (dir. Oliver Stone)
• Week 3 – The Chasm Between Old and New (1/30)
  • Read: Truong Buu Lam, Zinoman on late colonial period
  • Film: Mê Thảo, Thời vang bóng
  • Fiction: Nguyễn Công Hoan, Vũ Trọng Phụng
• Week 4 – Vietnam No More (2/6)
  • Read: Jamieson “Battle of the Novels”
  • Film: Làng Vũ Đại ngày ấy
  • Fiction: Nhất Linh, Thạch Lam, Khái Hưng
  • Guest lecture: Professor Martina Nguyễn (Baruch College)

2. The Sorrow of War

• Week 5 – Hope and Disillusionment (2/13)
  • Read: Goscha, ch. 10–11
  • Film: Em bé Hà Nội
  • Fiction: Lê Minh Khuê
• Week 6 – A Dog Midstream (2/20)
  • Review: Truong Buu Lam, Goscha, Barthes
  • Film: Đất Khổ
  • Memoir: Nhã Ca, Mourning Headband for Huế
• Week 7 – Hope & Disillusionment (2/27)
  • Read: Dror on North and South Vietnamese wartime education
  • Fiction: Lê Minh Khuê
  • Music: Trịnh Công Sơn
  • Continue: Mourning Headband for Huế
• Week 8 – A Hard Morning (3/5)
  • Read: Goscha ch. 13
  • Film: Bao giờ cho đến tháng mười

3. Memory and the Afterlives of the War

• Week 9 – Spring Break (3/12)
• Week 10 – The Silence of Defeat (3/19)
  • Read: Lowe
  • Film: Vượt sóng
  • Graphic Memoir: Thi Bui, The Best We Could Do
  • Begin: Bao Ninh, The Sorrow of War
• Week 11 – A Shattered Reality (3/26)
  • Read: Amado
  • Continue: Bao Ninh, The Sorrow of War
• Week 12 – Bright Light and Long Shadows (4/2)
  • Read: Lowe (again)
  • Film: Three Seasons
  • Begin: Monique Truong, The Book of Salt
  • Midterm Essay Due

4. New Vietnams

• Week 13 – Reimaginations (4/9)
  • Film: Song Lang
  • Fiction: The Book of Salt (continued)
• Week 14 – A Glance at the Other (4/16)
  • Films: Cánh đồng bất tận, Trong hay ngoài tay em
  • Fiction: Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing
• Week 15 – The Open Door (4/23)
  • Films: Đoạt hồn, Chàng vợ của em
• TBA – Final Interviews