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Conversations at BSC begins Oct. 4 with Vietnam

Published: Sep 26 2015

Bismarck State College begins its eighth series of Conversations at BSC on Sunday, Oct. 4, with a long look at "Vietnam: History, Metaphor, Quagmire, Myth."

The discussion between BSC President Larry C. Skogen and humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson begins at 3 p.m. in BSC's National Energy Center of Excellence Bavendick Stateroom. Comments and questions from the audience complete the conversation.

America's misadventure in Vietnam is among the most important stories of the second half of the 20th century. As testament, renowned documentary maker Ken Burns is working on an epic documentary about America's involvement in Vietnam for an upcoming television special.

"Vietnam occupies an outsized place in the American memory - beyond Korea, and in some respects, even beyond World War II," Skogen said. "We want to talk about how that happened, and its effect on how we think about America's place in the world."

This Conversation will explore the history of the conflict, its status as America's first televised war, the ways in which American public opinion turned against the war after 1965, and Vietnam memoirs and films. The Tet Offensive in 1968 and the Battle of Hamburger Hill in 1969 are among several key events to be discussed.

Programs are unrehearsed and emphasize the 360-degree perspective of the humanities lens. Live video/audio streaming is available at bismarckstate.edu/community/humanities/conversations/. Audio alone is available on The Myx at bscmyx.com. Funding is provided by Bismarck State College and the BSC Foundation.
 

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Bismarck State College, an innovative community college in Bismarck, N.D., offers high quality education, workforce training, and enrichment programs reaching local and global communities.