Robert K. Brigham
Vassar College
Robert. K. Brigham is Shirley Ecker Boskey Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College. He is a specialist on the history of US foreign policy, particularly the Vietnam War, and is author or co-author of nine books, most recently Reckless: Henry Kissinger and the Tragedy of Vietnam. Brigham has earned research fellowships from the Rockefeller, Mellon, Ford, and Smith Richardson foundations as well as the National Endowment for Humanities. In 2019, the Alumnae/i Association of Vassar College presented Brigham with its Outstanding Faculty Award. He has won similar teaching awards from Southern Vermont College (1986-87), the University of Kentucky (1993), and Semester at Sea (2014).
Undergraduate Syllabus
THE VIET NAM WAR
An examination of the origins, course, and impact of America's involvement in Viet Nam, emphasizing the evolution of American diplomacy, the formulation of military strategy, the domestic impact of the war, and the perspective of Vietnamese revolutionaries.
A HISTORY OF AMERICAN FOREIGN RELATIONS
This course examines the foreign relations of the United States from the 19th century to the present day emphasizing the motivations, objectives, and tactics of U.S. policy makers. The course will focus on America’s role in the Spanish-American War; its embroilment in two world wars; its Cold War struggle with the Soviet Union; its wars in Korea and Vietnam; its response to human rights abuses and mass atrocities; and its leadership in the global war on terror.