ITEMS Video Descriptions

IAO Lecture: Dr. Ray Ginsberg: U.S. & European Union at Turn of Century
ISO VT1013

The U.S. & European Union At Turn Century: Trade, Money, Security 3-8-00

Nixons China Game
ISO VT1015

In Feb.1972 world watched as Richard Nixon began his visit to China. It was first high level political contact between two nations since Communist takeover in 1949. It was culmination of a dangerous game of diplomacy that threatened to collapse at any moment. Takes us behind scenes of one of boldest diplomatic maneuvers in history. Richard Nixon forged a career by battling Communism. By contacting China he risked destroying his career & damaging America's relationship with Soviets. Yet his China game was punctuated by surprising turns of event & comic moments that rendered it on a distinctly human scale. 60 min

Soviet Disunion: Ten Years That Shook The World
ISO VT1027

10 year history of contemporary Russia since glasnost & perestroika presents a dismal picture of a nation in disarray, battling with seemingly insurmountable economic, social & political problems. Major topics include election of Mikhail Gorbachev; dissolution of gulag system; Boris Yeltsin's opposition to Gorbachev's initiatives; environmental legacies, including disaster of Chernobyl; breakaway of Baltic states; Gorbachev's arrest; rise of Yeltsin; creation of stock exchange, an explosion of crime; & decay of military. 57 min

Yugoslavia Death of a Nation
ISO VT1054

Violence, murder & disorder in former Yugoslavia have horrified world. Study how & why this once-unified country disintegrated into a combat zone of warring factions. Part One reveals how Serbian Communist party leader Slobodan Milosevic exploited his republic's resentment of Muslims to win favor & overthrow old comrades. Part Two begins with Milosevic controlling half of Yugoslavia. Explore his political maneuvering, & hear from Milosevic.

Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
ISO VT1087

Director Stephen Johnson brought together 41 of most talented international animators to produce this work. Video brings 30 articles to life in brilliant color. As entertaining as it is educational, English version is narrated by Jeff Bridges & Debra Winger. 1988. 20 min

Christianity: The First Thousand Years (A)
ISO VT1125A

They were one of many sects barely tolerated by Roman Empire. According to the Scriptures, 50 days after Jesus died his followers were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. With that event a religion was born. Video consults ancient text & modern scholars to chronicle first centuries of Christianity when Rome tried to destroy the new religion while converts spread gospel throughout the Mediterranean. Follow in footsteps of St. Paul; learn how James may have been related to Jesus. See how Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians could not check growth of the faith that would be adopted by his successor. 50 min

Christianity: The First Thousand Years (B)
ISO VT1125B

For 300 years Christians were target of violence & hatred in Roman Empire. That changed when Emperor Constantine saw a vision of Jesus in a dream. The religion had gained its most important convert. Clear evidence that Christianity was growing in power leads many to question whether Constantine's conversion was genuine or political. Experts agree that the effects of the conversion were more important than reason behind it. From birth of the monastic movement to the shaping of New Testament, video traces the sweeping changes that eventually led to the triumph of the religion in the Western world & decline of Roman Empire. 50 min

Christianity: The First Thousand Years (C)
ISO VT1125C

Five centuries after death of Jesus, Rome fell to Goths, plunging Europe into Dark Ages. On both sides of continent, Christianity continued to grow though it would soon face a new challenge. Video visits magnificent sites of the Byzantine Empire. There learning & culture flourished while Europe suffered through Dark Ages. A new threat emerged as Islam swept from the Arabian sands to conquer half of Christendom in only 100 years. The answer to this danger lay in Ireland & British Isles where followers of St. Patrick established a network of monasteries. Scholars reveal how a religious revival was born that would spread throughout Europe. 50 min

Christianity: The First Thousand Years (D)
ISO VT1125D

The Golden Age of Christianity began on January 1st. On that day in the year 800 the Pope placed a crown on the head of Frankish king Charlemagne declaring him the new Holy Roman Emperor. Video details reforms that Charlemagne undertook that lifted Europe from Dark Ages & established Christianity as cornerstone of Western civilization. At same time military campaigns spread Word of God through the power of the sword while monks in the east invented a new alphabet to translate the Bible into Slavic tongues. By the year 1000 all of Europe was part of Christendom. The destruction of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem by Muslim warriors foretold of the violence that was soon to come... 50 min

Christianity: The Second Thousand Years (A)
ISO VT1126A

By dawn of second millennium, Christianity had risen from a beleaguered sect to become bedrock of Western Civilization. The last of European pagans had been converted & the Holy Roman Emperor was the 'Defender of the Christian Faith' as well as supreme monarch of Europe. But a new wave of challenges awaited the surging religion & strongest would come from Islam. Video recounts how two centuries of Holy Wars were launched by a single speech & details its unforeseen consequences - including creation of a sect of warrior monks so powerful they would eventually have to be destroyed by the Church. 50 min

Christianity: The Second Thousand Years (B)
ISO VT1126B

By 13th century, the Church's power was at an all-time zenith. But its role as undisputed authority in all matters would soon come to an end in face of dissent from within. Video documents how rising tide of ambition & greed within the Church sparked events that would change it forever. The charges of a French sect sparked the 500-year horror of the Inquisition. A civil war divided the faithful, drove true pope from Rome & led to the Avignon Papacy. Pervasive corruption eventually drove an unknown friar named Martin Luther to shake Christianity to its very foundations. 50 min

Christianity: The Second Thousand Years (C)
ISO VT1126C

The Church counterattacked in the wake of the Reformation & the separation of the Church of England, splitting Europe into warring camps of Roman Catholics & Protestants who would clash in brutal religious wars for over a century. Video brings tumultuous era to life through period accounts & analysis of scholars. The struggle was at once universal & personal as illustrated by the fate of the 20,000 Huguenots slaughtered at the whim of a Catholic queen in the St. Bartholomew Day massacre & the trial of Galileo for heresy. Ultimately the years of conflict strengthened & updated Christianity but another threat was just around the corner... 50 min

Christianity: The Second Thousand Years (D)
ISO VT1126D

Modern world has challenged Christianity for nearly 400 years. Initial response was as predictable as it was futile. The religion struggled to keep pace with a changing world ever since. Focuses on reforms of the 20th century. See how long process of reconciliation & acceptance among sects was furthered by the changes of Vatican II. Taken out of the church & into streets by clerics like Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu & Mother Teresa tension between age old doctrines & & evolving society remains & will likely define course the faith follows for the next thousand years. 50 min

Nationalism Blood And Belonging: A Nation Returns; Germany
ISO VT1147

A neo-Nazi skinhead thinks democracy is unnatural; a typical liberal prefers to be a citizen of the world; a far-right office holder fantasizes about his hard-working, disciplined, Aryan fatherland. Program looks at Germany reunified: while there was an East/West, communist/capitalist split, Germans could forget about nationalism, which is now back with a vengeance. Liberals, we discover, don't like the Germany they have, while the neo-Nazis love a Germany that doesn't exist; after 45 years of longing for reunification, the two Germanys hardly recognize one another. 50 min

Confronting Communism: And The Walls Came Tumbling Down
ISO VT1165

From rise of Lenin to fall of Berlin Wall, 20th century witnessed birth & death of Soviet Union. Program anchored by Peter Jennings confronts impact of Bolshevism, from Russian Revolution to Cold War, featuring spread of Communism to China, Korean War, Berlin Airlift, McCarthyism, Hungarian uprising, Sputnik, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War, Glasnost & Perestroika & raising of Iron Curtain. 2/01. 61 min

Samurai And The Swastika
ISO VT1169

From the dawn of time to the epic sweep of the 20th century, the History channel captures the glory, tragedy & drama of the human experience. 50 min

IS Seminar/Guest Speakers 4-18-01
ISO VT1187

Isreali-Palestinian Peace Process

Ethnic Identity
ISO VT1213

This documentary examines efforts to promote & safeguard peace in the 20th century, a century defined by its wars. Even today, more than a dozen wars are raging, many of them in Africa. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan discusses the history & the role of the United Nations, using the conflict between Ethiopia & Eritrea as an example. Other scholars explore the purpose of the state, what it requires to function, & what happens when it disintegrates. Additional issues such as world government are addressed as well. 50 min

Womens Bank Of Bangladesh
ISO VT1232

More than 100 million people live below poverty level in Bangladesh - many of them women. Thanks to the Grameen Bank & the small-business loans it makes to women only, many of them & their families are beginning to prosper. This program describes the philosophy, development, & function of the bank, then follows the daily activities of three women who have taken out loans to fund their cottage industries. We follow the women to bank-sponsored support groups & business classes, & watch as they sign their names & receive their loans. "Allah is going to punish anybody involved in the Grameen Bank!" shouts one Islamic leader, who, along with most males, opposes the loans as being contrary to Islamic law. But bank founder & economics professor Muhammad Yunus defends the bank's policies, stating that women in the region are more competitive in business than men. The Grameen Bank model has been copied in more than 40 countries throughout the world 47 min

International Terrorism
ISO VT1233

This program describes the origins, growth & effects of the major players in international terrorism: the Palestinians & the Shite fundamentalists. It explains the motivations of individuals like Mahmud Khaled, who killed 13 passengers & wounded 80 others in an orgy of violence at the Rome airport. It also examines the moral dilemmas posed by such acts to governments that respect human rights: Is it justifiable to sacrifice the lives of hostages to deter future terrorism? Is it permissible to use violence as a deterrent to terrorism when innocent people might be killed? 52 min

IAO Forum - "Globalization & Human Rights" 4-3-02
ISO VT1286

Forum videotaped by International Studies on 4-3-02 concerning Globalization & Human Rights. approximately 1 hour

IAO Lecture - Prakash Singh - Fundamentalist Terrorism 4-25-02
ISO VT1301

Lecture at BU, 4-25-02, on fundamentalist terrorism.

Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation: The Cracks Appear; Descent Into War
ISO VT1325A

2 of 6 parts of the fall of Yugoslavia.

Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation: The Collapse of Unity; The Gates of Hell
ISO VT1325B

2 of 6 parts concerning the fall of Yugoslavia.

Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation: No Escape; Pax American
ISO VT1325C

2 of 6 parts concerning the fall of Yugoslavia.

Global Generations; A World Without Borders
ISO VT1408

As globalization gains momentum, industrialized and developing countries are, to a greater or lesser extent, becoming increasingly similar, with middle-class luxury and abject poverty coexisting side by side. This program explores the repercussions of globalization as well as a growing resentment toward the G8 countries and nongovernmental organizations. Concerns over third-world debt, environmental degradation, biodiversity, the concentration of power, and the future of democracy are aired by globally oriented young adults who are poised to inherit a world without borders...or rules. (26 minutes, color)

ITEMS Video Descriptions

Latin Week 1983ISO VT0074

Latin Week 1983
ISO VT0074