Nature Media Offered by Penn State Media Sales
| Ape Language: From Conditioned Response to Symbol More on DVD Version | Illustrates research conducted by E. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh between 1976 and 1984 into the nature of language acquisition through the study of symbolic and syntactical skills in primates; the goal of which was to help develop techniques that could be used in teaching language to mentally retarded children. Study guide included. Produced by Savage-Rumbaugh to serve as a visual supplement to her book (Columbia University Press, 1986).. Primate Category |
| Baboon Social Organization More on DVD Version | Examination of the complex social organization of a wild baboon troop. Indicates that the baboon is a social animal and troop members are highly interdependent. Attempts to analyze the nature of this sociability and show its relation to baboon ecology. Discusses the role of males, females, and infants. From the Baboon Social Life series. Produced by S.L. Washburn and I. DeVore. |
| Childhood: 1 -- Great Expectations More on DVD Version | Through the observation of twelve families on five continents, this series looks at childhood from a number of perspectives -- personal, scientific, historical, and cultural -- and examines the various influences that shape us as individuals and as members of the families and societies in which we are raised. The first program explores the mutual influence and importance of both "nature" and "nurture," the ongoing interaction of time, place, and biology. Three births -- in Russia, America, and Brazil -- are presented to show how different societies approach this universal, yet unique, experience. Produced by WNET and the Childhood Project, Inc. |
| Fitness for Life: Exercise -- Nature's Tranquilizer More on DVD Version | Examines the body's physiological response to stress, health problems associated with unmanaged stress, and techniques for managing stress. Emphasizes the beneficial role of exercise as a stress management technique. Features Dorothy V. Harris, professor of exercise and sport science at Penn State. Developed by Penn State's Department of Exercise and Sport Science and produced by Penn State Television / WPSX-TV. |
| The Making of Mankind: 2 -- One Small Step... More on DVD Version | Richard Leakey describes the discovery made by his mother, Mary, of the oldest human footprints in the world. The four-million-year-old footprints offer the earliest evidence of the shift from four legs to two. He also discusses the famous "Lucy" skeleton, Ethiopian fossils, and the controversy over the nature of ancient upright creatures. Produced by the BBC. |
| Max Made Mischief More on DVD Version | This program about teaching literature to young students uses Maurice Sendak's classic children's book, Where the Wild Things Are, to demonstrate a curriculum developed by Sonia Landes. Shows how third-graders can explore plot structure, the nature of poetry, and the use of illustrations. Print material included. Dr. Edward A. Mason. |
| Psychological Dialogue with Playwright Arthur Miller: Part 2 More on DVD Version | Arthur Miller continues with his reactions to major personality theories, art vs. science, nature of the "message," and reflections on contemporary problems. From the Notable Contributors to the Psychology of Personality series. Produced by R.I. Evans. |
| This Constitution: A History -- The Pursuit of Equality More on DVD Version | Considers the nature and historical development of the idea of equality in the specific context of federal civil rights policies of the past twenty years. Examines Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Title VII, and the creation of the Equal Opportunity Commission. Also includes a discussion of racial discrimination and the direction of affirmative action. |
| Pennsylvania Parade #106: Notes on a Community Hospital, Part 2 More on DVD Version | People are the indispensable factor in hospital operation--doctors, nurses, administrators, patients. This film illustrates the human factor by concentrating on five individuals and their personal roles in how the hospital functions. It does not instruct viewers about how a mid-sized rural hospital operates; rather, it conveys visually and aurally the nature of a typical hospital, its staff, and the people it serves. Produced by P J O'Connell for Penn State Public Broadcasting. Rural lAmerica Documentary series. |
| Pennsylvania Parade #146 - The Powers that Be: Strictly Political More on DVD Version | THE POWERS THAT BE is a series of ten half-hour documentaries which chronicles the daily work world of three commissioners of a rural Pennsylvania County (Clinton County.) The series illustrates the practical political problems that best elected officials of small-to-medium size local governments. This program introduces the county, the three commissioners, and the nature of elective office. The burden of the program is on describing the political background in which the commissioners operate, beginning with their Inauguration Day. Produced by P J O'Connell for Penn State Public Broadcasting. Rural lAmerica Documentary series. |
| Wild Pennsylvania - Wildlife Education More on DVD Version | Highlights the work of several school districts and organizations involved in providing factual information about the state's wild resources. This program also reminds us that wildlife education need not occur in the forest, and that people need to life compatibly with nature so that it is there for generations to come. See also http://www.outreach.psu.edu/edcomm/wildpa/ |
| Wild Pennsylvania - Elk More on DVD Version | Pennsylvania is home to the only free-ranging elk heard in the east, and one of only two east of the Mississippi. The herd is regarded as a priceless resource by nature lovers. Less flattering descriptions are offered by farmers whose crops they devour and property owners whose land is invaded by tourists determined to glimpse these animals. See also http://www.outreach.psu.edu/edcomm/wildpa/ |
| Pennsylvania Parade #105: Notes on a Community Hospital, the Patient the Doctor More on DVD Version | People are the indispensable factor in hospital operation--doctors, nurses, administrators, patients. This film illustrates the human factor by concentrating on five individuals and their personal roles in how the hospital functions. It does not instruct viewers about how a mid-sized rural hospital operates; rather, it conveys visually and aurally the nature of a typical hospital, its staff, and the people it serves. Produced by P J O'Connell for Penn State Public Broadcasting. Rural lAmerica Documentary series. |
| Legendary Lighthouses Series and Book More on DVD Version | LEGENDARY LIGHTHOUSES, a new six-part series about lighthouses and the remarkably beautiful places they're located, offers viewers the opportunity to rediscover the romance and history of these fabled structures. The one-hour programs visit remote locations such as Thomas Point Lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay, the reef lights of Florida's southern coast, California's St. George's Reef Lighthouse, and the lighthouses of Washington's Puget Sound and San Juan Islands. Actor Richard Crenna narrates. The series also visits famous and historic locations such as Boston Lighthouse on Little Brewster Island, the oldest lighthouse location in America; Ocracoke Lighthouse, located in the harbor that was once home to the infamous pirate Blackbeard; and Rhode Island's Lime Rock Lighthouse, home to Ida Lewis, who became the most famous lighthouse keeper in America. Each episode, guided by storytellers who are connected to the lighthouses and their locations, covers one of the nation's great coastlines, with a sampling of lighthouses from that region. 6 hours on 3 videotapes. Book: /Whether it's for their beauty, romance or usefulness - or a combination of all three-most of us would admit to a fascination with lighthouses. Paralleling the highly praised PBS travel documentary series Legendary Lighthouses, this companion book celebrates America's treasured coastal beacons and explores the nature of our love for them. Lavishly illustrated with color photographs, many of them taken during the filming of the television series, this book is a modern tribute not only to our rich lighthouse heritage but also the ideals and impulses that lighthouses continue to embody and inspire. See also http://www.pbs.org/legendarylighthouses/ |
| Chacma Baboons (Papio Ursinus): Ecology and Behavior More on DVD Version | Study of baboons in the Cape Point Nature Reserve, Cape of Good Hope, based on information collected by Professor Hall during 153 days of systematic observation of their behavior within the troop and their interactions with food plants and organisms in the rugged coastal environment. Produced by K.R.L. Hall and C.R. Carpenter for the BBC. From the C.R. Carpenter Primate Studies series. 1962 |
| The Tree of Knowledge More on DVD Version | Set in Huehuetla, Puebla, a Totonac Indian community in East Central Mexico, The Tree of Knowledge contrasts two systems of education. The public school system uses patriotic symbols to "integrate" Indian pupils into the national culture while teaching them to reject their own identity. In contrast, the Danza de los Huehues urges young Totonacs to learn from the mestizos ("whites"), yet warns them not to abandon their own culture. But there is also a deeper, older level to the ritual: it is not the mestizos, but the living spirits of trees, who are the real spirits of the Danza, and who teach the Totonacs how to live in harmony with nature. That is where the Dance began... But there is also a deeper, older level to the ritual: it is not the mestizos, but the living spirits of trees, who are the real spirits of the Danza, and who teach the Totonacs how to live in harmony with nature. That is where the Dance began... Set in Huehuetla, Puebla, a Totonac Indian community in East Central Mexico, The Tree of Knowledge contrasts two systems of education. The public school system uses patriotic symbols to "integrate" Indian pupils into the national culture while teaching them to reject their own identity. In contrast, the Danza de los Huehues urges young Totonacs to learn from the mestizos ("whites"), yet warns them not to abandon their own culture. "Throughout the film we see the divided nature of the town: a close-up of a caged dove - the Indian locked into a Spanish world. The remarks of the school principal (of course a mestizo): 'Our main interest is that the children learn Spanish . . . If we speak to a sixth grade pupil in Totonac, he is insulted. He says, 'I speak Spanish now. Why do you talk to me in Totonac?'' . . . Lane's approach is indirect and symbolic; he avoids interpretive narration in favor of allowing visual and spoken symbolism to carry the message . . . Lane has made a useful contribution both to peasant studies and to the methodology of ethnographic film as well." Dr. Michael Logan The American Anthropologist, 1984 |
| All About the Weather More on DVD Version | Climate and weather are not the same thing. This video explains what each is and goes on to discuss the various cloud formations that appear in our planet's atmosphere. Aspects of weather such as temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, and air currents are addressed. Finally, we focus on weather as a powerful force of nature, as we look at thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Grades 3-5 ©2001 |
| Rising Waters More on DVD Version | A critical look into the perennial stuggle of man vs. nature as flood damaged communites are forced to come to terms with the dangers of living in the flood plain. Written, directed, & produced by Andrew Jones 2002 |
| Door in Turner Alley: Grant Wood, American Gothic and Midwestern Regionalism More on DVD Version | "The aim of art is to teach people to live happier, fuller lives", said Grant Wood. Door in Turner Alley, a 30 min. video, provides a complete survey of Grant Wood's work, life and philosophy. * Events of his early life * Influence of his family and friends * Results of his study in Europe * His philosophy of life * Significance of his work today * Paradoxical nature of some of his paintings * His part in the Public Works Art Project during the Depression * Impact of notoriety on Grant Wood Over 40 of his paintings and sketches help illustrate the progressive development of his art and its significance. This insightful program explores the importance of Grant Wood's work today as well as the reaction to his work by people of his day. Door in Turner Alley presents the life and history behind Wood's works and the artist's perceptions and philosophies of his world. Sponsored in part by the Iowa Humanities Board and the National Endowment for the Humanities. |
| Nature and Development of Affection More on DVD Version | Nature and Development of Affection. A series of observations and experiments analysing the variables underlying the nature and development of affection in primates. Rhesus monkeys, separated from their mothers at birth, were raised mursing or non-nursing on cloth or wire surrogate mothers. Shoes infants being tested for mother preference under a variety of conditions. Results indicate that contact comfort is the primary variable determining affection and attachmentof the rhesus to the mother. Infant moneys develop strong and persisting affectional attachments to the coloth "mother" and behave in a secure manner in her presence. H.F. Harlow and R. Zimmerman. Primate category |
For streaming media from Penn State Public Broadcasting, see http://streams.wpsu.psu.edu.