Religion Media Offered by Penn State Media Sales
| Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala More on DVD Version | The residents of Antigua, Guatemala, and thousands of visitors participate annually in a Holy Week celebration, combining Catholic doctrine with Indian traditions and values. This program highlights the eight-hour Nazarene of La Merced Procession and the Descent of the Cross in the School of Christ. Hundreds of robed men and women carrying the great anda (a 7,000-pound float with an image of Christ bearing the cross) tread across elaborate rugs spread in front of churches, homes, and in plazas. Produced by Claudia Feldmar, Camara 2. (religion) |
| Legacy: 4 -- Egypt: The Habit of Civilization More on DVD Version | Views Pharaonic Egypt as the most enduring of the ancient civilizations, one that created the institutions upon which other nations are still built -- bureaucratic government, organized religion, and international trade -- and shows how ancient traditions come together in today's Middle Eastern Moslem culture. CLOSED CAPTIONED |
| Legacy: 5 -- Central America: The Burden of Time More on DVD Version | Shows how the early Aztec, Mayan, and Incan peoples developed sophisticated Central American civilizations independently of the Mediterranean empires, but with striking similarities: organized government and religion (and the massive buildings to house them), international trade, scientific systems, and written languages. CLOSED CAPTIONED |
| Mbira dza Vadzimu: Religion at the Family Level with Gwanzura Gwenzi More on DVD Version | One of a series of films examining in detail the use of the traditional African mbira in the cultural life of the Mashona people of Rhodesia. Establishes the essential religio us background for further films in the series by examining the life of a man in his middle forties. He is seen in politically troubled Salisbury, Rhodesia, where he works as the head of the messengers' pool at Anglo-American. Shows some of his life at work in a western urban town and at home in the tribal lands on the weekend. He hosts an all-night bira, or spirit seance; the main expression of Shona religious ritual, at his home in the country. His sister is the family medium, his grandfather the spirit who possesses her, and the guests members of his family, past and present, and neighbors. Produced by ethnomusicologists Gei Zantzinger and Andrew Tracey. |
| Quest for Peace: Betty Reardon More on DVD Version | Betty Reardon, coordinator of the Peace Education Program at Columbia University Teachers College, discusses militarism and sexism as the social values that predispose societies toward war, and expresses what she believes religion and education can contribute to the task of making the planet more secure. |
| This Constitution: A History -- Prayer In the Classroom More on DVD Version | This series takes a chronological and conceptual approach in presenting the philosophical origins, drafting, and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and its effect on American society. The first program describes the controversial efforts to bring prayer into the public schools and discusses the conflict between the Free Exercise Clause and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Outlines several Supreme Court cases on the establishment of religion, including Cantwell v. Connecticut, Engel v. Vitale, and Wallace v. Jeffree. Produced by the International University Consortium and Project '87. |
| Pennsylvania Parade #104: Teachers and Gardners/Return to Bitumen More on DVD Version | Teachers, Gardners: Teachers/Gardeners covers a wide range of topics inlcuding educational philosophy, administrative strategies, man's relationship to the environment, religion, gardening and retirement. Return to Bitumen is an account of a coal mining community in northwestern Pennsylvania. Return to Bitumen: Jerry and Shirley Brown work Christmas day. And Easter. And Memorial Day, and Labor Day, and Groundhog Day, and National Peanut Butter Day. Their 62 milk cows don't understand what weekends, holidays, and vacations are all about. Jerry and Shirley farm for a living; 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. and later, 365 days a year. Their investment in land, equipment, and livestock is close to a quarter million dollars; their debts are frequently close to that. Twenty-six dairy farms have gone out of business in "the home valley" in the last 20 years, but the Browns hang on. It is what they know, what they are content with; and they will continue, as long as they can. Produced by P.J. O'Connell for Penn State Television / WPSX-TV. Rural America Documentary project. |
| Pennsylvania Parade:#115 - Profiles of Rural Religion: Go and I'll be with You More on DVD Version | At 33, Paul Wonders was a successful dairy farmer, with a wife, six children, and a farm that had been in his family for four generations. He "got saved" at an evangelistic meeting in 1948, sold the farm, became an itinerant tent preacher and later an ordained minister. Today, he is pastor of the Gospel Tabernacle Assembly of God in Hammersley Fork, an unincorporated crossroads community in the most sparsely populated corner of Clinton County, PA. The Wonders have built a new church building; they hold four exuberant services a week for their congregation of less than 100. They and their church are flourishing. This is an exploration of a minister and his wife--co-ministers--and the joyous brand of evangelism they conduct in their lives and in their church. From the "Profiles of Rural Religion" series. Produced by P.J. O'Connell for Penn State Television / WPSX-TV. Rural America Documentary project. |
| Pennsylvania Parade #122 - Profiles on Rural Religion: Last Words More on DVD Version | To conclude the "Profiles of Rural Religion" series, the series consultants, sociologists Don Crider and Joe Faulkner, come to the TV studio for some analysis and some dialogue with the subjects of the six documentaries. But the dialogue develops most strongly between the subjects themselves, as questions of diversity and religious choice become prominent. And the program provides a final, frontal encounter between Suzie Andresen and Glenn Stover (see "Separate Realities"). Their quite different religious views, untempered and forcefully put, illustrate the range and intensity of religious expression in Rural America. Produced by P J O'Connell for Penn State Public Broadcasting. Rural lAmerica Documentary series. |
| Pennsylvania Parade #117 - Profiles of Rural Religion: We're Really In It With you Charlie More on DVD Version | Rural pastor Charlie is an “Outsider” having moved to the area only one year before. Charlie Mason is a thoughtful smart aleck, irreverently reverent, a counselor, a politician, an outsider in the small rural city where he is pastor of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Lock Haven, PA. Rev. Mason is in conflict with his new congregation. He believes "they just want to have a church, and I want to do something important in the lives of people." Conflict--real and imagined--is at the heart of this examination of a clergyman and his relationships with his congregation. From the "Profiles of Rural Religion" series. Produced by P J O'Connell for Penn State Public Broadcasting. Rural lAmerica Documentary series. |
| Pennsylvania Parade #118: - Profiles of Rural Religion: Welcome to Clinton County More on DVD Version | An introduction to the religious makeup of Clinton County, PA. From the ethnic Catholics of Renovo, through the fundamentalist Baptists of North Bend and the struggling Jews of Lock Haven, to the consolidated Lutherans of Nittany and Sugar Valleys, this is a survey of religious conditions and outlooks in this rural county. The film also serves to set the scene for the remaining films in the "Profiles of Rural Religion" series. Produced by P J O'Connell for Penn State Public Broadcasting. Rural lAmerica Documentary series. |
| Pennsylvania Parade # 121 - Profiles of Rural Religion: Sugar Valley Sampler More on DVD Version | Sugar Valley is a "bowl," with only two breaks in the mountain rim. For 200 years, it was largely self-sufficient, economically, socially, and religiously. Since World War II, however, the Valley has slowly changed. There are two Lutheran churches where once there were nine, a group based out of the United Church of Christ is fighting a school merger with a district outside the Valley, and at the annual community picnic there are now electric-guitared rock groups. But the content of the lyrics--the gospel message--has remained much the same. This is a film of preservation and of change, of meeting the needs of the times and of holding on to what is dear. Sugar Valley is changing, but gradually, sometimes grudgingly and, when possible, on its own terms. From the "Profiles of Rural Religion" series. Produced by P J O'Connell for Penn State Public Broadcasting. Rural lAmerica Documentary series. |
| Pennsylvania Parade #145 - Documenting Rural America More on DVD Version | Contains segments from RADOC programs including: Visiting with Darlene; Notes on a Community Hospital; Inside Huntingdon Prison; The Spirit of Punxsutawney; The Faces of A-Wing; The Final, Proud Days of Elsie Wurster; Notes on an American Business; A Tale of Reliance and Hope; R.D.#1 Box 99; Profiles of Rural Religion; Winning and Losing; The Powers That Be; Veterans Day (traditional); Teen Cancer; The Victim's World; Teachers, Gardeners, Paths and Shadows; It's Prom Time; Music Music Music; and Festival. Produced by P J O'Connell for Penn State Public Broadcasting and The Rural America Documentary Project. ©1992 |
| Pennsylvania Parade #119 - Profiles on Rural Religion: Separate Realities More on DVD Version | Suzie Anderson attends St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Lock Haven, PA. Glenn Stover attends First Baptist, just across a 25-foot alleyway. But their religious beliefs and practices are separated by a far greater distance. Suzie is a "seeker"; she is exploring her religious commitment, asking questions, questioning the answers. Glenn is "born again." There are no questions in his settled and serene religious faith. This film develops the religious viewpoints of two very different--but strongly committed--individuals and offers the opportunity to compare these two variations on the ages-old question of "proper" religious behavior. From the "Profiles of Rural Religion" series. Produced by P J O'Connell for Penn State Public Broadcasting and The Rural America Documentary ProjectPart of the Rural America Documentary Project. ©1979 |
| Pennsylvania Parade #120 - Profiles on Rural Religion: Three Who Care More on DVD Version | Religious involvement can be casual; in these three cases, it is not. Sue Jensen is a seminary intern, encountering the Salona Lutheran Church. Sue is suburban-raised, Princeton-educated, and a woman serving as pastor of a small, rural congregation. She is, to say the least, in contrast to her congregation's expectations. Connie Richardson is a rural activist in the Gospel Tabernacle Assembly of God. She sings; she plays the organ; she teaches Sunday school; she is a missionary to her neighbors. And Connie believes: in the biblical "gifts", in prayer, in healing, in her power to perform miracles "in the name of the Lord." Celeste Rhodes Larsen is a nonbeliever in a strongly religious community, a former Jew in a predominantly Christian population, and a creative dance professor at a small teachers college. Her skepticism counterpoints prevailing attitudes. Rural religion is varied, intense, and decidedly alive. From the "Profiles of Rural Religion" series. Produced by P J O'Connell for Penn State Public Broadcasting and The Rural America Documentary Project. ©1979 |
| Naming the Nightmare: The Journey Back from 9/11 Part 2 - Understanding Islam More on DVD Version | ©2002 Produced by Betsy Hutton Islam is the fastest growing world religion. An estimated 1.2 billion people in the world are Muslim. Learn about the history of Muhammad and the spread of Islam, the five pillars of Islam and the development of Islam as a political force. |
| Naming the Nightmare: The Journey Back from 9/11 Parts 1- 4 More on DVD Version | ©2002 Produced by Betsy Hutton Part 1: Terrorism What conditions give rise to terrorism? This program explores the historical background of terrorism, the Reign of Terror, the assassin phenomenon and how terrorim is a global issue. Part 2: Understanding Islam Islam is the fastest growing world religion. An estimated 1.2 billion people in the world are Muslim. Learn about the history of Muhammad and the spread of Islam, the five pillars of Islam and the development of Islam as a political force. Part 3: Waging War The American government is waging a two-front war on terrorism at home and abroad. On the battlefield, new technology, and tactics and an elusive target are changing the way we fight wars. At home, security precautions are raising concerns about civil liberties. Part 4: People Who Keep Us Safe Firefighters, police and rescue workers risk their lives every day. The CDC scrambles to keep up with the latest in bio-warfare. The FBI and CIA analyze clues and conduct surveillance to prevent terroristic threats. Find out how they develop new strategies and why they are committed to their work. |
| Malcolm X More on DVD Version | After serving prison time, Malcolm X became a spokesman for the Nation of Islam and drastically increased its membership. He promoted complete segregation of whites and African-Americans and he was the founding symbol of the Black Militant Movement. Learn what events in his life changed his view on segregation and his religion. ©2002 |
| George W. Forell: Teacher, Author, Philosopher - An Interview More on DVD Version | "Most Iowans don't realize what a gold mine they have here at The University of Iowa compared with other schools that treat religion like people used to treat sex in the 19th century. Everybody knew that sex was around but they didn't talk about it in polite society. Everybody knows that religion is around but people are afraid to talk about it in polite society." A close-up interview with acclaimed author, teacher and philosopher George Forell captures the charming personality of this controversial figure. Author of The Luther Legacy, The Augsburg Confession, Understanding the Nicene Creed, and Ethics of Decision, Professor Forell explores his motivation to write and his philosophy of teaching the 30,000 students who have studied religion with him. Particularly uplifting to teachers and student teachers. |
| Understanding Terrorism Series Afghanistan: The Lost Generation More on DVD Version | An Ancient Culture drowns in a Sea of Brutality. After enduring twenty-five years of civil strife, a botched occupation attempt and countless calamities, Afghanistan has finally returned to a state of relative-though fragile-calm. Controlled by a violent autocratic regime intent on eradicting personal liberties and forcing society back into the Dark Ages, Afghanistan faces a new set of challenges. Afghanistan: The Lost Generation is not about politics or religion. It is an unflinching look at the atrocities of war, and a personal visit to a nation and a people struggling to survive in the total desperation caused by an almost perpetual state of conflict. In a nation of countless victims, thousands of emotionally and physically crippled survivors-maimed children, widows and silent scholars-struggle to rebuild their lives. Ustad Kamal, a dean of traditional music and a virtuoso of the two-stringed dotar, uses his music to alleviate his pain and fight the cultural genocide destroying his country. Twelve-year-old Bashir lost both his feet in a rocket blast that struck his home and killed his parents, yet he works to provide food for his six surviving brothers and sisters. Nasrullah, a soldier crippled by war, clings to memories of his lost childhood amid the brutal reality of death and destruction. This is the struggle to rebuild a new Afghanistan as seen through the eyes of the lost generation. |
| Houses of Worship Pennsylvania More on DVD Version | With roots based in the ideal of "spiritual liberty and religious freedom", Pennsylvania's churches, chapels and cathedrals are tributes to inspired architecture and are true symbols of the diversity and significance of religion within every community large and small. |
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