TVA Films (Firm)

By definition, a revolution is an abrupt and usually violent change in the political and social structure of a country, occurring when people are pressed to the very limits of tolerance. In this program, historian Michel Guay and sociologists Alain Touraine and Jack Goldstone discuss the preconditions necessary to ignite a rebellion and present possible outcomes, drawing on historic examples such as the American, French, Russian, and Chinese Revolutions....

An institution supported by religious and civil authorities, marriage bestows both freedoms and restraints designed to promote social stability. But as divorce rates continue to soar, is marriage getting a bad name? In this program, author Sabine Da Costa and anthropologists Helen Fisher, of Rutgers University, and Peter Lovell, of the University of New Brunswick, track the development of marriage, from ancient times to the current day. Specific topics...

The forms of punishment a society chooses, and what exactly it deems a crime, tell a great deal about that society's values. How is justice pursued and punishment meted out? This program looks at the history of punishment, beginning with early compensatory forms of justice, Hammurabi's Code, and the Law of Moses. Socrates' execution and Roman and medieval forms of justice are analyzed in a historical context, underscoring the fact that punishment...

Comedy is the complement of tragedy, and tragedy is one of the oldest forms of ritual in the Western world. However, while tragedy is linked to the sacred, comedy is often linked to the profane and sometimes even the sacrilegious. This program explores comedy, from Aristophanes and Cicero to the Christian ban on humor. The Feast of Fools and Carnival as Christian institutions that celebrate the profane are examined, along with the role of the Fool...

From prehistoric extended families to today's double-income and single-parent families, the family as an institution has undergone dramatic change. This program examines the concept of family as viewed around the world and down through time. Historians Andre Burguiere and Pieter Spierenburg; authors Beatrice Gottlieb and Helene Tremblay; Henri Leridon, of the Institute for Demographic Studies; and Egyptologist Florence Maruejol discuss family structure...

What does it mean to die? Is death a form of transition to a higher plane, mere physical dissolution, or something else altogether? In this program, Robert J. Kastenbaum, Professor of Communication at Arizona State University; historian Michel Vovelle, of the Sorbonne; anthropologist Luce Des Aulniers; and clinical psychologist Marie-Frederique Bacque delve into the ways in which science and religion have attempted to come to terms with humankind's...

From childhood on, biological and social factors combine to shape an individual's sexual identity. In this program, Ruben Gur, Professor of Neuropsychology at the University of Pennsylvania; sociologist Rhoda Reddock, of the University of the West Indies; philosopher Elisabeth Badinter; historians Arlette Farge and Jennifer Stoddart; and others evaluate gender-related behavioral models from a variety of times and places, ranging from ancient Babylon...

Winston Churchill said that democracy is "the worst system devised by the wit of man, except for all the others. Although the state has taken many forms throughout history, some consider it not a protector of its citizens and their freedoms, but a fetter on their liberty. This program provides a historical overview of the myriad forms of government that have existed and their organizing principles, whether it is a Greek city state such as Athens that...

Somewhere along the line clothing met fashion, and neither has been the same since. In this program, historian Valerie Steele, of the Fashion Institute of Technology, and other experts interpret the history of humankind-from the ancients to the moderns-through the intriguing context of costume. Topics include the origins of clothing; symbolism associated with clothing, such as gender and status; sexist aspects of fashion, from corsets to miniskirts;...

This program sums up the evolution of commerce, from barter, to coinage, to today's stock market. Economist Professor Grantham, of McGill University, discusses how writing and accounting facilitated trade and gave rise to a merchant class in the ancient world, and hence the spread of classical civilization in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor, culminating in the Roman Empire. The importance of the spice and silk trades is also discussed, along with...