Sociology

At the end of life, what many Americans want is physical and spiritual comfort in a home setting. In this program, veteran PBS journalist Bill Moyers presents the important strides being made in the area of palliative care at pioneering institutions such as New York's Mt. Sinai Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. These advances are bringing peace to those who fear that they will be a burden to loved ones, will suffer needlessly, or will be abandoned in their hour of greatest need. The DVD version of this program also includes a special video introduction by Mr. Moyers. (87 minutes)

During the 19th century, racial categorization took on a pseudoscientific stance. This program shows how the academic racism of the period helped to spread imperialist policies across the globe. Sifting through the science" of eugenics and its link to social Darwinism, the film juxtaposes the racial hygiene theories of Robert Knox, Francis Galton, and Eugen Fischer with racial warfare in Tasmania, Victorian apathy in famine-wracked India, and-prefacing the Holocaust-horrific German colonization tactics in Namibia. Expert commentary comes from author David Dabydeen, Dr. Maria Misra of Oxford University, and Professor Catherine Hall of University College London. Contains graphic footage from concentration camps. Original BBC broadcast title: A Fatal Impact. (53 minutes)"

In this two-part program, noted American poet Robert Bly and Bill Moyers explore how men think about themselves, their fathers, their sons, and their roles in society. Bly discusses the need for intimate emotional contact between fathers and sons, and talks about how his own poor relationship with an alcoholic father deprived him of the ability to express grief. He laments the loss of meaningful rites of passage for today's young males. The influence of male mentors is discussed as important to the nurturing of sound male identity. The male tendency to confuse manliness with physically aggressive behavior is equated with inadequate fathering. The notion of the warrior, instilled in younger men by mentors, is discussed as a character-building element that helps young males recognize behavioral boundaries. A group of men at a workshop share with Moyers their concerns about their own male-to-male relationships, and their confusion over their role in society. (2 parts, 50 minutes and 38 minutes)

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 how the quest for new trading partners impelled exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, leading to the discovery of the New World and new prosperity. (53 minutes)

Plato's academy was the first formal arena for education, where young men were tutored in the rigors of logic, philosophy, and mathematics. Prior to this, societies transmitted knowledge from one generation to the next orally, and after the advent of writing, through texts. Although education throughout history has been predominantly a privilege of the elite, universal education is currently seen as a basic right, necessary for a country's prosperity. This program traces the evolution of education through the ages, from oral traditions to its role in today's ever-changing society, where the need to learn new job skills is a constant necessity. (53 minutes)

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 was often intended as a deterrent rather than as a reformatory measure. Contemporary forms of punishment, including the death penalty, are discussed, along with the ways in which these sentences reflect what society values. (53 minutes)

There can be no society without work. Yet as civilizations prosper and grow, labor historically is shifted onto the less privileged, while the elite either scorn work or only participate in certain types, creating hierarchies and inequalities. This program examines work from the early egalitarian hunter/gatherer and agrarian societies to the modern world-a world of multinationals and child slavery, of leisure and hard labor. Noted anthropologists, such as Professor Herbert Applebaum of SUNY, offer insights into how work has evolved and the challenges faced today, when millions are unemployed and the economic disparity between the First and Third Worlds is becoming ever greater. (53 minutes)

Since arriving in America from Taiwan at the age of 12, Dr. David Ho has become a world-renowned scientist. His research in the fight against HIV/AIDS earned him honors as Time magazine's Man of the Year. In this program, Bill Moyers talks with Dr. Ho about his experience as an immigrant and U.S. citizen, and his contributions to the battle against AIDS. (15 minutes)

Born and raised in the United States, Gish Jen has become a leading literary voice of the Chinese American experience. In this program, Bill Moyers talks with the critically acclaimed writer, whose novels and short stories are known for their humorous and incisive edge. (15 minutes)

Sculptor, architect, and designer Maya Lin catapulted to prominence when, as a senior at Yale University, she was chosen to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. In this program, Bill Moyers talks with her about her upbringing and multifaceted career. (27 minutes)

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and raised in China and Taiwan, Samuel Ting received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1976 and is now leading a multinational experiment with NASA to search for antimatter, the opposite of our known universe. In this program, Bill Moyers speaks with Dr. Ting about his childhood years in war-torn China, his current project, and his philosophy of science. (15 minutes)

In this program, Bill Moyers talks with Shirley Young, an inspiring woman who survived the Japanese occupation of the Philippines to become a pioneer of market research with Grey Advertising. Later, as a vice president of General Motors, she helped launch GM's operation in China, the country of her birth. (15 minutes)

Whether they want to or not, four out of five Americans will likely die in hospitals or nursing homes, and the care they get will depend on both who is providing it and who is footing the bill. In this program, veteran PBS journalist Bill Moyers introduces crusading medical professionals-including staff members of the Balm of Gilead Project in Birmingham, Alabama-who have dedicated themselves to improving end-of-life care by changing America's overburdened health system. The DVD version of this program also includes a special video introduction by Mr. Moyers. (87 minutes)

Are advocates of the intelligent design theory really creationists in disguise? To what extent has the I.D. argument widened America's cultural divide? And if a clear winner emerges, who loses? This program thoroughly examines those questions, describing the theory's quasi-scientific origins and documenting the Pennsylvania court battle over teaching I.D. in biology classes. A historical overview of the creation vs. evolution debate in the United States is also included, highlighting 20th-century struggles over separation of church and state and the troubling implications these issues present for American education. Original BBCW broadcast title: A War on Science. (50 minutes)

As common courtesy becomes less common and good taste is all but a contradiction of terms, Americans continue to push the envelope of socially acceptable behavior. Does the Golden Rule still apply, or are people too busy to care about the feelings of others? This program probes the apparent erosion of decorum in the United States, which has had a profound impact on respect for authority, trust for one another, and willingness to give a helping hand. Experts include Professor Stephen Carter, of Yale University; psychologist Arnold Nerenberg, author of Overcoming Road Rage; and Pier Forni, of Johns Hopkins University's Civility Project. (29 minutes)