American Studies
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BURLEY: GROWING TOBACCO IN AMERICAAmerican Studies Economics Labor Studies Sociology
Examines the plight of a Kentucky tobacco farmer and his family in the face of uncertain
government price support programs and a growing national antismoking campaign.
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AÑO NUEVOAmerican Studies Chicano Studies Economics Labor Studies Latino Studies Immigration
This expose of the plight of undocumented Mexican workers in the U.S. also provides a
comprehensive overview of the complex issue of Mexican immigration, including
interviews with prominent scholars, attorneys and organizers.
Particularly recommended as a teaching tool regarding issues of Latino Studies, Chicano Studies, Immigration, and Cultural Studies. |
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SHOUT YOUNGSTOWNAmerican Studies Labor Studies Directed by Women
Examines the closing of three major steel plants in Youngstown, Ohio, between 1976 and
1980, showing the social and human costs of this tragedy through interviews with
steelworkers, their families and friends, labor attorneys, local union leaders and
community activists.
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BRASS VALLEYAmerican Studies Economics Labor Studies Sociology
This video offers an in-depth historical examination of Connecticut's Naugatuck Valley
brass industry, from its heyday to its present decline. From the mid-19th century to its
peak during WWI, 'Brass Valley' produced more than half of America's brass goods,
from buttons and belt buckles to auto parts, pistols and cannon shells.
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THEY LIVE IN GUINEAAmerican Studies Economics Environmental Studies Sociology
This video tells the story of a hardworking, self-sufficient, fiercely independent
community of fishermen and women working the waters of Virginia's Chesapeake Bay.
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BAYMENAmerican Studies Biology Environmental Studies Labor Studies Science
This video portrays the work of men who continue to earn a living by harvesting shellfish
from Long Island Bay, near New York City, and selling them to local markets.
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DOG DAYSAmerican Studies Labor Studies New York City Sociology Urban Studies Directed by Women
This video examines the world of New York City's hot-dog vendors, revealing their
lifestyles, hopes and dreams, and the political struggle in which New York's
Mayor Rudy Giuliani is attempting to restrict their access to the city's streets. It features
interviews with a wide variety of vendors, and members of the city's Vendor Review
Panel and Business Improvement District.
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MY YIDDISHE MOMME McCOYAmerican Studies Jewish Studies Women's Studies Immigration
Filmmaker Bob Giges focuses on his spirited 90-year-old grandmother, Belle Demner
McCoy, for an intimate portrait of one woman's struggle with the conflicts between
family, religion and love.
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FREE VOICE OF LABOR: THE JEWISH ANARCHISTSAmerican Studies Jewish Studies Labor Studies New York City Sociology Immigration Pacific Street Films
A dramatic portrait of immigrant life in the U.S. as seen through the eyes of the
sweatshop workers who made up the Jewish anarchist movement.
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ROOSEVELT, NEW JERSEY: VISIONS OF UTOPIAAmerican Studies Jewish Studies Labor Studies Sociology
During the Great Depression, 120 families of Jewish garment workers from New York
City moved to the New Jersey countryside to develop a government-sponsored, agro-
industrial cooperative community. This film tells the story of the cooperative community
through archival footage, photos and interviews with original homesteaders and their
children.
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THEY WERE NOT SILENT: THE JEWISH LABOR MOVEMENT AND THE HOLOCAUSTAmerican Studies Jewish Studies Labor Studies
Tells the story of the anti-Nazi and rescue activities of the American Jewish labor
movement, including their aid to the Underground fighters of the ghettoes of East Europe,
and their assistance to Holocaust survivors in refugee camps across the globe. The video
features rare archival footage and photos, plus interviews with labor veterans, Holocaust
survivors and scholars.
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FROM SWASTIKA TO JIM CROWSociology Jewish Studies Education American Studies American History African-American Studies Directed by Women Pacific Street Films
In the 1930s Jewish intellectuals who escaped Nazi Germany and immigrated to the U.S. faced an uncertain future. Confronted with anti-Semitism at American universities and a public distrust of foreigners, many sought refuge in an unlikely place-traditionally black colleges in the segregated South.
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NO IRISH NEED APPLYAmerican Studies American History Sociology New York City Irish Studies Directed by Women Immigration
Novelist Peter Quinn hosts this documentary on Irish immigration into New York City in
the mid-nineteenth century. The video visits the NYC locations described in Quinn's
novel, The Banished Children of Eve, combining historical photos from the 1860's with
remnants of the buildings in the 1990's.
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FROM SHORE TO SHORE: IRISH TRADITIONAL MUSIC IN NEW YORK CITYAmerican Studies Irish Studies Music New York City Immigration
Examines both the continuity and the changes that have affected Irish traditional music
since the turn of the century. Using New York City as the focus, this video mixes
historical photographs and film footage with contemporary interviews and performances.
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AN IRISH (AMERICAN) STORYAmerican Studies Irish Studies Immigration
Mary Crehan Dillon, the filmmaker's 96-year-old Irish-American grandmother, who as a
17-year-old emigrated alone to the U.S. in 1911, reminisces about her early life in Ireland,
her momentous decision to emigrate, and her new life in America.
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THE HARD ROAD TO KLONDIKEAmerican Studies Irish Studies Sociology Immigration
Based on the autobiography of Donegal-born Michael MacGowan, (
1865-1948), this video is a stirring account of his life
as a migrant worker and exile in America at the turn of
the century.
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SAN FRANCISCO GOOD TIMESAmerican Studies Sociology World History
A colorful portrait of the culture and lifestyles of the `Flower Power' era, 1968-72,
including rock music, brown rice, organic gardens, astrology, communes and collectives,
and assorted chemical contraband.
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ARE WE WINNING, MOMMY?: america and the cold warAmerican Studies Media Studies Sociology World History Directed by Women
An incisive examination of the historical roots of the Cold War and its effects on
American life.
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DAY THE COLD WAR CAME HOME, THEAmerican History American Studies Cinema Studies Sociology World History
In October 1947, screenwriter Gordon Kahn was one of those subpoenaed to appear
before the House on Un-American Activities Committee which was investigating
`communist subversion' of the film industry.
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THE RETURN OF JOE HILLAmerican History American Studies Labor Studies Music Sociology World History Immigration
Tells the story of Joe Hill (1879-1915), a Swedish immigrant to America who became a
songwriter, cartoonist and labor organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
and whose 1915 execution by the state of Utah for a crime he probably did not commit
transformed him into a martyr for the labor movement and an international folk hero.
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