American Studies

This documentary offers a revealing, inside look at the structure of prison society in America, particularly its class, racial and sexual aspects, by focusing on the San Francisco County Jail.

Filmed at New York City's House of Detention for Men on Riker's Island, this documentary examines the constitutional issues and human problems that accompany pretrial detention.

Examines the high level of deadly violence in American society focusing on three types of murder--those of the mass murderer, the serial murderer, and the political assassin--and analyzes not only why these acts are committed but also why they are peculiarly American.

Examines the growing phenomenon of serial murders in the U.S., their underlying causes, and ways in which the killers can be more quickly identified and apprehended.

Depicts life in Cuatro Flats, a housing project in East Los Angeles, as seen through the eyes of Chicano gang members, or "homeboys."

Chronicles the remarkable life of 89-year-old Pedro J. Gonzalez, from his early years as a telegraph operator for Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution to his pioneering career as a radio and recording star in Los Angeles, his 1934 arrest on trumped-up charges and subsequent imprisonment, his deportation to Mexico and eventual return to the U.S. some thirty years later.

Chronicles the history of Chicano Park, famous for its giant murals painted on freeway pillars, which became the focus for the revitalization of San Diego's Chicano community in the 1970s and '80s.

Based on actual historical events, this docudrama, which blends archival photos, dramatic reenactments and interviews with former students, portrays the efforts of the Mexican- American community in Lemon Grove, California, to challenge local school segregation practices and racial discrimination in Depression-era America.

Chronicles the history of Filipino immigration to the U.S. during the 1920s and '30s. The story is told by the immigrants themselves, and their interviews are blended with historical photos, film footage, and period music.

This docudrama examines the Filipino experience at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, focusing on the filmmaker's grandfather, an Igorot warrior, one of the 1,100 tribal natives displayed as anthropological "specimens" in the notorious Philippine Village exhibit.

Part of the Who Built America? series, this video tells the vivid tale of the African-American exodus from the rural South to northern industrial cities during World War I.

This video looks at a nationwide rebellion that brought the U.S. to a standstill, when 80,000 railroad workers went out on strike to protest the excesses of the railroad companies.