Films with: Jhally, Sut

Asking for it the ethics and erotics of sexual consent /

The line between sexual consent and sexual coercion is not always as clear as it seems--and this is exactly why we should approach our sexual interactions with great care. In this lecture, professor Harry Brod offers a unique take on the problem of sexual assault, one that complicates the issue even as it clarifies the bottom-line principle that consent must always be explicitly granted, never simply assumed. This lecture ranges from the meanings of "yes" and "no" to the indeterminacy of silence to the way alcohol affects our ethical responsibilities. Brod proposes a model of sexual interaction that is most erotic precisely when it is most thoughtful and empathetic.

DVD 9182

Bell Hooks cultural criticism & transformation /

Bell Hooks makes a compelling argument for the transformative powers of cultural criticism. She demonstrates how learning to think critically was central to her own self-transformation and how it can play a role in the students' quest for a sense of agency and identity. Includes footage from many films and music videos, and news coverage.

DVD 6830

Capitalism hits the fan a lecture on the economic meltdown /

"Richard Wolff breaks down the root causes of today's economic crisis, showing how it was decades in the making and in fact reflects seismic failures within the structures of American-style capitalism itself. Wolff traces the sources of the economic crisis to the 1970's, when wages began to stagnate and American workers were forced into a dysfunctional spiral of borrowing and debt that ultimately exploded in the mortgage meltdown"--Container.

DVD 6605

Captive audience advertising invades the classroom /

Examines the growing youth market as in-school advertising has steadily increased in America's public schools in recent years with little or no public awareness. Includes interviews with teachers, students, parents, and activists.

DVD 2333

Codes of gender identity + performance in pop culture /

"Communication scholar Sut Jhally applies the late sociologist Erving Goffman's groundbreaking analysis of advertising to the contemporary commercial landscape in this provocative new film about gender as a ritualized commercial performance. Uncovering a remarkable pattern of gender-specific poses, Jhally explores Goffman's central claim that the way the body is displayed in advertising communicates normative ideas about masculinity and femininity. The film looks beyond advertising as a medium that simply sells products, and beyond analyses of gender that focus on biological difference or issues of surface objectification and beauty, taking us into the two-tiered terrain of identity and power relations"--Container.

DVD 7550

Consumerism & the limits to imagination

"Consumer capitalism dominates our economy, our politics, and our culture, even though a growing body of research suggests it may be well past its sell-by date. In this illustrated presentation based on his latest critically acclaimed book, media scholar Justin Lewis makes a compelling case that consumer capitalism can no longer deliver on its promise of enhancing quality of life, and argues that changing direction will require changing our media system and our cultural environment. After showing how consumer capitalism has become economically and environmentally unsustainable, Lewis explores how our cultural and information industries make it difficult to envision other forms of human progress by limiting critical thinking and keeping us locked in a cycle of consumption. And he argues that change will only be possible if we take culture seriously and transform the very way we organize our media and communications systems."--Container.

DVD 10728

Deadly persuasion the advertising of alcohol and tobacco /

Jean Kilbourne exposes the manipulative marketing strategies and tactics used by the alcohol and tobacco industries to keep Americans hooked on their dangerous products.

DVD 3548

Dreamworlds 3 desire, sex & power in music video /

A look at how the narratives of music videos shape individual & cultural attitudes toward femininity, masculinity, sexuality and race.

DVD 4082

Dysfunctional societies why inequality matters /

"In this new film based on his international best-seller The Spirit Level, Wilkinson focuses on why the U.S., despite being one of the richest nations in the world, lags behind so many other rich Western societies in a number of crucial statistical measures, including life expectancy, violence, health, community, teen pregnancy, mental illness, and incarceration"--Publishers website.

DVD 11495

Feeding frenzy the food industry, marketing, and the creation of a health crisis /

Looks at the food industry's practice of putting high calorie products of low nutritional value on the market, and the marketing campaigns it employs to promote these products.

DVD 10713

Flirting with danger power and choice in heterosexual relationships /

"Social and developmental psychologist and author Lynn Phillips explores the line between consent and coercion in this ... look at popular culture and the way real girls and women navigate their heterosexual relationships and hookups."--Container.

DVD 9842

Guyland

In this powerful new film based on his bestselling book, sociologist Michael Kimmel maps the troubling social world where boys become men -- a new stage of development he calls "Guyland." Arguing that the traditional adult signposts and cultural signals that once helped boys navigate their way to manhood are no longer clear, Kimmel provides an astonishing glimpse into a world where more and more young men are trying desperately to prove their masculinity to other young men -- with frequently disastrous consequences for young women and other young men. Guyland offers a way for all of us -- parents, young men and women, community members, and professors and administrators -- to envision new ways to support young men as they navigate this often perilous world.

DVD 11494

Hijacking catastrophe 9/11, fear & the selling of American empire /

This film discusses how the events of 9/11/2001 have influenced United States politics, from advancing a pre-existing military agenda to rolling back civil liberties and social programs. This documentary features interviews with leading commentators on the events of 9/11 and the war in Iraq.

DVD 2760

How racism harms white Americans

"Distinguished historian John H. Bracey Jr. offers a provocative analysis of the devastating economic, political, and social effects of racism on white Americans. In a departure from analyses of racism that have focused primarily on white power and privilege, Bracey trains his focus on the high price that white people, especially working class whites, have paid for more than two centuries of divisive race-based policies and attitudes. Whether he's discussing the pivotal role slavery played in the war for independence, the two million white Americans who died in a civil war fought over the question of slavery, or how business owners took advantage of the segregation of America's first labor unions and used low-wage, non-unionized black workers to undercut the bargaining power of white workers, Bracey's central point is that failing to acknowledge the centrality of race, and racism, to the American project not only minimizes the suffering of black people, but also blinds us to how racism and white privilege have harmed white people as well."--Container.

DVD 9844

Killing us softly 3 advertising's image of women /

Discusses the manner in which women continue to be portrayed by advertising and the effects this has on their images of themselves.

DVD 5015

Killing us softly 4 advertising's image of women /

"In this new, highly anticipated update of her pioneering Killing us softly series, the first in more than a decade, Jean Kilbourne takes a fresh look at how advertising traffics in distorted and destructive ideals of femininity. The film marshals a range of new print and television advertisements to lay bare a stunning pattern of damaging gender stereotypes--images and messages that too often reinforce unrealistic, and unhealthy, perceptions of beauty, perfection, and sexuality. By bringing Kilbourne's groundbreaking analysis up to date, Killing us softly 4 stands to challenge a new generation of students to take advertising seriously, and to think critically about popular culture and its relationship to sexism, eating disorders, and gender violence"--Container.

DVD 7348

Last interview Stuart Hall on the politics of cultural studies /

"In this interview conducted shortly before his death in 2014, Stuart Hall, one of the seminal figures in cultural studies, talks about his classic work Policing the Crisis, describes the political, symbolic, and material concerns that animated cultural studies in the 1970s, and offers a critical assessment of the field today. He then turns his attention to the always shifting terrain of race and identity in the United States and Britain, offering fascinating cultural and political insights into the presidency of Barack Obama and the 2012 Olympics in London. While Hall was physically ill for much of his later life, this final interview provides powerful testimony that his formidable intellect, sense of humor, and willingness to engage with the gritty realities of politics and power never deserted him. An absolutely essential resource for anyone interested in cultural studies"--Publisher's web site.

DVD 12012

Mars, Venus or Planet Earth? women & men in a new millennium /

"We've heard again and again that men and women are engaged in a 'battle of the sexes,' that we're so differently wired and so foreign to each other that we might as well come from different planets. In this powerful new lecture, renowned speaker and best selling author Michael Kimmel ... turnes this conventional wisdom on its head. With clarity and humor, Kimmel moves beyond the popular inter-planetary notion that 'men are from Mars and women are from Venus' to advance a decidedly more earth-bound and interconnected view of the things men and women have in common. This is an accessible and entertaining introduction to gender politics and gender theory - as intellectually informative as it is inspiring, and suited for use across a range of disciplines and courses"--Container.

DVD 6837

Mean world syndrome media violence & the cultivation of fear /

"For years, debates have raged among scholars, politicians, and concerned parents about the effects of media violence on viewers. Too often these debates have descended into simplistic battles between those who claim that media messages directly cause violence and those who argue that activists exaggerate the impact of media exposure altogether. The Mean World Syndrome, based on the groundbreaking work of media scholar George Gerbner, urges us to think about media effects in more nuanced ways. Ranging from Hollywood movies and prime-time dramas to reality programming and the local news, the film examines how media violence feeds a fear-charged cultural environment that cultivates a heightened state of insecurity, exaggerated perceptions of risk and danger, and an appetite for hard-line and repressive political solutions to social problems. A provocative and accessible introduction to cultivation analysis, media effects research, and the subject of media influence and media violence"--Container.

DVD 4621

New economics 101 true wealth in the new economy /

Economist and bestselling author Juliet Schor lays out a positive vision for rethinking our relationship to consumer goods. Schor makes a compelling case that preserving dwindling natural resources and enhancing economic security should have less to do with managing scarcity and learning to sacrifice than with envisioning new forms of plentitude. The result is a bold and practical vision for replacing the old dead-end, debt-financed, work-and-spend cycle with a new paradigm of sustainability fueled by the abundant and infinitely renewable resources of time, creativity, and community.--Publisher description.

DVD 9843

No logo brands, globalization, resistance /

Using hundreds of media examples, No Logo shows how the commercial takeover of public space, destruction of consumer choice, and replacement of real jobs with temporary work (the dynamics of corporate globalization) impact everyone, everywhere. It also draws attention to the democratic resistance arising globally to challenge the hegemony of brands.

DVD 2708

Not just a game

"We've been told again and again that sports and politics don't mix. But the way sportswriter Dave Zirin sees it, this is wishful thinking. In this powerful documentary, Ziriin, the iconoclastic sports editor of The Nation magazine, takes viewers on a fascinating and uncompromising tour of the good, the bad, and the ugly of American sports culture -- showing how sports have helped both to stabilize and to disrupt the political status quo throughtout history. After first exploring how American sports, at their worst, have reinforced repressive political ideas and institutions by mindlessly glamorizing things like militarism, racism, sexism, and homophobia, Zirin excavates a largely forgotten -- and ultimately exhilarating -- history of rebel athletes who dared to fight for social justice beyond the field of play." -- Container.

DVD 7813

Off the straight & narrow lesbians, gays, bisexuals & television /

Casts a critical eye over the growth of gay images on TV. Leading media scholars provide the historical and cultural context for exploring the social implications of these new representations. Challenges viewers to consider the value and limits of available gay images: who is represented, what they get to say, and how people respond to them.

DVD 10762

Origins of cultural studies a lecture /

This convocation address, delivered on the occasion of Hall's receipt of an honorary degree from the University of Massachusetts, outlines the social, intellectual and institutional origins of cultural studies. It also deals with the field's importance in the study of race and ethnicity.

DVD 7600

Overspent American why we want what we don't need /

Film explains the cultural forces behind Americans overspending in order to demonstrate material success.

DVD 2710

Playing unfair the media image of the female athlete /

It has been 30 years since Title IX legislation granted women equal playing time, but the male-dominated world of sports journalism has yet to catch up with the law. Coverage of women's sports lags far behind men's and focuses on female athletes' femininity and sexuality over their achievements on the court and field.

DVD 6833

Pornland how the porn industry has hijacked our sexuality /

In this multimedia presentation based on her acclaimed book, leading anti-porn feminist and scholar Gail Dines argues that the dominant images and stories disseminated by the multibillion-dollar pornography industry produce and reproduce a gender system that undermines equality and encourages violence against women. In direct opposition to claims that porn has delivered a more liberated, edgy sexuality, Dines reveals a mass-produced vision of sex that is profoundly sexist and destructive - a vision that limits our ability to create authentic, equal relationships free of violence and degradation.

DVD 13002

Purity myth

The United States is obsessed with virginity from the media to schools to government agencies. The Purity Myth is an important and timely critique of about why this is so, and why it's problematic for girls and women. Analyzing cultural stereotypes and media messages, Jessica Valenti reveals the overt and hidden ways our society links a woman's worth to her sexuality rather than to values like honesty, kindness, and altruism. With intelligence and wit, this film exposes the legal and social punishments that women who dare to have sex endure, while presenting a powerful argument that evaluating girls and women on their sexuality needs to stop.

DVD 9185

Race the floating signifier /

Stuart Hall, a renowned public speaker and teacher, presents a lecture on race and the meaning of racial signifiers (e.g., skin color) at Goldsmiths' College, New Cross, London. Begins with an interview of Hall by Sut Jhally.

DVD 6831

Race, power & American sports featuring Dave Zirin /

Cultural historian Dave Zirin, whose influential blog and bestselling books have offered searing insights into the politics of American sports, examines the myriad ways sports culture has worked both to reproduce and challenge the wider culture's dominant ideas about race and racial difference. Interviewed by Communication scholar Sut Jhally, whose own work has sought to clarify the relationship between popular culture and racial attitudes, Zirin's analysis ranges from the emergence of professional sports in the 1800s to today's commercial media sports spectacles to show how athletes of color have posed a direct threat to traditional notions of whiteness, white male authority, and American ideals of masculinity. The film is richly illustrated throughout with archival and contemporary sports footage.

DVD 9706

Reel bad Arabs how Hollywood vilifies a people /

Throughout its history Hollywood has portrayed Arabs as buffoons or bandits. The video seeks to rectify this stereotyping by comparing it to other forms of racist imagery and by suggesting alternative narratives that treat the Arabs as human, not demons.

DVD 5020

Representation & the media

Stuart Hall, a renown public speaker and teacher, lectures on the central ideas of cultural studies-- that reality is not experienced directly, but through the lens of culture, through the way that human beings represent and tell stories about the world in which they live. Using visual examples, Hall shows how the media-- and especially the visual media-- have become the key players in the process of modern story telling.

DVD 6832

Speak up! improving the lives of gay lesbian bi-sexual transgender youth /

"Explores what these students have done to transform their schools into safer and more welcoming environments. Interviews with students, parents, teachers, administrators and national activists highlight not only the need for transformation, but offer resources and advice for those actively working for change"--Container.

DVD 10763

This land is our land

"For more than three decades, transnational corporations have been busy buying up what used to be known as the commons -- everything from our forests and our oceans to our broadcast airwaves and our most important intellectual and cultural works. ... [David] Bollier shows how a bold new international movement steeped in democratic principles is trying to reclaim our common wealth by modeling practical alternatives to the restrictive monopoly powers of corporate elites."--Container.

DVD 8115

Tim Wise: on white privilege racism, white denial & the costs of inequality /

"In this spellbinding lecture, Tim Wise ... offers a unique, inside-out view of race and racism in America. Expertly overcoming the defensiveness that often surrounds these issues, Wise provides a non-confrontational explanation of white privilege and the damage it does not only to people of color, but to white people as well. This is an invaluable classroom resource: an ideal introduction to the social construction of racial identities, and a critical new tool for exploring the often invoked - but seldom explained - concept of white privilege."--Container.

DVD 5671

Tough guise 2 violence, manhood & American culture /

In this highly anticipated update of the influential and widely acclaimed Tough Guise, pioneering anti-violence educator and cultural theorist Jackson Katz argues that the ongoing epidemic of men's violence in America is rooted in our inability as a society to move beyond outmoded ideals of manhood. In a sweeping analysis that cuts across racial, ethnic, and class lines, Katz examines mass shootings, day-to-day gun violence, violence against women, bullying, gay-bashing, and American militarism against the backdrop of a culture that has normalized violent and regressive forms of masculinity in the face of challenges to traditional male power and authority. Along the way, the film provides a stunning look at the violent, sexist, and homophobic messages boys and young men routinely receive from virtually every corner of the culture, from television, movies, video games, and advertising to pornography, the sports culture, and US political culture. Tough Guise 2 stands to empower a new generation of young men - and women - to challenge the myth that being a real man means putting up a false front and engaging in violent and self-destructive behavior.

DVD 9960

Tough guise violence, media, and the crisis in masculinity /

Looks systematically at the relationship between the images of popular culture and the social construction of masculine identities in the U.S. at the end of the 20th century. Jackson Katz argues that there is a crisis in masculinity and that some of the guises offered to men as a solution (e.g., rugged individualism, violence) come loaded with attendant dangers to women, as well as other men.

DVD 3790

Toxic sludge is good for you the public relations industry unspun /

Tracks the development of the PR industry from early efforts to win popular American support for World War I to the role of crisis management in controlling the damage to corporate image. The video analyzes the tools public relations professionals use to shift our perceptions including a look at the coordinated PR campaign to slip genetically engineered food past public scrutiny.

DVD 9104

Understanding hookup culture what's really happening on college campuses /

"When it comes to intimacy and sex, young people today are apparently doing away with the old rules of romance and cutting straight to the chase. If recent reports are to believed, the rise of hookup culture on college campuses is in the process of killing off dating and courtship, radically altering some of our most basic assumptions about heterosexual sex and gender. But for all the speculation, there's been little beyond anecdotal evidence to back any of these claims up. This lecture by Stanford University's Paula England, a leading researcher in the sociology of gender, aims to clarify what's actually going on. England mobilizes a wealth of data--illustrated with highly accessible motion graphics--to begin to chart whether hooking up represents some kind of fundamental change, or whether we're simply seeing age-old gender patterns dressed up in new social forms."-- From case.

DVD 8223

Wrestling with manhood boys, bullying and battering /

"Drawing the connection between professional wrestling and the construction of contemporary masculinity, they [Sut Jhally and Jackson Katz] show how so-called 'entertainment' is related to homophobia, sexual assault and relationship violence."--Container.

DVD 8546