To aid in the selection of videos for your class and research needs, we've created a large number of filmographies on many subject areas.
If you'd like help linking streaming videos to your Canvas Course Reserves or reserving DVDs for you or your students, please contact
mediaservices@american.edu
This is a selective list of video holdings in the American University Library. Filmographies are created by doing multiple keyword searches in the catalog to capture as many titles on a topic as possible.
For complete, up-to-date holdings please search the library catalog search box on the Media Services homepage. (http://www.american.edu/library/mediaservices/) Finding Aids on the same page includes other subject oriented content.
For more information take a look at the Streaming Video Guides and Browsing Collections.
The dragon legacy. 1 online resource (28 min.). Modern day Taiwan is in many ways a reflection of ancient China, preserving the cultural legacy of the world's oldest existing civilization. While post-war mainland China went through its revolutionary turmoil, setting aside most of its traditions in the process, Taiwan chose to preserve them. The island has become one of the last havens of the sophisticated and secular Chinese lifestyle. THE DRAGON LEGACY brings to light some of these enduring traditions in art. It offers insight on how calligraphy, painting and opera have become highly refined as art forms over the centuries. This film also explores Chinese philosophy and religion, from Confucius to Taoism, as it is still being practiced. In present day Taiwan as in ancient China, daily life and the afterlife, the past and the present, are all inextricably linked. THE DRAGON LEGACY is an immersion into the past of the fascinating and complex Chinese civilization. Streaming video.
Eastern Mystics Discovering the sacred in the ordinary. 2010, 4 videodiscs (504 min.). A series of interviews with Dr. Huston Smith and mystics from the Buddhist, Hindu, Advaita, and Taoist traditions. The mystics address profound questions about the meaning of life and love, Ultimate Reality, the path to spiritual awakening, and the way to true peace in our own lives and around the world. They encourage viewers to look beyond their apparent differences, realize the truth that unites all, and manifest the truth in their daily lives. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 10304.
The Gods come home: China's traditional faiths persevere. 1 streaming video file (52 min.). After decades of Communist oppression and neglect, Buddhist temples are now thriving across China. But are Buddhism and Taoism even relevant in a country that has thoroughly embraced materialism? How does government bureaucracy affect those religions? And can far older spiritual traditions survive in such a rapidly evolving society? This program addresses those questions as it visits monasteries and temples in Shanghai and in rural, economically disadvantaged areas. Following the daily practices of a frugal and soft-spoken monk, the film also features wealthy, high-profile Buddhist officials and interviews China's Minister of Religious Affairs, who encourages Buddhism but frowns on folk religions. Streaming video.
Matters of the Mind. 1 online resource (1 video file (49 min., 37 sec.)).Part two, of the China in the Shadow of Mr. Kong five-part series, examines how superstition dominates the Chinese mind in early times. While Confucian ideals are established, there are many factors over the following centuries that muddy the social-political waters. Taoism emerges in contrast to Confucius ideals, while Buddhism enters China with traders from India. Part two concludes with an analysis of the success of the Sung Dynasty and its influence on contemporary China. Streaming video.
Shugendo now. 1 online resource (1 video file, approximately 88 min.). How does one integrate lessons learned from nature in daily life? This feature documentary is an experiential journey into the mystical practices of Japanese mountain asceticism. In Shugendo (the way of acquiring power), practitioners perform ritual actions from shamanism, "Shinto," Daoism, and Tantric Buddhism. They seek experiential truth of the teachings during arduous climbs in sacred mountains. Through the peace and beauty of the natural world, practitioners purify the six roots of perception, revitalize their energy and reconnect with their truest nature, all while grasping the fundamental interconnectedness with nature and all sentient beings. How does one return to the city after an enlightening experience in the mountains? More poetic than analytical, this film explores how a group of modern Japanese people integrate the myriad ways mountain learning interacts with urban life. With intimate camera work and a sensual sound design the viewer is taken from deep within the Kumano mountains to the floating worlds of Osaka and Tokyo and back againches Might the two be seen as one? Filmmaker: Jean-Marc Abela, Mark Patrick McGuire. Streaming video.
Taoism. 1981, 1 videodisc (23 min.). With scenes of contemporary China as a background, author John Blofeld gives the essence of Taoism and explains its importance in developing the Chinese character. DVD 5951.
True Believers Religion in Today's China. 1 streaming video file (24 min.). China is on the rise economically, but the post-Mao era has also seen an increasing hunger for something beyond material prosperity. From the novice Daoist monk honing tai chi skills atop a sacred mountain to the uncountable worshippers of the underground house church movement, this program reports on modern China's emboldened-yet still cautious-religious population. In the city of Wenzhou, evangelical pastor Zheng Datong agrees to be interviewed, despite secret police looking on. Pastor Samuel Lamb, another lightening rod for security surveillance, insists that "oppression simply leads to more believers," while Pastor Joseph Gu, leader of a mainstream Three-Self Patriotic Movement church, describes the rapid growth of his congregation. For a much different yet equally spiritual perspective, the film turns to Daoist kung-fu master Zhong Yunlong at the Wudong Mountain monastery, where a sacred shrine still attracts pupils and travelers. Streaming video.