Week/ Lecture Date

Topic

Films

Week 1

April 4

An introduction to Psychological Anthropology

"First Contact"

When Columbus and Cortez ventured into the New World there was no camera to record the drama of his first encounter. But in 1930, when the Leahy brothers penetrated the interior of New Guinea in search of gold, they carried a movie camera. Thus they captured on film their unexpected confrontation with thousands of stone age people who had no concept of human life beyond their valleys. This amazing footage forms the basis for "First Contact". Yet there is more to this extraordinary film than the newly recovered footage. Fifty years later some of the participants are still alive and vividly recall their unique experience. The Papuans tell how they thought the white men were their ancestors, bleached by the sun and returned from the dead. They were amazed at the artifacts of 20th century life such as tin cans, phonographs and airplanes. As they see their younger, innocent selves on screen, they speak of the darker side of their relationship with these mysterious beings with devastating weapons. Australian Dan Leahy describes his fear at being outnumbered by primitive looking people with whom he could not speak. He felt he had to dominate them of his own survival and to continue his quest for gold. DVD 54 minutes

Search For Mind Development, The, Program #1

This program introduces the problem of the mind, providing an historical context that ranges from ancient Greece through Sigmund Freud's first attempt at psychoanalysis. Are some of us born with mysterious abilities? Is it possible to move objects at will, read a person's thoughts, even cure physical ailments -- by harnessing the hidden power of the mind? VHS 55 minutes

Week 2

April 11

The Standard Social Science Model ; the Nature vs. Nurture debate

Margaret Mead And Samoa

The book that made Margaret Mead famous was "Coming of Age in Samoa," in which she announced her sensational discovery of a Polynesian culture, free of the stresses of modern society. Her sometimes poetic account described an island paradise where free love allowed children to sail painlessly through adolescence and into marriage. Mead and Freeman controversy. VHS 51 minutes

 Is Criminal Behavior Genetic?

Are some people born evil? Steve Jones addresses this question by examining the genetic and social factors that contribute to crime and antisocial behavior. The worth of Dutch geneticist Hans Brunner and his discovery of the "crime gene" -the genetic marker for violence- is examined, as lawyers seize upon the research to defend a murderer. Los Angeles genetics David Comings, who runs a clinic for troubled youths, believes in the genetic theory and prescribes drugs such as Ritalin to control antisocial behavior. Several career criminals discuss why they committed crimes. The adage, "Deeds must be judged by society, not by science," provides and excellent basis for public discourse. A BBC Production. Original BBC broadcast title: Original Sin. [in the blood series]VHS 50 minutes.

Week 3

April 18

Human Universals and Cross Cultural Comparison

Culture of Honor The Psychology of Violence in the South

Richard Nisbett, Ph.D Department of Psychology, University of Michigan explores cultural and behavioral differences between North and South in the US, especially honor-related violence and murders. He attributes certain crime statistics among Southerners to be due to their “Culture of Honor” which may trace back to their herding ancestry among other things. VHS 67 minutes

Week 4

April 25

Society and Personality, Gender, Sex

Sugar and Spice

Are we correct in thinking that all people are born equal? There is a growing body of evidence that men and women do not have identical brain structures- which may account for some of the differences in behavior between the sexes. As infants, females are more sensitive to touch and sound and more attuned to people rather than things., That these differences exist at such an early age suggests that male and female behavior patterns have more to do with nature than nurture. VHS 50 minutes

Week 5

May 2

Development and Psychology

Developing Child, Prg. 5
Language Development, Prg. 6
Prg.#5 How much of our behavior is inherited, and how much is prompted by the world we live in? The impact of heredity and environment on children's development illuminates the age-old nature vs. nurture debate.
Prg.#6 Psychologists search for truths about the mind, society, and culture by studying how children develop complex language skills and learn to use language in social communication. [discovering psychology series] VHS total 56 minutes

Maturing And Aging, Prg. 18
Prg.#18 What really happens to the body and mind as we age? This program focuses on physical and psychological aging, and shows how society reacts to the last stages of life. [discovering psychology series] VHS 28 minutes.

Week 6

 May 9

Animal Psychology and Selection

Brain Power

The growing study of animal intelligence - from the use of tools by chimps to the apparent ability of many species to communicate among themselves in ingenious ways - casts a vibrant new light on the role of the mind in evolution. Brain power, in fact, has led to some of the most facinating innovations in the evolutionary arms race.More than three years in the making, Triumph of Life combines dramatic storytelling with powerful, ground-breaking scientfic ideas in a sweeping story about survival and the survivors - the winners, for the moment at least, in an eternal battle. VHS 60 minutes

Week 7

 May 16

Animal Psychology and Selection

Monkey In The Mirror

Humans have long been fascinated by the apparent similarities between themselves and other primates. But just how close are these similarities? As it turns out, the world of primates is an astonishing reflection of our own behavior.
In the wild, they live in complex and varied societies in which they use tools, take herbal medicines, wheel and deal, deceive, practice power politics and sexual politics, and sometimes even suffer from executive stress. When brought in to the lab, they are able to communicate with us in signs and sounds. What are they trying to tell us?And what are they telling each other? VHS 60 minutes

Week 8

 May 23

Problem solving, Decision, and Rationality

Judgment And Decision Making, Prg. 11
Prg.#11 To err is human--but why? This program explains both the why and the how of making judgments and decisions, and explores the psychology of risk taking and negotiation.
VHS 28 minutes

Sensation And Perception, Prg. 7
Prg.#7 Seeing is believing-but how do we gather and process information, transforming raw sensory data into meaningful impressions? This program focuses on the ways personal experience can influence our perceptions. VHS 28 minutes

Week 9

 May 30

Beliefs, Superstitions, and Mystical Experience

Secrets of the Psychics

All over the world, psychics perform feats that defy the laws of science. Do they have a special link to the paranormal? Enter magician James Randi -- aka "The Amazing Randi, " himself a master of the sleight of hand -- who for decades has turned his trained eye on phenomena from spoon bending to faith healing to astrology. Follow him now to Russia, where some of the most phenomenal psychics are rumored to practice. Watch as scientists at Moscow's prestigious Institute of the Brain test a psychic's ability to change a person's brain waves and blood pressure -- using nothing but mental telepathy. Hear what a pair of Russian psychics have to say about serial killer Ted Bundy, based on looking at his photograph alone.Tune in as Randi uncovers the secrets about psychics -- and takes a penetrating look at the uncanny workings of the human mind. [Nova] VHS 60 minutes

Week 10 June 6

Beliefs, Superstitions, and Mystical Experience

On Being Human
The remarkably successful "The Power of Myth" introduced Joseph Campbell and his extraordinary ideas to millions. Now collected in the first volume, MYTHOS. On BEING HUMAN, Campbell discusses the characteristics we share in common with the animal world, and that point where animal behavior ends and human behavior begins. Starting with paintings from the caves of Lascaux in France, he then traces myth's emergence and the central importance of the goddess in early hunter-gatherer societies. VHS 54 minutes