Communications & Media

Talent, ambition, and great ideas won’t amount to much if they’re not supported by good communication. This four-part series helps high school and college students improve their communication skills in four critical areas: listening, speaking, writing, and reading. Viewers are challenged to improve their habits and aim for several concrete goals—such as the ability to actively participate in discussions and meetings, to craft effective messages in speech or text, to process and understand workplace communication, and more. Viewable/printable discussion questions are available online.
2010, Films for the Humanities & Sciences and MotionMasters. 4-part series, 20–25 minutes each.

From texting to email to video calls, digital technology has transformed how we communicate with each other. But in formal situations like at work or in school, which forms of communications are appropriate, and when? Viewers of this video, especially digital natives, may be surprised to discover that communicating isn’t just about sharing information—it’s creating it—and that the ways in which emails, texts or voice messages are composed and conveyed may make the difference in impressing or disappointing an employer or co-worker.
2015, Films for the Humanities & Sciences. 28 minutes.

This classic ten-part series features distinguished scholars who gathered during the last decade of the 20th century to discuss the study of communication, its history and future. The Foundations of Communication Series introduces course materials, generates class discussion, and widens your students' horizons.
2006, Educational Video Group. 10 videos, 14-60 minutes each.

This series introduces different perspectives on mass media, looking at the Interactionist, Functionalist, and Conflict perspectives. It also discusses the role of the audience.
2019 Camille S. DeBose. 4 videos, 4-9 minutes each.

Revealing the emotional, cognitive, and social forces that lead rational people to believe irrational things, this program unravels some of America’s most popular conspiracy theories. Co-produced with public media’s Independent Television Service (ITVS), the program doesn’t tell people what to think, but pushes us to examine how we think — why conspiracy theories are so alluring, how baseless rumors and “fake news” undermine trust and democracy — and what we can all do about it. While experts across the country scramble to create tools to help us separate truth from fiction, this program attacks fake news at the source by exploring the very roots of human belief and the cognitive vices that make us vulnerable to disinformation. It reveals how our brains are wired to make common errors and gravitate toward baseless but comfortable fictions that reinforce our values, our self-image, and our social status.
2020, The Kindling Group. 6-part series, 7-9 minutes each.

CNBC tells the story of the man who jump-started the cable revolution with a groundbreaking news channel, eventually dominating the media landscape and forever altering the world of TV journalism.
2010, CNBC. 42 minutes.

This six-part series traces the evolution of film and television broadcast journalism and the impact they have had on our perception of world events. Major journalists and newscasters include Edward R. Murrow, Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, and Walter Cronkite. From the invention of the first movie camera by the Lumières, to the high-tech coverage of the Gulf War, each of these programs provides an in-depth look at a different era in the growth and development of this controversial and fascinating industry.
1997, Canadian Broadcast Corp. 6-part series, 47-51 minutes each.

The first step to understanding the present is to study the past. This eight-part series traces the composite history of the mass media, industry by industry, from their roots as novelty attractions to their crucial role in society today.
1997, Planet Pictures. 8-part series, 28 minutes each.