This 20-minute video shows Penn State University's experimental iron smelting and how a small two-foot chimney can replicate a medieval/colonial iron furnace.
The video can be viewed as one file or as six separate smaller sections.
According to Penn State, "In 1974, in preparation for the American Bicentennial, the American Iron and Steel Institute made a half-hour film in cooperation with Walt Disney to promote an understanding of industrial society. The film told the story of American steel making from its primitive beginnings to recent practices and future needs. Scenes of colonial iron manufacture, modern steel plants, and steel products are interspersed with scenes of Donald Duck doing what he does best: being a good worker, getting run over by wheelbarrows, and getting frustrated. This scene, about 10 minutes into the film, explains how iron is mined and smelted in the Middle Ages—and it ends with Donald's literal transformation into a colonial ironmaster."
Michael Willrich of Brandeis University investigates the birth of the modern welfare state, exploring a time when so many ideas we now regard as "common sense" found their origins. Willrich pays special attention to two court cases: Lochner v. New York (1905) and Muller v. Oregon (1908).
Audio and video options are available.
Michael Willrich of Brandeis University investigates the birth of the modern welfare state, exploring a time when so many ideas we now regard as "common sense" found their origins. Willrich pays special attention to two court cases: Lochner v. New York (1905) and Muller v. Oregon (1908).
Audio and video options are available.
Eric Arnesen, Professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Chicago addresses the interplay between the African-American experience between Reconstruction and the Great Migration, the U.S. Constitution, and shifting democratic ideals.
Video and audio options are available.
The essence of urban life in Milwaukee around the turn-of-the-century is recreated from roughly the 1880s to just prior to World War I. This audio tour guides listeners through the exhibit gallery, describing the buildings along the street.
To listen to this lecture, scroll to "The Streets of Old Milwaukee," and select "Download File."
Harvey Sicherman, President of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, argues that the U.S. needs to adopt longer-term strategies to address the War on Terror and the globalization of politics and the economy.
Video and audio options are available.
Deborah Avant, Director of the Institute for Global International Studies, discusses the move towards employing private security companies in global conflicts, examining the benefits and costs and risks this practice introduces.
Audio and video options are available.
Fawaz Gerges of Sarah Lawrence College and Barry Rubin of the Global Research in International Affairs Center explore the political turmoil currently taking place in the Middle East, including the rise to prominence of Islamists in politics. Gerges argues that the Islamist powers rise to fill a vacuum of legitimate political authority. Rubin emphasizes the importance of Arab nationalism in the region's internal and global politics and the staying power of some of the region's regimes.
Video and audio options are available.
Nicholas Lardy of the Institute for International Economics examines China's economy as it stands today, including current vast internal gaps in wealth and increasing presence in global trade. He also looks at the changes that led to China's economic growth and at the possible economic future of the country, as well as the impact of China's growth on the world at large. On October 21-22, 2006, FPRI's Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education hosted 50 teachers from 26 states across the country for a weekend of discussion on teaching about China. The History Institute, held in Kenosha, WI, was cosponsored by the Clausen Center for World Business, Carthage College.