The Witness

The Witness:  From the Balcony of Room 306.  [DVD-1688].  33 min.  2008.

The film chronicles the final days and hours of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as told through the eyes of his contemporary, Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles, who stood on the balcony with Dr. King when he was slain at the Lorraine Motel in 1968. It follows Dr. King's efforts to gain community support for the striking sanitation workers in 1968 and the marches through Memphis. It contains details about conversations with Dr. King moments before his passing. The 32-minute documentary short includes exclusive, never before seen commentary and interviews with Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles, Dr. Benjamin Hooks, Civil Rights Leader and former Executive Director of the NAACP, Mrs. Maxine Smith, Executive Secretary, NAACP Memphis Branch and Taylor Rodgers, one of the original sanitation workers who marched alongside King and Kyles, among others.

Obeying or Resisting Authority

Obeying or Resisting Authority:  A Psychological Retrospective.  [DVD-1690].  36 min. 2007.

Echoing the infamous Milgram experiment from the 1960s, this ABC News program sets up a psychological test in which an authority figure urges men and women to inflict pain. Test administrator and social psychologist Dr. Jerry Burger interprets the disturbing findings. The program also analyzes the 1971 Stanford prison experiment as well as the 2004 hoax in which a McDonald's manager and her fiancé--directed by a caller impersonating a police officer-- strip-searched and abused an employee. Original footage from all of these occurrences is included, along with present-day commentary from Dr. Philip Zimbardo, who designed the Stanford test. Finally, the program explores the ethics of using human participants in psychological tests

The Problem with Boys

The Problem with Boys:  Falling Behind in School and Life [DVD-1689].  41 min.  2007.

According to education statistics across North America, boys now perform poorly compared with girls -- and with boys of previous generations. What is causing this trend? What can be done to help both genders succeed? This program presents insights from experts in child development -- including Dr. William Pollack, Harvard clinical psychologist and author of Real boys, and Jean-Claude St. Amant, senior Education Researcher at the University of Laval; it also surveys male teenagers themselves about the challenges facing boys and young men. Teacher training, curriculum design, literacy instruction, role models, pop culture, and male behavioral tendencies are some of the topics addressed.