History can be a fascinating lens to study every facet of life.  History of science brings alive the changes in scientific thinking.  History of literature follows the development of stories, plot devices, formats, and distribution.  Studying history helps us find the facts inside folklore.  If you are inspired to research start with these resources.  Then follow up with a librarian, in person on 4F or online.

Mickey Mouse Monopoly. 52 mins.  Media Education Foundation. 2014

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts.  Maxine Hong Kingston. Vintage, 1989.  Shanghai CT275.K5764 A33 1989

The Mouse that Roared: Disney and the end of Innocence.  Henry Giroux and Grace Pollock. Rowman & Littlefield, 2010.

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I Sidet: Forced Exile introduces us to internally displaced persons and those who have crossed international borders, becoming refugees. Feminist perspectives and critical assessment of non-governmental organizations are also explored in this film. Religion and location also play a part. If any of these topics inspire you as research topics in class, explore some of the following books available on the fourth floor or electronically.

China’s homeless generation: voices from the veterans of the Chinese Civil War, 1940s-1990s
Fan, Joshua • 2011; Routledge                                                                                                  NYU Shanghai Library (China) Main Collection (DS777.542 .F36 2011)

Contesting feminisms: gender and Islam in Asia              Ahmed Ghosh, Huma • 2015; SUNY Press

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What sort of cities have you lived in before?  What do you hope cities will offer in your lifetime?

After watching Anthropocene and listening to the discussion, the following books and resources can help you further explore opinions and opportunities for research.  If you don’t know which topics might be relevant, visit Oxford Bibliographies and search Anthropocene.  The results run the gamut from Conservative Biogeography to Common World Childhoods, Paleolimnology to Water Availability.  Whenever you are starting a new research topic, these bibliographies offer a short introduction explaining the leading arguments and variety of viewpoints.  Ask a librarian for help to “Find this resource”–sometimes the links break, but we can find another path.

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This film presents some current issues in Africa.  Questions of responsibility, support, influence, and many more come to mind.  Which will you follow for a term paper this year or next fall?  If you are inspired to learn more, the library on 4F has several books and journal articles from the speakers, directors, and facilitators.

Check out the shelves around DT and HG in the stacks.

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Cultural exchange and interaction are priceless, if difficult.  What are some of the practices and traditions you observed for the first time in this film?

Why do some situations lead an observer to think cultures are mutually exclusive?  How can one reconcile competing expectations between different environments?

If this movie inspires you to explore culture, psychology, directors, or authors, the library can connect you with other films, novels, and research.  The links below include print and ebooks (but you are invited to skim and read specific chapters) and remember Bobst can scan a small portion of a book, sometimes a chapter.

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If this film prompts you to explore further, the library can connect you with several different paths of research.  Read on to learn about how to analyze film or locate similar types of films to watch.

From music videos to a documentary–did the director succeed?  Does his experience in filming music influence his choices in crafting the documentary? If film analysis sounds interesting to you, explore the shelves on 4F around the call numbers in PN 1995.

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This film has generated a lot of discussion online; beware of spoilers if you search now.

After watching, the library invites you to explore any ideas it brought to mind.  For example, what does it mean to doubt?  Why do we doubt?  What is it about science fiction that highlights flaws in current society?  What is in store for the future?

The books below are but a short list for continuing your education through conversation with filmmakers, authors, and classmates.

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How can we work with coal?  Whose lives are affected by each change made or missed?

Continue the conversations begun as you watched the film, with classmates, professors, or visiting lecturers.  Dig deeper into the processes, people, and permutations of coal, its refinement, regulation, and replacement.  The following links lead you to reports and books.  Ask a librarian to locate additional avenues of research.

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Drs Santtila and Weslake present this film to prompt discussion about assessing the value of a creation, specifically, how that assessment iregards the creator’s character.  If a creator’s poor ethical choices are revealed over time, how do those affect criticism of the creation?

Movies prompt conversation, whether disagreement, emotion, or endorsement.

The list of titles and links below are a gateway to read about ethics, art, and criticism.  Later links also explore Manhattan’s history, architecture, or urban design.  Listen to more music by the movie’s composer.  Ask at the library for travelogues, memoirs, or novels about different boroughs.

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These two short films could launch a variety of conversations. Which might you pursue?

Does Modernism catch your interest?  Or the medium of film to capture art?  Connect a topic you enjoy to an assignment.  Discuss the tangential topics with a librarian, academic advisor, or your instructors.

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This movie makes me think about so many topics all at once.  There are the obvious categories of finance, markets, and regulation.  Then there are the issues of privilege and access, both to information and to money.  Or questions of personality and communication: who is working hard, quietly or alone, to explore the facts while others are loudly selling catchy phrases in ignorance?

I hope you are inspired to follow one of these lines of inquiry by watching a video or reading a book below.  If another idea sparks your interest, the library can help you locate diverse opinions for supporting your exploration.

What does the Big Short make you think about?

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When the film ends, the discussion begins.

Ready to connect an idea inspired tonight to an assignment this semester?

The books below may be a doorway to interdisciplinary research or a minor to explore. This film draws on many ideas, from borders to brainwashing, from identity to espionage. History, literature, and sovereignty are additional options.

Which part of the film speaks most to you? Or does part of the film connect with another class topic? Let’s start a conversation in the comments.

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