All communities embrace organizing principles that are indispensable to their cohesion, imposing order on chaos and allowing individuals to function in groups. Many of these principles are related through myths. In this program, the transformation of the earlier "savior" myth into the modern myth of the "hero" is examined. How social myths such as "progress" facilitate modern industrial societies, and the myth of the "star" as a social construct that provides the audience with an object on which to project its ideals, are also discussed. (53 minutes)

Tell a Friend! Your Name: Your Email: Your Friend's Email: Your Message: We respect your privacy and will not use your friend's address without permission. Item#: BVL10179 Copyright date: ©1999 VHS ISBN 978-0-7365-1386-9 DVD ISBN 978-1-4213-0612-4

Part of the Series : The Art of Communicating | Behold Humanity! A Sociological Perspective

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		The Mythology of Star Wars with George Lucas and Bill Moyers The struggle between heroes and villains and the influence of a higher force are the essence of mythology and resonate within all cultures, providing storytellers with a natural framework for spinning tales. In this program, George Lucas discusses hi...(more details)		VHS $89.95 DVD $89.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $134.92 3-Year Streaming $89.95
		Language Language is a social construct. It unites the individuals of a given community through a code that is understood by those who use it, ranging from street slang to the prescribed usage of grammar by an elite. This program examines language in a histor...(more details)		VHS $129.95 DVD $129.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $194.92 3-Year Streaming $129.95
		Media Hype: When News Coverage Goes Too Far The Center for Media and Public Affairs reports that during the 1990s the homicide rate in the U.S. dropped 50 percent, yet homicide news coverage increased by an incredible 700 percent. In this program, the Center's Bob Lichter and the Threat Assess...(more details)		VHS $89.95 DVD $89.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $134.92 3-Year Streaming $89.95
		Comedy Comedy is the complement of tragedy, and tragedy is one of the oldest forms of ritual in the Western world. However, while tragedy is linked to the sacred, comedy is often linked to the profane and sometimes even the sacrilegious. This program explor...(more details)		VHS $129.95 DVD $129.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $194.92 3-Year Streaming $129.95
		Writing This program traces the evolution of writing from its pictograph and hieroglyph antecedents. Recent discoveries have revealed that the earliest alphabet was corrupted shorthand for Egyptian hieroglyphs, developed by Semitic mercenaries. As the Roman ...(more details)		VHS $129.95 DVD $129.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $194.92 3-Year Streaming $129.95

See additional titles in Introduction to Literature | Human Communication