Since the events of September 11, 2001, Americans have done a great deal of soul-searching about what the future role the United States will play in international affairs. In many ways, any response to such an inquiry will contain many different layers and ideas. In April 2007, PBS began their investigations into this complex area by showing the first episode of "America at a Crossroads". Through...

The PBS documentary series America By the Numbers with Maria Hinojosa focuses its formidable attention on the dramatic demographic shifts taking place all around the country. Stories range from the small town of Clarkston, Georgia, which is now home to an international refugee community, to the struggles of the Cambodian community in Long Beach, California. On this site, readers may watch trailers...

The term "family" is one that continues to be highly debated, both in terms of its societal importance and in terms of its shifting definition across generations. Exploring one family's experience in the United States is the remarkable PBS program American Family, which profiles a multigenerational family living in Los Angeles. This well-designed site allows visitors to learn about the series and...

How do you tell the life of a country through its people? It is a difficult task, to be sure, and in the 1930s and 1940s the Federal Writers' Project sent hundreds of interviewers out across the country to talk to people about their lives and experiences. These interviews touch on the Great Depression, slavery, political views, the role of the federal government, local folklore, and a myriad of...

Established in 1977 by the National Science Foundation, the American National Election Studies (ANES) remains as vital a national research resource as ever. Their website provides important information about public opinion in the United States along with sophisticated election databases that will be useful to policy makers and social scientists. Along the left-hand side of their site visitors will...

Many great things have come out of Minnesota, and the fine radio documentary programs developed by American Radio Works fall squarely into that category, in no small part due to their fine investigative journalism and curiosity about the world. Their latest documentary explores the experience of women who came to work in the iron mines of northern Minnesota. The documentary is divided into three...

For those who experienced federally-mandated school desegregation in the 1970s and 1980s, it was something many of them will never forget. American RadioWorks recently took on this very compelling era in American history by sending Kate Ellis and Catherine Winter to Louisville and Charlotte to talk with people about their experiences with school desegregation. They returned with many hours of...

Released several weeks ago, the Amnesty International Report 2005 documents the somewhat disturbing trends across the globe, as numerous nations and international organizations have failed to effectively act to avert a number of humanitarian crises. Many different parties will find the report helpful, as this site offers access to regional overviews and a list of countries that visitors can peruse...

Based on the belief that "fiction has real power to further human rights education," Amnesty International UK offers primary and secondary school instructors an engaging, natural way to introduce dialogue on human rights into their courses. These three sets of curricula are designed for primary school students (ages 3 and up), upper-level primary students and lower-level secondary students (ages...

A number of policy-makers from around Europe and elsewhere have commented that the successful integration of Muslims into their respective countries will continue to be a critical issue for decades. This December 2004 report, authored by David Masci, addresses that very subject, and is part of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life publication series. In the work, Masci suggests that Muslim...