Topic: America
From The Margaret Mead Symposium: Whither the United States in the World?
Commemorating the centennial of the birth of Margaret Mead.
December 2 & 3, 2001
Sponsors: Library of Congress and The Smithsonian Institution
What is American culture? How is formed? How is it perceived? These questions are addressed through discussion of race and culture, constitutional interpretation, terrorism in US society, how American culture is seen from the outside.
Blending of Race and Culture in the US
Speaker: Amitai Etzioni
Professor of Sociology, communitarian, George Washington University
Etzioni likens blending of race and culture in the US to a mosaic, requiring both diversity and unity.
Quicktime (2.94MB)- Windows Media Player (3.54MB)
Constitutional Interpretation
Speaker: Amitai Etzioni
Professor of Sociology, communitarian, George Washington University
Etzioni argues that many of the rights taken for granted in the Constitution come from modern interpretation.
- Quicktime (1.84MB)
- Windows Media Player (2.24MB)
Terrorism is Part of US Society as Well
Speaker: John W. Franklin
Franklin reminds us of what existed before 9/11, questioning why domestic terrorism is not brought up in trying to understand terrorism generally.
- Quicktime (2.05MB)
- Windows Media Player (2.96MB)
American Culture
Speaker: Barbara Mossberg
President Emeritus, Goddard College, Senior Consultant, American Council on Education, Center for Institutional and International Initiatives
Mossberg postulates that a culture expressing diversity may not seem like a culture, and difference between “losing” and “expressing” culture.
- Quicktime (750KB)
- Windows Media Player (1MB)
Outside Views of American Culture
Speaker: Barbara Mossberg
President Emeritus, Goddard College, Senior Consultant, American Council on Education, Center for Institutional and International Initiatives
Mossberg talks about a seminar inside the Artic circle, and reconciling the ways America presents itself with traditional documents and data.
- Quicktime (2.87MB)
- Windows Media Player (3.51MB)
