American dream or American nightmare? The Great Gatsby comes under scrutiny in a Crash Course on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story of the Jazz Age, its glitter and its ash heaps. The narrator’s focus in Part I of the two-part series, are...

Is Gatsby great? In the second of two videos devoted to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the narrator presents his argument for why Jay Gatsby should indeed be considered great. By backing his stance with evidence from the text,...

In this original animated short video produced by StoryCorps, a mother and daughter share memories of their early years of struggle as immigrants in America. [2:45]

Gordon Wood, Professor Emeritus at Brown University, and the author of Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815, examines the post-Revolutionary generation and the tremendous changes that occurred during that period....

BackStory Radio podcast in which the American History Guys survey the concept and history of Utopian communities in America and why some of them worked and some didn't. It provides the audio in segments and the full transcript.

In this video [3:24] from the American Masters film Novel Reflections on the American Dream, learn about F. Scott Fitzgerald and his notorious fictional character Jay Gatsby. Both were in the pursuit of the American dream and love....

Meet F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic character Jay Gatsby in this video from the American Masters film Novel Reflections on the American Dream. Learn about the spectacle of Gatsby, the techniques the author uses to present Gatsby, and the...

In this video [3:06] from the American Masters film Novel Reflections on the American Dream, see the quest for the American dream as depicted in John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath." Follow the Joad family as they search for work and...

Get an introduction to Gish Jen's novel "Typical American" to explore the American dream through the eyes of a Chinese immigrant. The video [5:12] from the American Masters film Novel Reflection on the American Dream, introduces the...

In this video [3:40] from the American Masters film Novel Reflections on the American Dream we meet Lutie Johnson, the African-American single mother heroine of Ann Petry's novel "The Street". The video gives an introduction to the novel...

This video focuses on social stratification; it is the 21st episode of the sociology course. How do different societies establish a social hierarchy? This video begins a unit on social stratification, starting with four basic principles...

This video discusses moving to New York, equality of opportunity, socioeconomic mobility in the United States in the 21st century, the American dream, and the underratedness of Slovenia.

Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of the US Dept. of State, Tara Sonenshine discusses how diaspora and cultural exchanges affect modern public diplomacy. [6:51]

Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of the US Tara Sonenshine discusses the effectiveness of ISIS on the new media in attracting people to join their cause and how the U.S. can counter that message...

What is the American Dream? Is it popularity? Or is it being content with what you have? In Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, the American Dream is Willy Loman's goal. He tries so hard to reach perfection that it ultimately kills...