Documents the rise and growth of Islam throughout the world, from the birth of Prophet Muhammad in the 6th century through the peak of the Ottoman Empire 1000 years later. Discusses the impact of Islamic civilization on world history and culture.

Examines how people communicate subtle and obvious messages through nonverbal language and teaches how to tell if people are being truthful and how to project greater confidence and influence others.

Carole Robin, Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University, describes how to use the law of reciprocity and the theory of exchange--paying for what you need or want by giving others what they need or want--to create allies and produce win/win solutions.

Reveals how Edward Abbey's anarchistic spirit and riotous novels influenced and helped guide the nascent environmental movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Through interviews, archival footage and re-enactments, the film captures the outrage of Abbey's friends who were the original eco-warriors. In defense of wilderness, these early activists pioneered "monkeywrenching" - a radical blueprint for "wrenching the system." As exemplified by EarthFirst! in...

Get an up-close look at a reproduction of a trireme, or ancient Mediterranean warship. See the reproduction of the gigantic cargo ship Syracusia capturing the vessels' original grandeur. Witness a demonstration of the Archimedean screw, a machine designed in the third century B.C. to pump water out of a ship's hold, and watch as another one of Archimedes' discoveries, the principle of buoyancy, is put to the test. In England, investigate the Antikytheara...

"Since their appearance in Europe some 300 years ago, the stories of The Thousand and One Nights have entranced Western readers with visions of an exotic, magical Middle East. In this program, actor and director Richard E. Grant revisits the book he loved as a child and seeks to understand its persistent hold on the collective imagination. Grant travels to Paris to discover how the Arabist Antoine Galland imported the tales of Sinbad, Ali Baba, and...

At what other point in our history has the line between church and state become so tangled and polarizing? This film takes audiences into the buckle of the Bible belt, where a group of defiant ministers, congregations, and community leaders are challenging deeply rooted fundamentalist Christian doctrine in favor of a gospel of inclusion. Labeled as 'heretics' for their beliefs and actions, they refuse to wield their faith as a sword sharpened by literal...

We've all kind of gone collectively psychotic, says evolutionary psychologist Dr. Geoffrey Miller, whose research deals with consumerism and marketing and their impact on traditional human interaction. Long-standing ways of socializing are not only vanishing, says Miller, but addictions, depression, and other mental health issues are becoming standard aspects of our lives - the direct results of our consumption-based society. This program looks at...

Presents the tumultous events that led to World War I, the nations that were drawn into the conflict, the Russian Revolution and the rise of communism, how the submarine and airplane altered the nature of combat and how the peace treaty virtually assured a second world war.

"Robots, spaceships, futuristic megacities, planets orbiting distant stars. These icons of science fiction are now in our daily news. Science fiction, once maligned as mere pulp, has motivated cutting-edge scientific research, inspired new technologies, and changed how we view everyday life -- and its themes and questions permeate popular culture. Take an unparalleled look at the influence, history, and greatest works of science fiction with illuminating...