Plunder and Possession

BBC Worldwide Ltd. (Added Author). Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm) (Added Author). Films Media Group (Added Author).

Summary: Sparking awareness of distant lands, maps have likewise tempted the ambitious to pillage and conquer through the centuries. This program examines cartography's role in a disturbing dynamic-that which spans the urge to discover for discovery's sake and the relentless drive to extend power, reap faraway resources, and satisfy greed. Profiling the father of geography, Claudius Ptolemy, and his ideas for transferring spherical configurations to a flat surface, the film revisits the voyages of Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, and Sir Walter Raleigh-all of whom served as instruments of political and economic domination as well as more scholarly concerns. The theme is further developed through accounts of the Dutch East India Company as well as today's so-called "Cold Rush"-the race to exploit Arctic oil and gas reserves.

Record details

Physical Description: 1 streaming video file (50 min.) : sd., col., digital file.
remote
electronic resource (video)
Publisher: New York, N.Y. : Films Media Group, [2011], c2010.

Content descriptions

General Note:	Encoded with permission for digital streaming by Films Media Group on January 22, 2011. Multi-User. Films on Demand is distributed by Films Media Group for Films for the Humanities & Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Meridian Education, and Shopware.
Formatted Contents Note:	Maps: A History of Power (2:47) -- "The Book of Roger" (5:07) -- "The Geography" (6:17) -- Martellus Map (7:15) -- America, A Separate Continent (3:18) -- Political Purpose of a Map (3:38) -- Mercator Map (6:18) -- Maps for Commerce (6:10) -- The Greenwich Meridian (3:34) -- Wealth in the Arctic Region (4:55) -- Credits: Plunder and Possession (0:28)
Restrictions on Access Note:	Access requires authentication through Films on Demand.
Target Audience Note:	8 & up.
System Details Note:	System requirements: FOD playback platform. Mode of access: Internet.
Language Note:	Closed-captioned.
Source of Description Note:	Title from distributor's description.