Media Shelf

The Media Shelf offers a sampling of creative research efforts at the University of Georgia including books, software, recordings, research resources and Web sites.

		Militainment, Inc. by Roger Stahl, assistant professor of speech communication (Media Education Foundation 2007) www.mediaed.org/videos/CommercialismPoliticsAndMedia/MilitainmentInc This 124-minute critical investigation of the militarization of popular culture examines how war discourse has melded with Hollywood film, sports, toys, video games, reality television, and more.
		The Carter Presidency: Lessons for the 21st Century produced by the University of Georgia (Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 2007) www.cviog.uga.edu/store/item.php?item=160. A January 2007 conference at the University of Georgia examines how lessons learned from the Carter administration apply to current national issues. The eight-DVD set on the conference proceedings and events features the former president, leading scholars, journalists, Carter administration officials, and national figures.
		BOOKS
		The First Samurai: The Life and Legend of the Warrior Rebel, Taira Masakado by Karl Friday, professor of history, instructional coordinator and associate head of UGA History Department (Wiley, 2007). Was samurai warrior Taira Masakado a quixotic megalomaniac or a hero swept up by events beyond his control? Filled with uprisings, pirate attacks, and natural disasters, this action-packed account offers a riveting introduction to the world of tenth-century Japan.
		The Supreme Court: An Essential History by Peter Charles Hoffer, Distinguished Research Professor of History, University of Georgia; Williamjames Hull Hoffer, assistant professor of history, Seton Hall University; and N.E.H. Hull, Distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers University Law School (University Press of Kansas, 2007). The U.S. Supreme Court has provided a battleground for nearly every controversial issue in our nation’s history. This sharply insightful volume shows general readers how the essential issues, cases, and decisions of the Court over the past 200 years have shaped the law and our nation.
		Ecology of Freshwater and Estuarine Wetlands edited by Darold P. Batzer, professor of entomology and Rebecca R. Sharitz, professor of plant biology (University of California Press, 2007). Ideal for the classroom, this book is an authoritative and accessible resource that addresses the physical environment, geomorphology, biochemistry, soils and hydrology of both freshwater and estuarine wetlands.
		Shakespeare and the American Popular Stage by Frances Teague, Josiah Meigs Professor of English (Cambridge University Press, 2006). America’s popular culture has used Shakespeare to justify revolution, confidence trickery, Lincoln’s assassination, and riots. The book looks at what is unique in America’s Shakespeare, concluding with Shakespeare musicals.
		Labors Lost Left Unfinished: Poems by Ed Pavlic, director, MFA/PhD Program in Creative Writing and associate professor of English (Sheep Meadow Press, 2006). Noted poet Adrienne Rich describes Pavlic’s latest jazz-inflected work as “Dialogic, dangerous….music to listen to with all five senses.”
		RESEARCH TOOLS
		Freedom on Film: Civil Rights in Georgia developed by Barbara McCaskill, associate professor of English and General Sandy Beaver Teaching Professor, with William Weems, web developer, Franklin College of Arts & Sciences, as part of the Civil Rights Digital Library Initiative, www.civilrights.uga.edu/index.html. Learn about the Civil Rights Movement in nine Georgia cities and towns from original news footage and oral histories. The site also includes annotated bibliographies, discussion questions, classroom and community activities, and lesson plans for different age groups.
		Natural Resources Spatial Analysis Laboratory (NARSAL) Liz Kramer, NARSAL director, Odum School of Ecology, narsal.ecology.uga.edu/ Track the changes in Georgia’s land cover over the past 30 years, assess the biodiversity in your region, analyze your local watershed for impervious surface and tree cover change or listen to a panel of experts discuss land use planning. This site uses sound recordings, painstakingly assembled satellite data and interactive color maps to make it easier for professionals and interested citizens to perceive emerging patterns of change on local and statewide levels.
		AUDIO
		Tam Lin and More Songs by Robert Burns Bob Hay and the Jolly Beggars: Bob Hay (banjo); Dave Dowless, staff, UGA Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (guitar); Bill David (mandolin); Ken Starratt (bass); Diana Torell, staff, UGA Office of Student Financial Aid (fiddle) (Independent release, 2006) jollybeggars.netnik.com. With the exception of Auld Lang Syne, many of Robert Burns’ works are rarely heard as they were originally intended to be heard: with music. These energetic performances present the Scottish poet’s words in a style that both 18th and 21st century audiences would appreciate.
		Puzzle Georgia Guitar Quartet: Jason Solomon, PhD ’07 music; Phil Snyder, DMA ’03 music; Brian Smith, staff, UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music; and Kyle Dawkins, BMus ’99 music performance (Solponticello Records, 2007) www.georgiaguitarquartet.com/. The quartet of classically trained guitarists, all graduates of or currently working at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, leave Bach and Brahms behind in their latest recording to experiment with unstructured improvisation and original compositions.