Learning at Home

American Masters examines the enigmatic life and mind of National Medal of Arts-winner Navarro Scott Momaday, the Kiowa novelist, short-story writer, essayist and poet. His Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “House Made of Dawn” led to the breakthrough of Native American literature into the mainstream.

A Place Beyond the Sky begins in 1957 and tracks the early years of the space race as the United States struggles to catch up with the Soviet Union. The episode reveals breathtaking failures and successes of the nascent American space program and demonstrates the stakes and costs of reaching the moon.

In Ancestors, Michael Wood starts with a family reunion, when 300 relatives gather to worship their ancestors on 'Tomb Sweeping Day,' and explores ancient myths and archaeological sites to uncover the origins of the Chinese state.

Go on a journey with a group of high school students seeking solutions to climate change. The Resilient Ones: A Generation Takes on Climate Change invites you along to meet with the local leaders and expert innovators as these students work to make a difference in the Adirondack mountains of Northern NY.

Janet Echelman's giant sculptures are the net result of technology, engineering, and civic engagement. Arturo Rios discovered his true passion while working in a hat maker’s mail room. Justin Bettman uses found materials to create public “sets” for his portraits.

Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” is a play that upholds liberty against tyranny. But what is tyranny? And who decides? Shakespeare doesn’t make it simple. In order to preserve the freedom of the Roman Republic, Julius Caesar, an “over-mighty” leader, is assassinated by Roman Senators led by Caesar’s friend Brutus.

In New York State, the epicenter for reform in the mid 1800’s, women began their battle for the vote. The movement’s success depended on these women, but today, many of their stories are absent from the history.