The Western Tradition (review)

The Western Tradition. A 52 Program Course on Western Civilization. Annenberg/CPB Collection, 1989. Peter Utgaard Cuyamaca College The Western Tradition is a fifty-two part videotape series designed as a televised course in Western Civilization. The series is part of the Annenberg/CPB collection produced in cooperation with the Metropolitan Museum ofArt. The course is taught and narrated by the noted historian Eugen Weber ofUCLA. The course begins with "The Dawn of History" and concludes with "Towards the Future," though, because the series was released in 1989, some of the later episodes are already outdated. Overall, the series can be seen as a lecture course that makes good use ofvisuals . The general pattern is oflecture followed by cutaways to narrated visuals. The lectures were taped in front ofa live classroom, although there is no interaction between the class and the instructor. One ofthe great strengths ofthe series stems from the productions' association with the Metropolitan Museum ofArt. The museum's vast collection provides the visual backdrop for many ofWeber's lectures . Close-ups ofsculpture, painting, and pottery are all weaved into Weber's narrative, although not always seamlessly. In addition to the frequent use ofartwork , the series also makes good use ofmaps and graphics. In general, the lectures in the second part ofthe course tend to be better organized and presented in a more dynamic fashion. Program 39 for example, "The Death of the Old Regime" is particularly good as Weber experdy explains the impact of the American Revolution on European ideas and politics. His metaphor ofthe revolutionary process being akin to a snowball, which rolls downhill and becomes an avalanche, also provides asimple and understandable framework for explaining the revolution. Art, theater, and music are also successfully included in the lecture asWeber discusses Mozart's TheMarrUge ofFigaro in the context of revolutionary Europe. Episode 41, "The Industrial Revolution" and episode 42, "The Industrial World" are also noteworthy. Particularly impressive is the use of artwork and photographs to demonstrate the profound changes in daily and material life brought by the industrial age. These episodes are an excellent demonstration of how art can be integrated to explain complex historical changes and the Metropolitan Museum ofArt's collection allows us to view thewealthy urban middleclassenjoying life in a park as well as an impressionist's viewofhow smokestacks change the Western landscape. Weber's lectures are delivered clearly and he speaks slowly enough to allow for copious note taking, but for a video course, the lectures could be improved on a SPRING 2000 * ROCKY MOUNTAIN REVIEW -ir I2Î number ofpoints. For example, while Weber's main points usually become clear, theyshould be highlighted and introduced more deliberately. Keywords and concepts could easily have been included as graphics to help improve the organization ofthe lectures from the viewer/student perspective. Another problem is that Weber's vocabulary is often too sophisticated, and students (even at selective universities ) will no doubt on occasion ask themselves just what Weber means at times. Like all good historians, Weber makes analogies and brings out comparisons to highlight a given point, yet in many cases, Weber's comparisons require a fair amount of previous historical knowledge. Taken together, the above points raise the question ofthe intended audience for the course. Highly motivated students with a sophisticated vocabularyand previous historical knowledgewill benefit greatly from the lectures in The Western Tradition, but many students, even thosewith a solid background in history, will find themselves frustrated and sometimes bored with many ofthe lectures. A final problem worthy ofnote is that some ofthe concluding lessons are out ofdate. While ten years is hardly an eternity in history, theproducers had the great misfortune ofreleasing the series in 1989, the same year that Europe was rocked by profound changes that almost no one predicted. As a result, many ofthe most important recent events, such as the collapse of the iron curtain, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the wars in Yugoslavia are not covered. Overall, The Western Tradition is a well organized, effectively conceived, and visually appealing series, yet for teachers ofWestern Civilization, libraries looking to improve their video holdings, and students interested in televised course, it is by no means indispensable . * Joanne...