Articles
Books
Art Matters by
A stunning and timely creative call-to-arms combining four extraordinary written pieces by Neil Gaiman illustrated with the striking four-color artwork of Chris Riddell. "The world always seems brighter when you've just made something that wasn't there before."--Neil Gaiman Drawn from Gaiman's trove of published speeches, poems, and creative manifestos, Art Matters is an embodiment of this remarkable multi-media artist's vision--an exploration of how reading, imagining, and creating can transform the world and our lives. Art Matters bring together four of Gaiman's most beloved writings on creativity and artistry: "Credo," his remarkably concise and relevant manifesto on free expression, first delivered in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shootings "Make Good Art," his famous 2012 commencement address delivered at the Philadelphia University of the Arts "Making a Chair," a poem about the joys of creating something, even when words won't come "On Libraries," an impassioned argument for libraries that illuminates their importance to our future and celebrates how they foster readers and daydreamers Featuring original illustrations by Gaiman's longtime illustrator, Chris Riddell, Art Matters is a stirring testament to the freedom of ideas that inspires us to make art in the face of adversity, and dares us to choose to be bold.
Concepts to Further Your Critical Thinking
This selection of videos and topics will take you through history and ideas, where we'll confront the past and examine their impact on the present. The topic of Information Literacy and the resources found within this page are intended to equip you with essential tools to become a discerning and well-informed individual, capable of navigating the ever-changing landscape of information with confidence and critical thinking.
Happy viewing (and future reading)...
George Orwell's prophetic novel 1984 introduced us to a nightmarish vision of an Orwellian society dominated by surveillance, propaganda, and thought control. Think on how Orwellian concepts infiltrate our modern digital age and the importance of learning to navigate the complexities of information in an era of privacy concerns and surveillance.
1984: the Graphic Novel by
One of the most influential books of the twentieth century gets the graphic treatment in this first-ever adaptation of George Orwell's 1984. War is Peace * Freedom is Slavery * Ignorance is Strength In 1984, London is a grim city in the totalitarian state of Oceania where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston Smith is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called the Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be. With evocative, immersive art from Fido Nesti, this vision of George Orwell's dystopian masterpiece provides a new perspective for longtime fans but is also an accessible entry point for young readers and adults who have yet to discover the iconic story that is still so relevant today.
1984 by
A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick With extraordinary relevance and renewed popularity, George Orwell's 1984 takes on new life in this hardcover edition. "Orwell saw, to his credit, that the act of falsifying reality is only secondarily a way of changing perceptions. It is, above all, a way of asserting power."--The New Yorker In 1984, London is a grim city in the totalitarian state of Oceania where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston Smith is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be. Lionel Trilling said of Orwell's masterpiece "1984 is a profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating book. It is a fantasy of the political future, and like any such fantasy, serves its author as a magnifying device for an examination of the present." Though the year 1984 now exists in the past, Orwell's novel remains an urgent call for the individual willing to speak truth to power.
1984 by
A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick With extraordinary relevance and renewed popularity, George Orwell's 1984 takes on new life in this edition. "Orwell saw, to his credit, that the act of falsifying reality is only secondarily a way of changing perceptions. It is, above all, a way of asserting power."--The New Yorker In 1984, London is a grim city in the totalitarian state of Oceania where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston Smith is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be. Lionel Trilling said of Orwell's masterpiece, "1984 is a profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating book. It is a fantasy of the political future, and like any such fantasy, serves its author as a magnifying device for an examination of the present." Though the year 1984 now exists in the past, Orwell's novel remains an urgent call for the individual willing to speak truth to power.
Journey back to the 1950s, a time when fear of communism gripped the United States. Explore the rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy and the witch-hunt for suspected communists, the consequences of blacklisting, and the impact it had on American society. Learn how the lessons from McCarthyism remain relevant as we examine modern-day issues surrounding freedom of speech and political ideologies.
Unravel the enigmatic world of Machiavellianism, named after the cunning philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli who revolutionized political philosophy. This complex concept, which revolves around the art of gaining and maintaining power through manipulation and strategic deception may not be all it seems. This video will challenge your perception of this concept as well as of leadership and ethics, urging you to think critically about the role of Machiavellian tactics in contemporary politics and corporate environments. It will also lead you to question, whether his writing of The Prince was an effort to enlighten the people regarding these tactics. Before his death, Machiavelli wrote that he hoped people would "learn the way to Hell in order to flee from it."
The Prince by
That Machiavelli's name has become synonymous with cold-eyed political calculation only heightens the intrinsic fascination of The Prince-the world's preeminent how-to manual on the art of getting and keeping power, and one of the literary landmarks of the Italian Renaissance. Written in a vigorous, straightforward style that reflects its author's realism, this treatise on states, statecraft, and the ideal ruler is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how human society actually works.
