Political Science
Burton Atkins, Ph.D., Professor
Emeritus of Political Science at
Florida State University (FSU),
currently teaches Political Science
at Florida Atlantic University (FAU)
and is also an instructor at Penn
State University. In his 35-year
career at FSU, Professor Atkins wrote extensively
about constitutional law and American politics and
served as chair of the political science department.
He lived in London from 1992 to 1997, while serving
as the Director of FSU’s London Study Center. From
1997 until his retirement in 2006, he served as
Director of FSU’s International Affairs Program. An
avid supporter of international education, Professor
Atkins has organized and led study semesters abroad
to London, Brussels and Paris for FSU and FAU.
Student Testimonials
- “Brings a unique perspective to film appreciation
through his expertise in political science.”
- “Continually finds interesting topics.”
Great Movies About Law and Justice
Movies about law and justice are just about as
old as movies themselves. These films seem to
fascinate us because both often raise compelling
problems about human conflict and serve as mirrors
for the debates we have about the values that should
shape our society. Courtroom dramas seem especially
compelling because they provide structured physical
and dramatic frameworks for presenting their case to
both the fictional judge and jury on the screen and to
us, the viewers, as we participate at a distance in the
debates presented to us. This course will use movies
as visual texts to examine how problems arising from
myriad aspects of human interaction have been
portrayed through film as a form of popular culture.
The film selection and order of presentation is subject to change.
Four Lectures
- Debates About Great Issues - "Philadelphia"; "Inherit the Wind"
- The Fog of Justice - "The Wrong Man"; "The Trial"
- Military Justice - "Breaker Morant"; "A Few Good Men"
- A Search for Truth - "Anatomy of a Murder; "A Civil Action"
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| Course # S4W4 — First 4 Weeks
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| Place: | Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Wednesdays, March 23, 30; April 6, 13 2016 |
| Time: | 3:15 - 4:45 PM |
| Fee: | $34 / member; $54 / non-member |
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Steven Spielberg as Historian
How Movies Serve as Historical and Cultural Records
At least since D.W. Griffith’s 1915 controversial
masterpiece about the Civil War and Reconstruction
period “The Birth of a Nation” captivated movie
audiences, film directors have often turned to
historical figures and events to tell great stories about
our past and to use history as a way to both entertain
audiences and probe the important issues that persist
in our contemporary world. Throughout his career,
Steven Spielberg, one of the great directors of our
generation, has often used his talent as a film maker
to draw upon history to address a variety of
controversial and troublesome topics. Using clips
from films such as “Amistad,” “Lincoln,” “Saving
Private Ryan,” “Schindler’s List” and “Munich,” this
lecture will examine how film provides a valuable
historical record that we can use to explore how the
great issues from the past can provide a context for
understanding the controversies and problems we
face today.
Register Early! There is a $5 charge for registering on the day of a one-time lecture or event.
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| Course # S1M1 — One Time Event
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| Place: | Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Monday, April 18 2016 |
| Time: | 1 - 2:30 PM |
| Fee: | $25 / member; $35 / non-member |
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Register Now
