University of Virginia Library

Civilisation

A student has the opportunity in the
University community to expand his
educational experience from a purely academic
one acquired only in the classroom to a
broader, more enlightening one by taking
advantage of activities beyond the confines of
a fixed program or mandatory course of
study. Of course, one of these levels is the
social plane where students learn to attempt
to live with and understand his varying
fellows. Another area of potential education
which is far too neglected by the majority of
students at almost every university is the one
of supplementary events, lectures, films, and
discussions that are offered in a lively University
community.

The possibilities for the curious student
are almost boundless as speakers visiting the
Grounds explore myriad topics of cultural,
political, social, economic, moral, and almost
every other sort of significance. Lectures are
not the only medium, as the Artist Series,
Concerts, films, and displays prove. The
School of Architecture's generous gift to our
community is a prime example of an educational
booster administered to the interested
student with a minimum amount of pain-in
fact, a tremendous bit of pleasure.

The widely acclaimed film series,
"Civilisation", has been purchased by the
School and is now being offered to the public.
A series of thirteen films narrated and written
by the British Art Historian, Sir Kenneth
Clark, "Civilisation" is an overview of the
ideas and events of the 1600 years as pictured
in painting, sculpture, architecture, music,
and philosophy.

Through a grant from the Powder River
Foundation Inc. the School purchased the
recently being shown in Wilson Hall Auditorium
on every other Monday at 4:30, 7:00, and
8:30 p.m. The second in the series, "The
Great Thaw", will be shown on 19 October,
films, which were first shown in the United
States at the National Gallery in Washington
and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York, from the Time-Life Corporation. They
are being used within the School for Planning
21 or the History of Cities and outside the
School for the benefit of the University
Community.

One of the films exploring the Enlightenment
in America cites Thomas Jefferson as
"the typical universal man of the 18th
century." That particular film should be of
interest to members of this community for it
focuses on the University and Monticello. Mr.
Jefferson's original lawn arrangement is called
"the ideal of corporate humanism', and Monticello
is the first see of "a body of civilised,
domestic architecture equal to any in the
world."

The films, which will always be available
for use throughout the University, are cur-

We must congratulate the School of Architecture,
not only for this series, but for their
continuing creative activities which have been
of great interest to many members of this
community. The School has been successful
in serving as stimulating fare to more students
than just their own. Other schools in the
University would do well to bolster their own
"outside" programs.

We encourage students to attend this
series. We think that you will find them, not
only "enlightening", (we use that term in the
College catalogue sense, i.e. a four hour lab is
"enlightening") but extremely enjoyable.