Subscription Film Databases from SHSU
These films require an SHSU username and password to watch off-campus.
Films on Demand
Ambrose Video
Academic Video Online
Opposing Viewpoints in Context (OVIC)
Free Websites: Multidisciplinary
Please note legal policies or terms of use; each site may allow certain uses of videos but restrict other uses.
Annenberg Learner
Educational video programs with coordinated Web and print materials. Topics include history, science, art, literature, math, psychology, and more. Legal policy.
Critical Commons.org
Site for researchers to share video clips for research and critical discussion purposes: "we only display media that is placed in a critical context that transforms and recontextualizes the media, adding value and significance to the original work" (FAQ). Add text or voice-over commentaries. Organize clips into lecture playlists.
Terms of service excerpt: "You may access the Critical Commons Website to view video, textual, and audio materials posted within a curricular context without the need of an account."Internet Archive: Cultural & Academic Films
Stream videos for scholarly purposes. Embed films using tool provided. Includes the Academic Film Archive of North America, the Chicago Film Archives, the Timothy Leary Video Archive, Dorothy Fadiman's Social Documentaries, Vintage Educational Films, and more!
PBS.org
Stream full-length episodes of many PBS shows, ranging from NOVA and Frontline to Independent Lens and Nature. Terms of use.
SnagFilms
Library of 1500+ full-length documentary films, with topics ranging broadly from arts, religion, or politics to science, health, or environment. Embed video in course websites with the SnagFilms Widget. Terms of use.
TED Talks
Videos talks on a multitude of topics; devoted to "ideas worth spreading." Terms of use excerpt: "You are encouraged to view as many talks as you wish for free, and to share what you learn with others both online and offline. …Please respect the law. Do not post copyrighted material (unless you own the copyright) or…engage in illegal behavior of any sort."
YouTube EDU
Educational video content in almost every subject area from a variety of colleges and universities. Embed video in course websites with the YouTube Embeddable Player. Terms of use excerpt: "YouTube hereby grants you permission to access and use the Service... You agree not to access Content through any technology or means other than the video playback pages of the Service itself, the Embeddable Player, or other explicitly authorized means." (emphasis added)
Free Websites: Discipline-Focused
Please note legal policies or terms of use; each site may allow certain uses of videos but restrict other uses.
BioInteractive from Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Video clips on medical and related topics, ranging from biodiversity, evolution, and stem cells to obesity, cancer, and DNA. Also provides animation, lecture content, and virtual labs. Terms of use excerpt: "The programs may be broadcast, duplicated, and distributed within educational systems for not-for-profit educational purposes."
Have Fun with History
History-based dramas, documentaries, and news programs. Early-20th century footage as well as modern film. Covers African American history, Native American history, immigration, colonial/Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, American West, WWI, WWII, presidents, science, and more. Excerpt regarding use: "Movies available on this site are in the public domain in the United States."
Teach Texas: Texas Archive of the Moving Image
Over 1,000 streaming videos on topics in the history and culture of Texas, including original primary-source video as well as secondary content. Click "Teach Texas" to find coordinated lesson plans, activities, etc. Excerpt regarding use: "All donations to the Archive Program must be free from copyright, or the donor must be willing to place the film in the public domain" -- therefore this material may be used without concern for copyright infringement.
Free Video Lectures and Courses from Universities
MIT Open Courseware
Free online course materials from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in a wide array of subject areas. Terms of use excerpt: Material is under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license: you may copy, distribute, display, and perform a work for noncommercial purposes, provided that you attribute the work as specified by the author.
Open Yale Courses
Online introductory course material from Yale University in a variety of subject areas. Terms of use excerpt: Material is under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license: you may copy, distribute, display, and perform a work for noncommercial purposes, provided that you attribute the work as specified by the author.
