There is a fundamental division of purpose between scholarship and television. Academics deal in nuances, qualifications, and subtle distinctions, while film makers seek broad strokes, drama, and simple, vivid ideas. By accepting that difference, the two can cooperate to make good television that is good history. (MLW)

Golden West College (GWC) has been producing video tapes for classroom use since 1970, and has gained through experience useful insights about faculty and television production crews. Faculty members are content experts, accustomed to controlling everything that goes on in the classroom, and oriented toward the printed or spoken word rather than…