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THURSDAY

Voyages (A&E, 10-11 p.m.): This episode of the science series, entitled "Building for Earthquakes," shows how engineers can design everything from homes to skyscrapers that are capable of surviving all but the most major quakes. The program visits Mexico City and San Francisco, where new seismic-safety techniques are being used, and Istanbul, where unsafe structures would likely crumble in an earthquake. There's also a look at how historic buildings can be reinforced to better survive quakes.

FRIDAY

Emerging Powers (PBS, 9-11 p.m.): This two-part miniseries profiles China, India, Brazil, and Mexico - four of 10 nations identified by the US Department of Commerce as dominating global growth in the next decade. In the program, a year-long project of Wall Street Journal Television, international journalists report on entrepreneurs and ordinary people in these regions experiencing an explosion of job opportunities and consumer choices.

Part 1, airing tonight, looks at China, the world's fastest-growing economy, and India, which is in transition from socialism to free markets and free trade. Part 2, airing Jan. 19 at 9 p.m., profiles Brazil, the world's fifth-largest country and the fastest-growing computer market, and Mexico, which is in the midst of political and economic turmoil but is still poised to be a vital trading partner with the US.

20/20 (ABC, 10-11 p.m.): As Hillary Rodham Clinton prepares for the release of her book "It Takes a Village, and Other Lessons Children Teach Us," she is giving several interviews, including this one with Barbara Walters. In addition to discussing the book, which explores major concerns facing children and parents, Mrs. Clinton comments on life in the White House, her role as first lady, and the Whitewater affair.

Please check local listings for these programs.