TIPS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
Wednesday, December 13 2000
Dec. 13, 2000^^Holiday chronicles -- fact or fiction? UI's master of the American holiday letter is Stephen P. Banks, professor of communication, along with colleagues Martha Einerson, communication school, and Esther Louie, Whitworth College. The team published a qualitative study about the cultural values holiday letters reflect. "Holiday letters are a mechanism for people to balance the public and the private, the ups and downs of everyday life, as they construct an autobiography that reflects the virtuous life in our culture," says Banks. They rarely document embarrassing or unsuccessful moments, he adds. The researchers found no similar practice in cultures other than the U.S. and Canada and would like to hear about holiday letters exchanged in other countries. "Currently we're looking into the uses of the Internet (e-mail and Web pages) for this epistolary genre." Banks also subsequently published an article that contained his own fictional holiday letters, typifying the collective 200 collected over six years from the earlier work. Contact Banks at (208) 885-7796, sbanks@uidaho.edu^^UI English professor Ron McFarland's short story, "Different Words for Snow," chronicles a Grangeville couple as they compose a Christmas letter to family and friends. The activity is prompted after the wife receives a card that spells success and achievement from a long-time friend. The piece won McFarland a prize for the best fiction published in Weber Studies (Weber State University) during 1999-2000. He is at (208) 885-6937, or ronmcf@uidaho.edu. The short story can be faxed upon request.^^Presidential election free-for-all, lessons, reactions from scholars Did the courts overplay their hands? Did party politics skew the counts? What about state sovereignty and the electoral college? How can we ever know who really won the popular vote? UI political science professors can address these issues and others related to the Presidential election from scholarly vantage points. Don Crowley -- constitutional law, U.S. Supreme Court decisions, and judicial politics, (208) 885-7290, crowley@uidaho.edu Bill Lund -- political philosophy, American parties and elections, (208) 885-7717, wrlund@uidaho.edu Florence Heffron -- Idaho politics, government and elections, (208) 885-6032, fheffron@uidaho.edu^^-30- NH-12/13/00-TIPS ^^^
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The University of Idaho helps students to succeed and become leaders. Its land-grant mission furthers innovative scholarly and creative research to grow Idaho's economy and serve a statewide community. From its main campus in Moscow, Idaho, to 70 research and academic locations statewide, U-Idaho emphasizes real-world application as part of its student experience. U-Idaho combines the strength of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. It is home to the Vandals. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.