Introducing Context

Idaho novelist Vardis Fisher served as state director of the Federal Writers’ Project, a national New Deal program designed to put writers to work during the Great Depression. Meregaglia will discuss Vardis Fisher's Boise, a never-before-published manuscript written by Fisher. Finished in 1939, Fisher never found a sponsor for this guidebook to Boise, so it sat forgotten in the Library of Congress for 80 years. Through Meregaglia’s research on Caxton Printers, he located the manuscript, edited the text, and brought it to publication earlier this year through Rediscovered Books. Meregaglia will talk about the process of finding the manuscript as well as explaining Fisher’s larger role as Idaho state director of the Federal Writers’ Project. Alex Meregaglia is an archivist and assistant professor at Boise State University’s Albertsons Library, where he has worked since 2016. He holds a Master of Arts in history, with a focus on 20th century American history, and a Master of Library Science, specializing in archives and records management, from Indiana University. Vardis Fisher’s Boise is part of a larger research project on Caxton Printers of Caldwell, Idaho. His research is supported, in part, with grants from the Idaho Humanities Council, Boise State’s Osher Institute, and the Bibliographical Society of America. Watch the video here.

27 Okt 202056min

Since 1993, October has been designated National Arts & Humanities Month to encourage Americans to explore new facets of the arts and humanities in their lives, and to begin a lifelong habit of participation in the arts and humanities. Join Michael Faison, Executive Director of the Idaho Commission on the Arts (ICA) and David Pettyjohn, Executive Director of the Idaho Humanities Council (IHC) as they discuss the essential roles the arts & humanities play in Idaho. They will also provide information on how their state-wide organizations enhance the social, economic, and cultural lives of Idahoans through programming, grants, and opportunities to engage. Michael Faison is the executive director of the Idaho Commission on the Arts. Faison previously served as the director of the Arts in Education Division of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the assistant director of the Oregon Arts Commission, and the executive director of the Center for Arts Management and Technology at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He served as an information technology consultant for Pittsburgh’s Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild and was a high school art teacher in the Austin Independent School District, Austin, Texas. Faison is a member of the boards of the Western States Arts Federation, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University Alumni Association, and the Boise Sunrise Rotary Club. He holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree in arts management from Carnegie Mellon University, and multiple Texas teaching certifications. Watch the video here.

20 Okt 202059min

A brief survey of how the American wildland fire scene has evolved, beginning with the 1880 census map of forest fires to the present day. Topics will include the Big Blowup of 1910, the CCC, the cold war on fire, the fire revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, the mashup of institutions and policies that characterizes today’s scene, and the quickening of threats that is leading us into a new fire age. Steve Pyne is an emeritus professor at Arizona State University, mostly a fire historian, and the author recently of Between Two Fires: A Fire History of Contemporary America, Year of the Fires: The Story of the Great Fires of 1910, and To the Last Smoke, a 9-book series of regional fire surveys. Between Two Fires: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/between-two-fires-stephen-j-pyne/1121747173?ean=9780816532148 The Northern Rockies: A Fire Survey, Vol. 3, To the Last Smoke: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-northern-rockies-stephen-j-pyne/1123744491?ean=9780816533510 Year of the Fires: The Story of the Great Fires of 1910: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/year-of-the-fire-stephen-j-pyne/1131076528?ean=9780878425440 Watch the video here.

15 Okt 20201h

Carole talks about the term “Independent Film” and what it means. She shares some things about a few of her favorite independent filmmakers as well as some of her memorable movie-going experiences. She loves watching and talking about movies and looks forward to questions and thoughts from the audience. Carole was born at Ft. Lewis, Washington and was raised in the Army, moving every two years throughout her childhood. Army posts usually had a roller rink, a bowling alley and a movie theater so Carole became an avid movie - goer all her life (she can also bowl and skate). Carole earned a B.A. in English Literature at the University of Washington (as well as the money it took to attend by working full time). Carole and husband Rick opened their independent theater, The Flicks, near downtown Boise in 1984. Rick is full of ideas, many of them good ones! Carole books the movies that play at The Flicks and still enjoys doing so. She has so much more help there than she did in the early years. The staff is a wonderful and caring group of people and The Flicks continues to succeed because of them. Carole and Rick hope independent theaters throughout Idaho (and the entire US) will survive this pandemic. Watch the video here.

13 Okt 20201h 1min

In the 1920s and 1930s, fascist dictator Benito Mussolini celebrated a number of ancient Roman centennials, coopting Roman imagery and symbolism to inaugurate his own “rebirth” of the Roman Empire. But did these symbols mean the same thing to the ancient Romans that they did to Mussolini? Where did these symbols come from, and what role did they play in the Roman Republic? By tracing the evolution of the Roman triumphal parade in the Roman Republic, this presentation will demonstrate why the triumph was so important in Roman society, explain how it came to underscore and shed light on why this ancient military and religious procession continues to resonate into the modern world. Alyson Roy is an assistant professor of ancient history at the University of Idaho. Her research focuses on the Roman Republic, ancient military history, material culture and numismatics. Her forthcoming book project, Circulating Triumph: Conquest Imagery and its Reception in the Roman Republic, explores the use of triumphal imagery in the provinces to extend and reinforce conquest. She holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Washington. Watch the video here.

6 Okt 202054min

In this talk, Dr. Hunter will be examining the question of how best to approach the US Constitution. Among other things, he takes on the position of Chief Justice Roberts who argues that justices should approach the Constitution as neutral umpires calling balls and strikes. Dr. Hunter began teaching at The College of Idaho in 1988 and was named the Idaho Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement in Teaching in 2008. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Hunter teaches political philosophy and constitutional law and holds a biannual Mock Supreme Court course in which nine students are selected to play the role of a current justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. For this course, the students study cases currently before the Court, hear oral arguments on the cases presented by attorneys in the area, and write opinions as if they were sitting on the Court. Students find this course particularly challenging and rewarding. Past participants include a Rhodes, Marshall, and Truman Scholar. Watch the video here.

22 Sep 202058min

In the age of information, why is so hard to be a well-informed citizen? Developing our news literacy can help us navigate the media landscape, and that means more than checking facts and spotting hoaxes. Yes, facts are important, but we also need a broader understanding of how news and information are produced and consumed in the digital age. What’s happening to real news, and how is it constructed? Are you in a filter bubble, and how can you break out? Are you the customer or the product in the attention economy, and how can citizens reclaim their power? Drawing on history, psychology, sociology, and politics, this conversation can help you increase your news literacy and teach others to do the same. Seth Ashley, PhD, is associate professor of journalism and media studies at Boise State University, where he also serves as faculty advisor for student media. He is the author of "News Literacy and Democracy," and his research on media literacy, media sociology and communication policy has been published in a range of peer-reviewed journals. Ashley received his PhD and MA from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He has worked as a writer and editor for newspapers and magazines and as a designer and technician for film and theater. Learn more by reading "News Literacy and Democracy,” available from Amazon and Routledge. https://www.amazon.com/News-Literacy-Democracy-Seth-Ashley-dp-113862506X/dp/113862506X/ https://www.routledge.com/News-Literacy-and-Democracy/Ashley/p/book/9781138625068 Watch the video here.

15 Sep 20201h 4min

While Idaho was an women’s suffrage state, it was one of the last to ratify the 19th amendment. Idaho’s Senator William Borah played a major role both in 1896 and in 1920. This presentation will discuss the politics surround both women’s suffrage episodes, the women activists and their tactics that were crucial for both campaigns, and Borah’s complicated position. Katherine G. Aiken is professor of history emerita at the University of Idaho where she also served as College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences Dean and Interim Provost and Executive Vice President. She was a member of the State Department of Education Professional Standards Committee for six years; she is committed to K-12 curriculum development and has led numerous professional development workshops. Aiken was chair of the Idaho Humanities Council, served on the Council for seven years, and has been lead scholar for the Council’s Teacher Institute. She is a Latah County Historical Society board member and is on the University of Idaho Library Advisory Board. Aiken’s American history scholarly areas of interest include social and cultural history, labor history, women’s history, mining, and the environment. She is the author of four books and many articles dealing with those topics--often with an Idaho focus. She participated in the Idaho Public Television production “Idaho’s Trial of the Century” and in the Idaho Experience series. Watch the video here.

1 Sep 202055min