Contact: Anne Macdonald, Dir. of Comm., Westminster College; [email protected]; (801) 832-2680; Westminster College, http://www.wcslc.edu.
THE IMPACT OF TELEVISION ON ELECTIONS
How does the rise of television affect political races? "When major state and national election are often decided by last minute blitzes of 30-second television ads, we should recognize our own complicity in transforming ourselves from citizen to consumers," says Professor of Communication Fred Fogo. "How does the rise of television affect citizenship, civic trust and commitment to the common good? What happens when people spend less time solving social problems and more time as individuals disconnected from one another" he asks. Professor Fogo has lots more to say about the impact of television on twentieth century life. Fogo has been quoted in the New York Times, Dallas Morning News, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, The Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News and by several on-line publications. He is also the author of I Read the News Today: The Social Drama of John Lennon's Death (Rowan and Littlefield, 1994).
"HOMEWORK SHOULD BE ABOLISHED," says Dr. Douglas Pardon, education professor and reading expert. Instead, Pardon says that elementary-aged students should read, read, read. He backs up his claim with research he conducted on the factors influencing adult literacy and the ten years he spent teaching beginning reading in public schools.
ARE LUCK AND CHANCE THE SAME?
Paul Presson, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology and expertise in illusion of control. Topics he has been quoted on include: inaccurate judgment about personal control; conditions under which we make judgments; and conditions under which people feel they have more control, for example, picking your own numbers in the lottery, even though the odds remain the same, or wearing that lucky shirt when gambling. He is also an expert on belief systems that tie into the illusion of control. For example, whether people believe they are lucky. Presson's research notes that if you give someone a task that results in a lot of correct outcomes in the beginning, they will think they are luckier than if they get the same amount of correct outcomes later in the task. "People will accept any explanation before they will accept random outcomes. They want a cause," says Presson.
RACE RELATIONS, RHYTHM & BLUES
Susan Cottler, Ph.D., professor of history (rhythm and blues, rock & roll, big band and Elvis Presley). Cottler's pop culture specialties include music of the fifties and sixties. Historical Topics: US History since 1945, US Race Relations and the Sixties. Cottler recently produced a twenty-minute documentary on Elvis Presley entitled Elvisly Yours. Cottler is a good source for race relations. She is currently in the process of writing a book about the Civil Rights Movement and the popularity of rhythm and blues. She has been on National Public Radio and has served as an expert for local, national and international media.
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