The Core 100 program invites students and faculty from the College to join us for our weekly lecture series. Each week, all of the first-year students participate in lecture-discussions with about 400 of their classmates. We have space in the Center for the Arts (Building 1P) Williamson Theatre to accommodate individual guests (no permission needed) and can have as many as two additional classes at each of the lectures. Permission is not necessary for classes to attend, but please notify Donna Scimeca at 718.982.3405 if you plan to bring a class.

The lectures are 50 minutes in length and are all in the Williamson Theatre. They meet on the following days/times: Wednesdays at 1:25pm and 3:35pm, and on Thursdays at 8:00am, 10:10am, 4:40pm, and 6:30pm.

In the fall, the Saturday 10:10am lectures are held in the Williamson Theatre, but due to space limitations, we unfortunately cannot accommodate additional classes.

The Lecture Series schedule for the Week of August 31, 2015 is as follows:

Wednesday, Sept. 2:

-1:25pm and 3:35pm: Professor Donna Scimeca, Coordinator of the Core Department, will be welcoming the new students to Core 100.

Thursday, Sept. 3:

-8:00am and 10:10am: Michael Batson “John Locke and the American Revolution”

This lecture will provide an overview of John Locke’s Social Contract theory and examine the role that his ideas played in the American Revolution and in shaping our nation’s political, legal, and economic systems. The lecture will place Locke in historical context, as both an Enlightenment figure and as a witness to the political upheaval of the English Civil War in the mid-17th century, to see where and how his ideas were formed.

Michael Batson has been a Professor at the College of Staten Island since fall 2000. He teaches history, women’s studies, and Core 100. He earned his Master’s degree in Liberal Studies. Professor Batson specializes in social history (the history of ordinary people and historically marginalized groups).

-4:40pm and 6:30pm: Michael Matthews “American Revolution: Battle of Trenton”

This lecture will focus on the importance of the Battle of Trenton in the American Revolution. This lecture will include clips of the film “The Crossing,” which depicts the Battle of Trenton.

Michael Matthews earned both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees at Brooklyn College/CUNY. He also has a Master in Business Administration (Finance) from Fordham University.