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 and can have as many as two additional classes at each of the lectures. No permission is needed 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 and are all in the Williamson Theatre. They meet on the following days/times: Wednesdays at 1:25pm and 3:35pm; on Thursdays at 8:00am, 10:10am, 4:40pm, and 6:30pm; and on Saturdays at 10:10am.

The Lecture Series Schedule for the Week of Monday, Sept. 26, 2016

Wednesday, Sept. 28:

-1:25pm: Core 100 Election Series: “Immigration: A Path to Citizenship?” presented by George Sanchez

This Presidential campaign, the issue of U.S. Immigration has become a much-debated topic. This lecture will look at immigration from a historical perspective to provide students with an overview of this topic and its relationship to the 2016 Presidential election. The lecture will seek to address several specific topics including: who is an immigrant and the differences between undocumented and illegal aliens, the historical patterns of immigration to the U.S., the establishment of the Immigration and Naturalization Act, the current U.S. policy and Obama’s executive actions regarding immigration, and the 2016 Republican and Democratic platforms on immigration.

George Sanchez is a Professor and Chairperson of the Performing and Creative Arts Department here at CSI. This is his seventh year of teaching Core 100.

-3:35pm: Core 100 Election Series: 2nd Amendment/Gun Control, presented by William Fallon

After an examination of the powers and limitations of the Constitution of the United States, the focus of this lecture will shift to the Bill of Rights and, more specifically, onto the Second Amendment and the right of the people “to keep and bear arms.” This lecture will allow for an analysis of the issue of gun control in the U.S., and more notably, it will furnish a glimpse at today’s Presidential candidates and their positions on this very incendiary and strife-laden topic that divides the U.S. today.

William Fallon is an Adjunct Professor in CSI’s Core program. He is currently in his third semester with the Department. He received his MA in History from CSI in 2013. His focus is 20th-Century U.S. History and U.S. Foreign Policy.

Thursday, Sept. 29:

-8:00am and 10:10am: Core 100 Election Series: “Impact on the Nominations to the Supreme Court,” presented by Rosemary McCall

The United States Supreme Court’s current composition of eight justices will almost certainly change in the first months of the new President’s administration with his/her proposed choice for consideration and appointment to the Court by the Congress.

Presidents usually propose individuals who apparently have similar political ideologies to their own; the individual who is appointed to replace the late Associate Justice Antonin Scalia will be a pivotal choice since both the Republican and Democratic candidates for President will undoubtedly put forth very different people for the vacated position.

Rosemary McCall received her BS degree from Brooklyn College, graduating cum laude, with honors in Geology. She earned her MS at the University of South Carolina. She was a successful exploration geologist and consultant before graduating from the National Law Center at George Washington University. Professor McCall then used her scientific and legal skills to consult, lecture, and represent clients. Currently, she is pursuing her passions as an educator and cantankerous scriptwriter.

-4:40pm: Core 100 Election Series: “The Pentagon and Silicon Valley: The Impact of Defense Spending on Government and Society,” presented by Joseph Frusci

How does defense spending impact government and society? The Department of Defense is one of the biggest sources of innovation in the United States, and it has been since the early days of the Cold War. This lecture will examine how defense spending led to innovation during the Cold War and 9/11.

Joseph Frusci served as an Army National Guardsman who earned a BA and MA in History, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education degree (EdD) at Northeastern University. He has been teaching with the Core program since 2012, and is the author of “2008 Bailout”, a Reacting to the Past game, which engages students in the complexities of the economic crisis of 2007-2008. He also teaches U.S. history, government, economics, and computer science for the New York City Department of Education at Staten Island Technical High School.

-6:30pm: Core 100 Election Series: “Foreign Policy and the War on Terror,” presented by Vincent DePaolo

On September 11, 2001, our outlook on foreign policy changed forever. This lecture will look at our foreign policy and how the United States has been fighting the War on Terror since 911. In addition, we will look at how Presidential nominees Donald J. Trump (R) and Hillary Clinton (D) would deal with the issues of foreign policy and the War on Terror.

Vincent DePaolo is teaching CORE 100 for the fifth semester. He previously was an Adjunct Instructor at Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus in the History Department teaching introductory world history survey courses. He received his BA in History and MS in Social Science with a concentration in History, and Advanced Graduate Certificate in United Nation Studies from Long Island University – Brooklyn Campus. He has also received his MSEd in Secondary Social Studies from the College of Staten Island/CUNY.

Saturday, Oct. 1:

-10:10am: Core 100 Election Series: “Defense/National Security,” presented by Peter Ronalds

This lecture will begin with a short history of the issue of defense in U.S. government from independence to the present. It will examine how the political parties in the United States have historically viewed the subject. Then, it will compare and contrast how the 2016 Presidential candidates view defense/national security.

Peter Ronalds is a Doctor of Arts Modern World History, St. John’s University 1998. He has been teaching Core 100 and history classes since 1998.