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 in groups of 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. No permission is necessary for classes to attend, but please notify Donna Scimeca (718.982.3405) if you plan to bring a class.

The weekday 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 9:05am, 11:15am, 5:30pm, and 6:30pm; and on Saturdays at 10:10am in the Center for the Arts Lecture Hall.

Lecture Series schedule for the week of September 15, 2014:

Wednesday, Sept. 17:

-1:25pm: “John Locke” presented by Michael Batson

This lecture will explain John Locke’s philosophy and his philosophy’s role in shaping the U.S. political, legal, and economic systems from the American Revolution to the present.

Michael Batson has been a Professor at the College of Staten Island since fall 2000. He teaches history, women’s studies, and Core. He specializes in social history and earned his Master’s degree in Liberal Studies. He is also the father of a wonderful 15-year-old son.

-3:35pm: “Federalists vs. Antifederalists: The First Divide” presented by Robert Grosso

This lecture will look at the divide between Federalists and Antifederalists, and how it would shape the U.S. Constitution.

Robert Grosso has been teaching at the college level since March 2014, and this is his first year teaching Core. He holds a Master’s degree in History from the College of Staten Island, and a Bachelor’s degree in Education at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY. Before he started teaching with the Core program, he worked as a substitute teacher and a paraprofessional for the NYC Board of Education for nearly ten years, beginning in 2005.

Thursday, Sept. 18:

-9:05am and 11:15am: “Articles of Confederation, Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the Gideon Case” presented by Rosemary McCall

This lecture is a continuation of last week’s lecture in which Prof. McCall will continue to focus on the development of the Constitution, in particular an examination of the Bill of Rights.

Rosemary McCall is a graduate of Brooklyn College, CUNY. She holds advanced degrees from the University of South Carolina (MS) and GWU, National Law Center (JD). This is her seventh year teaching COR at CSI.

-5:30pm:  “Origins of the American Revolution” presented by Joseph Frusci

This lecture will include a discussion of the ideas of natural rights, democracy, and republicanism, as well as the role they played in the American Revolution.

Joseph Frusci has a BA and MA in History and is a Prior Service Army National Guardsman. He has been teaching with the Core program since 2012, and is the author of 2008 Bailout, the newest Reacting to the Past game, which engages students in the complexities of the economic crisis of 2008.

-6:30pm: “We the People: Understanding Constitutional Law” presented by Veronica DiMeglio

The lecture will cover the broad topic of constitutional law, the interpretation and implementation of the U.S. Constitution, and how it impacts the relationships among the different branches of government.

Veronica DiMeglio is the Curriculum Coordinator, Division of Enrollment Management, and an Adjunct Professor at the College of Staten Island.

Saturday, Sept. 20:

-10:10am: “The Constitution Survives 225 Years” presented by James Carroll

This lecture considers the U.S. Constitution as an enduring and encompassing document that is responsive to changes in the character and challenges to the country over the last 225 years. This lecture will specifically provide an overview of 21st-century cases facing the courts and how the Constitution continues to address novel and vexing ideas.

James T. Carroll received his Doctoral degree in American History from the University of Notre Dame and has spent much of his academic career focusing on the history of Native Americans, urban education, and the Gilded Age and Progressive era. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor of History and has been teaching Core 100 since the late 1990s.