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.
The Lecture Series Schedule for the Week of Monday, Nov. 17, 2014
Wednesday, Nov. 19
1:25pm:“Before Brown v. Board of Education There Was Mendez v. Westminster School District of Orange County,” presented by George Sanchez
The year 2014 marks the 60th anniversary of the issuance of the decision on Brown v. Board of Education. Brown is a landmark case in which the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously found that, “separate education facilities are inherently unequal” and ended segregation in the United States. While most people are familiar with Brown, there is another little-known case that was instrumental for the American civil rights movement: Méndez v. Westminster.
Méndez v. Westminster School District of Orange County was a federal court case that challenged racial segregation in the education system of Orange County, CA. Five Mexican American fathers set out to challenge the practice of school segregation in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Their claim was that their children and some 5,000 others of Mexican ancestry had fallen victim to unconstitutional discriminatory practices by being forced to attend separate schools that had been designated “schools for Mexicans” in the school districts of Orange County. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the segregation of Mexican and Mexican American students, by relegating them to “Mexican Schools,” was unconstitutional.
George Emilio Sanchez is a Professor and Chairperson of the Performing and Creative Arts Department at CSI. This is his sixth year of teaching Core 100.
3:35pm: “The Relationship between Political Systems and Economics,” presented by Derek Levine
This lecture will explore how political systems either facilitate or hinder economic development.
Derek Levine holds a PhD from the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies. He has written numerous articles on Sino-U.S. Relations. His most recent article, “Earning Its Wings: A Political Economy Analysis of China’s Journey toward Development of the C-919 Commercial Airliner and Its Prospects for Success,” will be published in July 2015 by the Journal of Contemporary China, the number-one ranked journal for China studies. His book, The Dragon Takes Flight: A Political Economy Analysis of China’s Development of Its Large Passenger Aircraft, is due out in early 2015.
Thursday, Nov. 20
9:05am: “Economic Inequality: Concepts and Potential Consequences,” presented by Paul Burdett
This lecture will trace the major economic theories from Smith to Picketty in regard to economic inequality. “’Inequality” is not necessarily “bad,” but the magnitude and rate of change (especially since 1990) is dramatic, resulting in recent social unrest and exposure to the issues involved (e.g., the Occupy Movement).
Paul Burdett has been a Professor at CSI for more than 30 years, and holds a PhD from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is also a Vietnam veteran, U.S. Army.
11:15am: “The Governments Role in the Economy,” presented by John Lentine
This lecture will cover the historical basis for our contemporary arguments on the proper role of the government in the economy.
John Lentine has a BS in Public Policy and an MA in Public Administration from Penn State University. This is his first year teaching Core 100 at CSI.
5:30pm: “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Civil Rights Movement,” presented by Ann Treadaway
This lecture will look at some key events in LGBT history in order to understand the movement better. There are currently no federal laws that protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender citizens from discrimination based on sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation. Despite great strides in the LGBT Civil Rights Movement over the last three years, there remains a long road ahead toward equality.
Ann Treadaway is the Director of Veterans Support Services at CSI. She is a combat veteran who served in the U.S. Army for five years. She deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to Baghdad in 2003 and Mosul in 2005. She received her BA in History and Political Science with a focus on Middle Eastern Studies from SUNY, Purchase College and a MA in U.S. History focused on the Early Republic from CSI. Ann is also a member of the Advisory Board for the LGBTQ Center and the Diversity Working Group at CSI.
6:30pm: “The Role of Government and Agribusiness in the Nation’s Food Supply,” presented by Donna Scimeca
This lecture will explore the role of government in terms of regulation and subsidies established during the New Deal, and the growth of agribusiness and how that impacts the quality and price of the food thatwe eat.
Donna Scimeca earned her MA in History from CSI and is the Coordinator of the Core Program.
Thursday, Nov. 20
10:10am: “Government and the Market Economy,” presented by Joseph Frusci
This lecture will discuss how government sets the rules by which the market functions.
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.
