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 required 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 12:20pm, and Thursdays at 8:00am, 10:10am, 4:40pm, and 6:30pm.
Please note that in the spring, the Saturday 10:10am lectures are held in the Center for the Arts Lecture Hall, but due to space limitations, we unfortunately cannot accommodate additional classes.
The Lecture Series schedule for the week of Apr. 27, 2015 is as follows:
Wednesday, Apr. 29:
-12:20pm: “Role of Federal Government in Economy,” presented by Calvin Holder.
The lecture will center on the role that the Federal Government played in the economic development of the United States from the late 19th century through the 1970s. The lecture will be an overview of the government’s role. The lecture will emphasize the pivotal role played by the government in the nation’s economic development. It will flesh out some of the essential aspects of its role.
Calvin Holder is a Professor of the CSI Department of History and African American Studies programs.
Thursday, Apr. 30:
-8:00am: “Willowbrook State School and Civil Rights,” presented by John Gordon.
The Willowbrook lecture will briefly look at what took place at Willowbrook State School in the context of civil rights and a larger historical view of secular and religious influences on how we view civil rights.
John Gordon has a BA in History from Marist College, an MS in Education from St. John’s University, and an MA from the MALS (Liberal Studies) program at CSI. In 2006, he retired from the NYC Board of Education after 30 years of teaching at the high school and intermediate school levels. He has been with the Core program since 2007.
-10:10am: “Economic Inequality: Concepts and Potential Consequences,” presented by Paul Burdett.
“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).Dr. Burdett will trace the major economic theories from Smith to Picketty regarding economic inequality.
Paul Burdett has been a Professor at CSI for 30+ years. He earned a PhD from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and he is a Vietnam Veteran, U.S. Army.
-4:40pm: “14th Amendment,” presented by Robert Young.
The lecture will cover the evolution of the amendment from Reconstruction to the present day.
Robert Young earned his PhD in Military/Modern European History from The Graduate Center, CUNY and has been teaching Core 100 since 1998.
-6:30pm: “The Brass Ceiling,” presented by Ann Treadaway.
What is the brass ceiling? The phrase is used to describe the difficulties women experience when they try to rise up in the ranks of the military, which is traditionally a male-dominated field. The term is a reference to the “glass ceiling” of the business world while incorporating the slang term “brass” for high-ranking officials in the military. In order to overcome the brass ceiling, women in the military have expressed that they must often prove themselves to be even more capable than their male peers. Women who seek long-term careers in the military are often forced to endure much more than their male counterparts, such as working extra hard to distinguish themselves as well as contend with sexism from their employers and coworkers. Although there are many women who have had successful careers within the military, there is much to be done.
Ann Treadaway is the Director of Veterans Support Services at CSI. She is a combat veteran who served in the United States Army for five years. She deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to Baghdad in 2003 and Mosul in 2005. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science with a focus on Middle Eastern Studies from The State University of New York, Purchase College and a Master of Arts in American History focused on the Early Republic from the College of Staten Island. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the LGBTQ Center and the Diversity Working Group at CSI.
