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., 12, 2016

Wednesday, Sept. 14:

-1:25pm: Core 100 Election Series: “The Supreme Court,” presented by Peter Galati

This lecture will discuss the court’s role in our society, how its justices are placed on the bench, judicial philosophies, the current impasse in filling the vacancy, and the presidential candidates’ views on the types of justices they would likely appoint should they get elected. It will also briefly look at some of the major cases that the court has decided to clarify the impact the courts decisions have on society.

Peter Galati received his BA from Stockton University, graduating summa cum laude, with Honors in Political Science. He earned an MA in History at the College of Staten Island. Professor Galati has been a Core 100 and English tutor with the Office of Academic Support since fall 2013 and the Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK Program since spring 2014. In summer 2016, Professor Galati joined the Core faculty and also became the Assistant to the Core 100 program. He also teaches in the English Department and is a member of the Immersion Program faculty. He has a passion for history, politics, international affairs, and music.

-:35pm: Core 100 Election Series: “The Electoral College/Presidential Election Process,” presented by Edward Manganel

After almost four years of media hype, political circus, and endless, often mind-numbing, debates, Americans will soon choose their next President. This lecture will examine the controversial Presidential electoral process; why the founding fathers created it, the potential problems inherent in the process, and the extent to which the system is democratic.

Edward Manganel received his BA from Marist College and his MA from the University of Colorado. He is the former Chair of the Social Studies Department and and AP U.S. History teacher at Monsignor Farrell HS. He has taught at CSI for 25 years and has been in the Core 100 program for ten years.

Thursday, Sept. 15:

-8:00am: Core 100 Election Series: “The American Voter,” presented by Annette Marks-Ellis

Is the American voter passive or active? Does the voter fulfill the ideals of the Founding Fathers? Students will engage in a discussion on the types of voters that exist in the United States and how they influence the governance with their vote. Students will ponder and discuss the significance of voter participation in the electoral process, voter trends, impact of young voters, and role of constituent participation in constructing an equitable economic, social, and political future for all Americans.

Annette Marks-Ellis earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Columbia University. She has been at CSI and teaching Core 100 since 1999. She has published several articles on African American history, women’s issues, and Caribbean culture.

-10:10am: Core 100 Election Series: “Twitter Ranters: American Politics in the Age of Social Media,” presented by John Dixon

Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump maintain huge Twitter presences. This lecture examines the impact of Twitter and other social media on contemporary political culture and the current presidential election. It asks how new technology has influenced political discourse in the 21st Century. Is it possible to have rational and critical debate about government today? Has social media simply amplified differences and exacerbated political polarization in the United States?

John Dixon is an Assistant Professor of History at CSI who specializes in early American history, intellectual history, and Atlantic history. He has published several articles and a recent book on the Enlightenment in America, and is currently working on a study of Jews in the early modern Atlantic World.

-4:40pm: Core 100 Election Series: Special Event Partnering with Legal Studies: “The Abortion Conflict and the Court,” presented by Reva Siegel

Given the Supreme Court’s recent landmark decision in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the topic and timing of our lecture could not be better. In 1992, the Supreme Court decided Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a case that offered a constitutional compromise for a nation divided over questions of abortion. In the interim, states have enacted increasing numbers of restrictions on abortion, not only to protect the unborn, but to protect women’s health, increasingly restricting women’s access. This year in Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the Court, by a 5-3 vote, struck down a health-justified law on abortion that would have closed three-quarters of the abortion clinics in Texas. This lecture will discuss Whole Women’s Health in light of current and coming controversies.

Reva Siegel is the Nicholas deB. Katzenbach Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Professor Siegel’s writings draw on legal history to explore questions of law and inequality and to analyze how courts interact with representative government and popular movements in interpreting the Constitution.

Co-Sponsors:  CSI Legal Studies Institute, The CORE Program, the Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities, the CSI Student Government Association, the CSI Foundation, and the Program in Women, Gender, and Sexuality.

-6:30pm: Core 100 Election Series: “War on Terror,” presented by Robert Young

While sometimes forgotten in this most contentious of presidential campaigns, terrorism still ranks atop the list of national concerns. Is this threat taken seriously by the current candidates? What are their plans to address the problem? We will explore all of possible avenues in a discussion of the War on Terror.

Robert Young earned his PhD in Military/Modern European History from The Graduate Center, CUNY and has been teaching Core 100 since 1998.

Saturday, Sept. 17:

-10:10am: Core 100 Election Series: “The American Voter,” presented by Annette Marks-Ellis

Is the American voter passive or active? Does the voter fulfill the ideals of the Founding Fathers? Students will engage in a discussion on the types of voters that exist in the United States and how they influence the governance with their vote. Students will ponder and discuss the significance of voter participation in the electoral process, voter trends, impact of young voters, and role of constituent participation in constructing an equitable economic, social, and political future for all Americans.

Annette Marks-Ellis earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Columbia University. She has been at CSI and teaching Core 100 since 1999. She has published several articles on African American history, women’s issues, and Caribbean culture.