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 (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 focus of the Core Lecture Series, this semester, will be to directly link the program’s curriculum to current events.

The Lecture Series Schedule for the Week of Sept. 25, 2017

Wednesday Sept. 27:

-1:25pm: “President Trump: ‘Commander in Chief’,” presented by Edward Manganel

Still the world’s policeman in the 21st century, the United States has military forces deployed around the world, in actual or threatening conflicts. The foreign policy decision-making process is largely in the hands of President Trump, as it has been for every President. Congress has few powers to affect, and possibly moderate, the military decisions of the President. The current North Korean imbroglio reveals the fearsome powers of Commander in Chief Trump and illustrates the dangers facing the United States in the Post-Cold War nuclear era.

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

3:35pm: “Federalists vs Anti-Federalists,” presented by John Comfort

This lecture will discuss the major differences between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists and their different views on the government of the United States. Would they want a strong federal government or a more state focused government?  This lecture will examine how these different views shaped the Constitution that governs this country and shaped the laws by which citizens must abide. The lecture will challenge students’ understanding of how the struggle between Federal and States’ rights are still relevant in the contemporary U.S.

John Comfort earned his MA in History from the College of Staten Island in 2003 and has taught classes at CSI in the Core Program and also the American Studies Program since 2006.

Thursday, Sept. 28:

-8:00am and 10:10am: “United States Supreme Court,” presented by Rosemary McCall

United States national politics has been a contentious mix of often unpredictable talk from the White House and predictable claptrap and pretense from the Congress. On Oct. 2, the Supreme Court will take up major issues involving immigration policy, religious liberty, partisan gerrymandering, travel bans, and cellphone data tracking and privacy as the new term begins. The Core lecture will cover the current make-up of the Court, anticipate how newly appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch will decide, and muse at how President Trump might react.

Rosemary McCall is a graduate of Brooklyn College, CUNY.  She holds advanced degrees from the University of South Carolina and GWU National Law Center.

-4:40pm and 6:30pm: “Federal Government’s Role in Elections,” presented by Vincent DePaolo

In the aftermath of one of the most vitriolic and divisive Presidential Elections in United States history, we hear the citizenry discuss the determination by Congress, intelligence agencies, and the FBI that state actors of the Russian government attempted to meddle in the Presidential Election. This lecture will delve into and look specifically at the role of the Federal Government in federal, state, city, and municipal elections. We will examine what the Constitution specifically states about when the Presidential Election and Federal Elections must take place. Additionally, this lecture will examine how the Founding Fathers intended for U.S. Senators to be elected and how the 17th Amendment changed this process at the beginning of the 20th Century. Also, we will discuss if there are any specific guidelines that states must follow for carrying out Federal elections. Finally, does the fact that each state’s election systems are different make the U.S. democratic process more susceptible or less susceptible to meddling or changing the outcome of an election?

Vincent DePaolo 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 at Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus. He has also received his MSeD in Secondary Social Studies from the College of Staten Island-CUNY.

Saturday, Sept. 30:

There are no classes being held on Saturday, Sept. 30.