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. Please note, Saturday lectures meet in the smaller lecture hall and have limited space.
The lectures are 50 minutes and are all in the Williamson Theatre, except for the Saturday lecture, which meets in 1P-119. They meet on the following days/times: Wednesdays at 11:15am; on Thursdays at 8:00am, 10:10am, 4:40pm, and 6:30pm; 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 Thursday 4:40pm lecture will be playing “Corelandia” this semester.
The Lecture Series Schedule for the Week of Mar. 19, 2018:
Wednesday, Mar. 21:
-11:15am: “The Evolution of Racial and Ethnic Relations in the United States,” presented by Annette Marks-Ellis
This lecture will provide a brief survey of how this country’s racial and ethnic composition developed from the colonial era to the present. Also, the lecture will discuss how the relationship among the various groups helped to build the nation into a country known globally as socially conscious of its civil rights history. However, although many strides have been made, there are still barriers. Students will assess the progress made and the work that still needs to be done.
Annette Marks-Ellis earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Columbia University. She has been at CSI and teaching Core 100 since 1999. She is one of the authors of the Core textbook and has published several articles on African American history, women’s issues, and Caribbean culture.
Thursday, Mar. 22:
-8:00am and 10:10am: “An FBI ‘Conspiracy’: Not the First Time,” presented by Richard Gid Powers
The Trump administration and its defenders have charged that the FBI is so biased against the President that its investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 election amounts to a secret conspiracy against the President. This is not the first time that the FBI has been seen as a conspiracy against U.S. liberties. From the 1920s through the 1970s, the FBI was seen as a conspiracy against the left and reformers like Martin Luther King. But beginning with Ruby Ridge (1992) and Waco (1993), the right has come to regard the FBI and the ATF as “jack-booted thugs” conspiring against them. And so with the capture of the Republican Party by the populist right, it was perhaps to be expected that the FBI would come under attack once again as part of a deep government conspiracy against those who would make America great again.
Richard Gid Powers is a Professor of History at CSI, and was a debater in high school and college.
-4:40pm: Corelandia, Presented by Victor Miller and Vincent DePaolo
Last week in Corelandia: The Pentarch has been approved. What will our Corelandian Constitution and Bill of Rights consist of? What will each of the Pentarch’s five-year plan proposals look like? The Pentarch attempted to overcome the Farmers striking, the Lockeans revolting, and the Nationalists’ lack of enthusiasm for the newly formed Communist government. Each Pentarch attempted to read their proposed plan for our agriculture and infrastructure projects, Defense and Foreign Policy, Homeland Security and nonparty members’ status, and Commerce and Taxation. The Banking plan was proposed by the Pentarch and there was further revolt and rebellion by the Lockeans and the Nationalists.
This week in Corelandia:The Pentarch must get the government to function. They will either give concessions to the Lockeans and Nationalists or crack down and completely expel them from Corelandia. The Pentarch will attempt to get the banking plan past as well as distribute food made by the Farmers. Corelandians have been starving due to the Farmers striking. The agriculture plan must be approved so the Farmers can get back to work. The Foreign Policy plan will be dealt with due to the arrival of the Cerulians. They have entered Corelandia and diplomacy must commence. How will they be treated? Stay tuned to find out.
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.
Victor Miller earned a BA in History at the College of Staten Island in 2005 and an MS in Adolescent Education in 2008. He has been an Adjunct of Core 100 since February 2012 and currently also works in the Center for Advising and Academic Success. Victor is the of author of the “Summer of ’87” Reacting to the Past classroom simulation and also recently served on the Core 100 textbook editing committee.
-6:30pm: “An Analysis of the ‘Equal Protection Clause’ in the 14th Amendment,” presented by Anthony Casella
This lecture will examine the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and how its interpretation has changed over time. It will also highlight a variety of Supreme Court cases, events and laws that have expanded the meaning of “Equal Protection” throughout the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
Anthony Casella has been a member of the Core faculty since 2009. He received both a BA in History and an MS in Science in Education from St. John’s University. Professor Casella also received an MA in Administration and Supervision from CSI/CUNY. He is currently an Assistant Principal at PS 25R South Richmond HS on Staten Island.
