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 necessary 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 in length and are all in the Williamson Theatre. They meet on the following days/times: Wednesdays at 1:25pm and 3:35pm, and on Thursdays at 8:00am, 10:10am, 4:40pm, and 6:30pm.
In the fall, the Saturday 10:10am lectures are held in the Williamson Theatre, but due to space limitations, we unfortunately cannot accommodate additional classes.
The Lecture Series schedule for the Week of Oct. 5, 2015 is as follows:
Wednesday, Oct. 7:
-1:25pm: “A Timeline of the Civil War,” presented by Robert Grosso
This lecture will focus on the U.S. Civil War, including the root causes of the war and the eventual aftermath, leading up to the Reconstruction of the South.
Robert A. Grosso is new to the Core 100 faculty. He has previously worked for the NYC DOE as a paraprofessional and substitute teacher, before going on to teach college lectures at Union County College in Elizabeth, NJ, and at the College of Staten Island.
-3:35pm: “America’s First Original Sin: Slavery,” presented by Vincent DePaolo
The nation’s first original sin was slavery, a contentious and difficult political and social issue from colonial times to the end of the Civil War in 1865.
Victor DePaolo has been teaching Core 100 for three semestesr. He 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 Nations Studies at Long Island University- Brooklyn Campus.
Thursday, Oct. 8
-8:00am: “Civil War,” presented by Victor Miller
Prelude to Civil War: The Three- Fifths Compromise was the one great flaw to come out of the Constitutional Convention. The founding fathers left the issue of slavery to future generations. From 1820 to 1860, multiple compromises were made in an attempt to prevent a Civil War.
Victor Miller earned a BA in History in 2005 and an MS in Adolescent Education in 2008 from the College of Staten Island. He has been teaching Core 100 since February 2012 and currently also works for the Office of Academic Support. 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.
-10:10am: “The Civil War, Causes of and Objectives of the Conflict,” presented by John Comfort
This lecture will discuss the causes of the war and Lincoln’s main objective. It will also provide a brief history of the most deadly conflict in U.S. history.
John Comfort earned his MA in History from the College of Staten Island in 2003 and has taught at CSI in the Core and American Studies programs since 2006.
-4:40pm and 6:30pm: “Civil War- The Causes of,” presented by Michael Matthews
This lecture will feature a discussion of the causes of the Civil War incorporating short clips of the Ken Burns’s series, The Civil War, and will include important aspects of the war: slavery, states’ rights, and westward expansion.
Michael Matthews earned both his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts degrees at Brooklyn College/CUNY. He also has a Master in Business Administration (Finance) from Fordham University.
