A popular discussion series at Monmouth College is turning 40.
When it holds the first of its eight spring semester sessions on Jan. 29, the Great Decisions program will mark four decades on campus.
Since
1981, Great Decisions has operated at Monmouth as a forum where the
public and the academic community can meet in a congenial setting and
freely discuss world affairs. All eight Great Decisions programs this
semester are free and open to the public. They will be held at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesdays in the Moot Board Room, concluding on March 25 with a
session on artificial intelligence.
“One of the best
aspects of these programs is that we always have a diverse audience,
including members of the broader Monmouth community,
as well as the students, staff and faculty of the College,” said
Monmouth political science professor Mike Nelson, who
will lead the third session on Feb. 12. “This year, we will include
faculty speakers with a wide range of backgrounds, including
anthropology, biology, communication studies, computer science, history,
Latin American studies and political science.”
Biology is up first, as veteran professor Ken Cramer will lead the Jan. 29 discussion titled “Climate Change and the Global Order.”
Other
topics that will be discussed in the first few weeks of the series are
India and Pakistan, Red Sea security and human trafficking. The United
States’ relationships with the Northern Triangle and the Philippines are
also on the agenda, as well
as China’s dealings in Latin America.
Called “America’s
largest discussion program on world affairs,” Great Decisions is a
nationwide program sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association, a
non-partisan, non-governmental association that works to increase
Americans’ understanding of foreign policy issues.
A companion guide, Great Decisions 2020, can be ordered online at fpa.org.
It includes eight chapters, each of which takes about a half-hour to
read. The readings are also available on reserve at the College’s Hewes
Library.
