From the current national “America First” political theme to Russia’s involvement in U.S. affairs, the upcoming Great Decisions program opening April 3 offers a literal world of topics aimed at people 50 and older. But it’s open to others, too.
Area college professors and top-notch experts and instructors on various specialties lead the discussions of the local version of the nationwide, eight-week program running on Tuesdays evenings through May 22 at Mill Race Center in Columbus. For the discussion about South Africa on April 24, Indiana University Bloomington campus professor Sergio Fernandez has been a visiting lecturer at universities in Pretoria and Johannesburg, South Africa, for example.
The speakers, paid a stipend for their role, are booked through a Great Decisions partnership with IUPUC. George Towers, head of the school’s division of liberal arts and a professor of geography, selects the speakers with the help of colleague and sociology professor Nathan Rousseau.
“We really do get the cream of the crop (of experts),” said Shannon Thalls, program and development director at Mill Race Center, billed as the nonprofit agency for active adults. “I can’t say enough about our partnership.”
The Pitman Institute for Aging Well, a healthy aging resource housed at Mill Race Center, is the umbrella agency for the series.
About 65 people attended weekly classes last year, making it among Indiana’s largest Great Decisions programs, Thralls said. Maximum for this year’s classes is about 70 people, with about 20 slots remaining. Cost is $35 for Mill Race members and $45 for non-members, which is mostly for a briefing textbook participants can keep.
The books include short segments that participants read before each session.
Thalls said the popularity of the local version of the program, held at Mill Race for about five years, can be explained in a couple of ways.
“It goes back to Mill Race Center’s six dimensions of wellness (mission),” Thalls said. “And that involves people’s desire to embrace and enhance intellectual wellness and their desire to be lifelong learners. Plus, there has been so much discussion about how people can keep their brain sharp.”
Great Decisions students have proven themselves especially sharp with the class topics, Towers said. He mentioned that last year a visiting professor spoke briefly about U.S nuclear device testing in the 1950s, including work with something called the backpack, otherwise known as the MK-54 Special Atomic Demoliton Munition.
It turns out a class member worked on that project in the U.S. Western desert, and added personal details to the professor’s teaching.
“We get class members who really know their stuff,” Towers said. “These people once were leaders in their chosen profession. And the speakers always are very impressed with them.”
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Great Decisions sessions are conducted from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for eight straight Tuesdays at Mill Race Center in Columbus.
April 3: Global Health
Global measures of health status have improved, but terrible inequalities persist and the world faces a mix of old and new challenges. This means the next several decades will be just as important — if not more so — than the last in determining well-being across nations. Speaker: To be determined.
April 10: The Waning of Pax Americana
During the first months of Donald Trump’s presidency, the U.S. began a historic shift away from Pax Americana, the liberal international order for world peace that was established in the wake of World War II. Speaker: John McCormick, IUPUI professor of political science who has taught in London, Belgium and elsewhere.
April 17: Russia
Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia is projecting an autocratic model of governance abroad and working to destabilize liberal democracies. Russia caused an international uproar in 2016, when it is said to have interfered in the U.S. presidential contest. But Putin’s foreign policy toolkit includes other instruments, from alliances with autocrats to proxy wars with the U.S. in Georgia, Ukraine and Syria. Speaker: Douglas Woodwell, professor of history and political science at the University of Indianapolis.
April 24: South Africa
The African National Congress Party has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994. But the party today suffers from popular frustration with President Jacob Zuma, and it faces growing threats from both left and right opposition parties. Speaker: Sergio Fernandez, associate professor, school of public and environmental affairs, IU Bloomington.
May 1: U.S. Defense Budget
The United States is at a turning point when it comes to global engagement and the role of its military. Some argue for an “America First” paradigm, with a large military to match. Others envision a more traditional assertion of U.S. multilateral leadership. Speaker: David Bosco, IU Bloomington associate professor of international studies. His background includes an internship at NATO Military Headquarters in Mons, Belgium.
May 8: Media and Foreign Policy
State and non-state actors today must maneuver a complex and rapidly evolving media landscape. Conventional journalism now competes with user-generated content. Official channels of communication can be circumvented through social media. Foreign policy is tweeted from the White House and “fake news” has entered the zeitgeist. Speaker: Scott J. Shackleford, affiliated professor of law; associate professor of business law and ethics; cybersecurity program chair, IU Bloomington.
May 15: Turkey: A Partner in Crisis
An overwhelming majority of the Turkish population considers the United States to be their country’s greatest security threat. In the context of a worsening “clash of civilizations,” even more important than Turkey’s geostrategic position is what it represents as the most institutionally westernized Muslim country in the world. Speaker: Turkish native Tijen Demirel-Pegg, assistant professor of political science, IUPUI.
May 22: China: economic power and geopolitics
What are China’s geopolitical objectives? What do its actions today mean for the international balance of power, and how should the United States respond? Speaker: Douglas Woodwell, professor of history and political science, University of Indianapolis.
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Classes and registration is at Mill Race Center, 900 Lindsey St., Columbus. Phone 812-376-9241
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