Staff Reports
Mill Race Center and The Pitman Institute in partnership with IUPUC will once again host Great Decisions at Mill Race Center beginning Thursday and continuing through April 23. The Mill Race Center program has been the largest Great Decisions program in the state for the last several years.
Great Decisions is an eight-week program running from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursdays. (There is no class the week of Spring Break March 19).
Registration is required and can be done by calling Mill Race Center at 812-376-9241 or stopping in at Mill Race Center at 900 Lindsey St. in Columbus. The participation fee is $35 for Mill Race Center members and $45 for non-members. Registration will remain open until the class has reached its maximum number of participants.
Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs and developed by the Foreign Policy Association. Published annually, the Great Decisions Briefing Book highlights eight of the most thought-provoking foreign policy challenges facing Americans. Participants will receive a Great Decisions Briefing Book and have weekly readings to prepare for the lecture and discussion on each of the eight topics.
Here is a schedule overview:
Week 1: Thursday, “Climate Change and the Global Order”
What is the rest of the world doing to combat climate change? What impact will the effects of climate change have on global geopolitics? Speaker: Luke M. Jacobus, associate professor of biology, IUPUC
Week 2: March 5, “Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking”
What is the international community doing to combat slavery and trafficking? What are the experiences like for those being trafficked?
Speakers: Lesley Bradley, Office for Women, IUPUC, and Danielle White, director of outreach and comprehensive advocacy, Turning Point Domestic Violence Services
Week 3: March 12, “Red Sea Security”
How important is Red Sea security for global security? Can the region be a place of global cooperation?
Speaker: Douglas Woodwell, professor of history and political science, University of Indianapolis
Week 4: March 26, “The Philippines and the U.S.”
What does the future hold for U.S, relations with the Philippines?
Speaker: Frank Wadsworth, head, Division of Business, and professor of marketing and international studies, IUPUC.
Week 5: April 2, “Artificial Intelligence and Data”
The European Union,, Brazil, and other Western countries have adopted regulations that grant users greater control over their data and require that firms using AI be transparent about how they use it. Will the U.S. follow suit?
Speakers: Rachel Dockery, acting executive director of the Indiana University Cybersecurity Clinic, and Scott J. Shackelford, affiliated professor of law; associate professor of business law and ethics; cybersecurity program chair, IU Bloomington
Week 6: April 9, “U.S. Relations with the Northern Triangle”
With funds from the U.S. cut, how can the Northern Triangle countries curtail migration?
Moderator: Matt Souza, special assistant to the vice chancellor and dean, IUPUC
Week 7: April 16, “China’s Road into Latin America”
As the Trump administration continues to withdraw from the world stage, China is looking to fill the void. How does Latin America fit into China’s “One Belt, One Road” plan?
Speaker: Michael D. Snodgrass, director, global and international studies program; and associate professor of Latin American history, IUPUI
Week 8: April 23, “India and Pakistan”
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi rode a wave of Hindu nationalism to a historic reelection in 2019. His first order of business was to revoke the special status granted to the Kashmir region, inflaming the rivalry between India and Pakistan. How will the situation in the Kashmir region affect the rivalry between India and Pakistan?
Speaker: Milind Thakar, professor of international relations, University of Indianapolis
