Life Long Learning At Brown
January 2008 Study Group Schedule
Study Groups begin Monday, January 7, 2008 and meet for six sessions
Brown University is closed Monday, January 21, 2008 for Martin Luther King’s Birthday
Location: Some Study Groups will be held in Conference room 416 Graduate Center E at Brown University, which is located at the corner of Thayer and Charlesfield Streets on Providence’s East Side. If you enter from Thayer Street please use the entrance closest to Power Street and take the elevator to the 4th floor.
Other Study Groups are held at Laurelmead (on Blackstone Blv’d) so please check the location of the section for which you are registering.
There is ample on-street parking near the classrooms at Brown. Power, John, and William Streets have all day parking after 10 a.m. Other streets have 2 or 3-hour limits.
Questions? Phone: (401) 863-7900
Great Decisions
World events impact us, and as an engaged citizen of the world, you are invited to join our peer-led Study Groups that focus on the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions program.
Great Decisions (GD) is intended to promote citizen awareness and facilitate discussion about timely foreign policy issues. Run by the Foreign Policy Association in New York, the purpose of Great Decisions program is to educate citizens about issues of vital importance to American foreign policy and to provide them with the information to make informed decisions about the topics covered, thus enabling them to effectively participate in the foreign-policy process.
The objective of each Study Group is to develop a deeper understanding of a current event by engaging in a vigorous, organized discussion of a topic introduced by the Great Decisions book. Each Study Group is led by an enrolled student or team of students. These Study Group leaders typically set the stage by presenting background on the topics lasting no more than 20 minutes and then leading an organized discussion—innovation of method to set this stage is encouraged. The Great Decisions Coordinator, also one of the students, usually leads off the first class to provide an example. All students are expected to read the required material from the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) booklet (provided as part of the Study Group) prior to class, to participate in the discussions to enhance everyone’s learning and to lead a Study Group or participate on a team that leads a Study Group.
Study Groups meet weekly for 6 sessions beginning the week of January 7 through the week of February 11th 2008 from 10:15AM to 12:15PM:
Section 1:
Coordinator: Dick Philbrick (class limit 22)
Date and Time: Monday — Laurelmead (on Blackstone Blv’d) 10:15AM to 12:15PM
January 7, 14, 21, 28, February 4, 11
Study Group Code: WSG1-S1
Section 2:
Coordinator: Frankie Raben (class limit 22)
Date and Time: Tuesday — 4th Floor Conference room, Grad Center (Thayer & Charlesfield)
10:15AM to 12:15PM
January 8, 15, 22, 29, February 5, 12
Study Group Code: WSG1-S2
Section 3:
Coordinator: Ed Nicholson (class limit 22)
Date and Time: Wednesday — 4th Floor Conference room, Grad Center (Thayer & Charlesfield) 10:15AM to 12:15PM
January 9, 16, 23, 30, February 6, 13
Study Group Code: WSG1-S3
Each Great Decisions Study Group will decide how to schedule assignments over that period.
$25 Registration includes the $18 FPA-supplied program booklet.
Dick Philbrick is the Program Director—any questions, call him at (401) 245-7152.
Great Decisions 2008 Topics:
Iraq end-game
What will be the end-game for the U.S. in Iraq? How will U.S. decisions about continued engagement affect Iraq itself and the Middle East?
European Union at 50
Is it time to take stock of the great experiment in European integration? Has the integration of new members been successful? What does the debate on Turkey's membership say about the future of EU integration and its changing demographics?
Talking to our enemies
How the U.S. deals with international challenges often depends on how it engages with allies, as well as enemies. How should the U.S. deal with countries like Cuba, North Korea, and Iran? What approach should the U.S. take with groups like Hamas and Hezbollah?
Russia
Vladimir Putin has attempted to remake Russia into a major, independent world power. Some of his recent policies have provoked concern in the U.S. and Europe. With a 2008 Russian presidential election expected, what course will Russia take?
U.S. defense & security policy
The U.S. military is adopting new policies and methods for defending the U.S. and its interests abroad. What should U.S. priorities be? How should its forces be structured and deployed to meet new security challenges?
Latin America: shift to the left?
What factors have prevented the U.S. and Latin American countries from forging a strong relationship? What challenges confront U.S. policy in Latin America? Can the U.S. offer an alternative to the influence of left-leaning leaders like Venezuela's Hugo Chavez?
U.S.-China trade policy
Recent product safety scares have thrown the spotlight on the enormous role China plays in supplying products to the U.S. Could the large and growing trade imbalance with China have an adverse effect on the U.S. economy? What role does the undervalued Chinese currency play?
Private philanthropy
Billionaire Warren Buffet's June 2007 pledge to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation prompted headlines about the size of the gift and the impact it could have on global education and health initiatives. Can private donors be more effective than governments in tackling world problems?
From Short Story to Film
Love short stories? Love film? Intrigued with the translation from short story to film?
What is gained? What gets lost? What is transformed and how does it happen?
During the 6 week Study Group, we will:
- read a short story in preparation for each class
- see a 50 minute film version of the story in class, and
- discuss the transformation from story to film.
In the process, we will develop:
- a vivid sense of the uniqueness of each genre, and
- an appreciation for the artistry involved in making each one effective.
There will be two sections of this seminar—one section meets on Tuesdays and the other meets on Wednesdays.
Book for the Seminar: The American Short Story Vol. 1 & 2, ed. by Calvin Skaggs, ISBN No. 0-440-30294, Published by Dell (Random House division).
Dates: From the week starting Jan 7th through the week ending Feb. 15th
Times: 1:15PM – 3:15PM
Section 1:
Coordinators: Barbara Ruttenberg and Nancy Dubler (class limit 22)
Date and Time: Tuesday — Laurelmead (on Blackstone Blv’d) 1:15AM to 3:15PM
January 15, 22, 29, February 5, 12 ,19
Study Group Code: WSG2-S1
Section 2:
Coordinators: Thomas Wilson and Bill Kulik (class limit 22)
Date and Time:Wednesday— 4th Floor Conference room, Grad Center (Thayer & Charlesfield)
1:15PM to 3:15PM
January 9, 16, 23, 30, February 6, 13
Study Group Code: WSG2-S2
$25 Registration
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