Great Decisions

https://www.fpa.org/great_decisions/

AAUW North Hills Pittsburgh, proud sponsor of the  Great Decisions program for over forty years, is pleased to share details of the 2023 season. 

Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. We hope you will consider joining us for one, two, or all eight sessions!

Register for APRIL 1ST Great Decisions

 The topic for our eighth session of Great Decisions is “Climate Migration”, and is scheduled for Saturday, April 1st, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. (In person or virtual-link below)

“As climate change accelerates and drought and rising sea levels become more common, millions of people in affected regions must uproot themselves and seek safety elsewhere. Who are these affected individuals, and how might the United States aid them, and be affected by the migration?”   Article by Karen Jacobsen 

2.       Our speaker for this topic will be Professor Paul LeBlanc from LaRoche University.

Paul  Le Blanc is a Professor Emeritus of History at  La Roche University.  Among his publications are A Short History of the U.S. Working Class and A Freedom Budget for All Americans (co-authored with economist Michael Yates).  Recently he has been active with Pittsburghers for Public Transit, the Pittsburgh Green New Deal, and the Protect Our Parks Coalition.

  • Our Great Decisions sessions will once again graciously be hosted by LaRoche University. You can attend the session in person, or virtually by registering on the website Zoom link below. The sessions will begin at 9:30 am and end by 11:00 am. 
  • Register in advance for meetings via zoom
  • https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUodeCsrzgjGdJ1NMfVUCVnYCWjBrp3znAC
  • This educational outreach program is free to our community, but we will gladly accept donations to contribute to the cost of honorariums for speakers as well as technical assistance.
  • Participants in the Great Decisions program are not required to purchase a briefing book, but we will have one remaining book for sale on Saturday for a cost of $30.00. 

Great Decision’s new programming for 2023!

We are pleased to announce that the North Hills Pittsburgh Branch of American Association of University Women (“AAUW”) will once again be sponsoring its “Great Decisions” program. As you may know, Great Decisions is a non-partisan program developed by the Foreign Policy Association in 1954 that has become America’s largest discussion program. The program model involves reading, meeting to watch a documentary, and discussing the most critical issues facing America today.  Our program will once again include a speaker each week who will share additional information on the topic of the week.

Our North Hills Pittsburgh Branch of AAUW is so pleased to once again be sponsoring the Great Decisions discussion program in 2023! We are so hoping that you will be able to join us, and here are the answers to the top five questions you may have at this time.

  1. What is Great Decisions?

This non-partisan program developed by the Foreign Policy Association in 1954 has become America’s largest discussion program, and our branch has been sponsoring this valuable program for over forty years! Great Decisions offers the opportunity to take a closer look at the most critical issues facing our country through a group experience of viewing a documentary, reading an article, (Optional) listening to a speaker, and engaging in a discussion focused on the information shared by both the Foreign Policy Association and the speaker. Our sessions also offer the opportunity to ask questions that our speakers answer to the best of their ability, which raises our level of understanding.

  • When will this program take place?

Our Great Decisions program takes place in February and March, and the dates for our 2023 season are as follows:

  •  “Energy Geopolitics”, Saturday, February 4th from 9:30-11:00 am
  • “War Crimes”, Saturday, February 11th from 9:30-11:00 am
  • “China and the U.S.”, Saturday, February 18th from 9:30-11:00 am
  • “Economic Warfare”, Saturday, February 25th from 9:30-11:00 am
  • “Politics in Latin America”, Saturday, March 4th from 9:30-11:00 am
  • “Global Famine”, Saturday, March 18th from 9:30-11:00 am
  • “Iran at a Crossroads”, Saturday, March 25th from 9:30-11:00 am
  • “Climate Migration”, Saturday, April 1st from 9:30-11:00 am
  • Where will this program take place?

Our Great Decisions programs will take place both in-person at LA Roche University, Room 101 in the Palumbo Science Center or on Zoom. Our website will be updated every week with the information to access the Zoom link for the upcoming session. Covid threw us many curve balls, but one of the better things it left in its wake was the ability, and value, of connecting through Zoom! We are offering our speakers the option of joining us on Zoom as well.

  • What is the cost of attending this amazing program?

Once again, our North Hills Pittsburgh Branch is pleased and proud to be offering this valuable educational outreach program to the community for no cost to the attendees. We will, however, be most appreciative of donations to the cause. We will have a donation box available at all of the Great Decisions sessions.

  • Wondering about the availability of books for the 2023 season of Great Decisions?

     If you wish to purchase a book for the 2023 season, (optional) they will once again be available to purchase at the LA Roche University Library beginning the week of January 23rd, 2023.

     Please check the AAUW North Hills Pittsburgh website for additional or updated information.

We look forward to having you join us, in person or via Zoom, for Great Decisions 2023!

Great Decisions team – Francie Cech, Fran Bogos, Sister Rita Yeasted, and Judy Daw

Past Great Decision programs

February 4th from 9:30-11:00 am
“Energy Geopolitics”, Saturday,

Speaker: Dr. Natalie Koch

Natalie Koch is currently Professor of Human Geography at Heidelberg University in Germany. She has a PhD and MA in Geography from the University of Colorado, Boulder (2012), and a BA in Geography and Russian Area Studies from Dartmouth College (2006). She is a political geographer who works on geopolitics, authoritarianism, identity politics, resource nationalism, and state power in hydrocarbon-rich countries, primarily in the Arabian Peninsula.

Professor Koch has published extensively in journals such as Political Geography, Energy Research & Social Science, Environmental Politics, Society & Natural Resources, and Geopolitics, and she is editor of three books, including most recently Spatializing Authoritarianism (Syracuse University Press, 2022). Her first monograph, The geopolitics of spectacle: Space, synecdoche, and the new capitals of Asia (Cornell University Press, 2018) is now followed by a second book just released in January 2023, Arid Empire: The Entangled Fates of Arizona and Arabia (Verso, 2023).

When: Feb 4, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

The topic for our second session of Great Decisions is “War Crimes” and is scheduled for Saturday, February 11, 2023. Our speaker for this topic will be William Crowley from LaRoche University. (Mr. Crowley’s Curriculum Vitae is provided below.)

The sessions will begin at 9:30 am and end by 11:00 am

When: Feb 11, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) 

What is a war crime? How does this definition apply to recent events in Ukraine?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in widespread charges of war crimes and calls for justice. But what exactly are war crimes? Opinions of what constitutes a war crime have evolved, as have ways to identify and punish the perpetrators. How will the war crimes committed in Ukraine be dealt with? By Francine Hirsch

-Our Great Decisions sessions will once again graciously be hosted by LaRoche University. You can attend the session in person, or virtually by registering on the website Zoom link above. The sessions will begin at 9:30 am and end by 11:00 am. 

-Participants in the Great Decisions program are not required to purchase a briefing book, but we will have a few books for sale on Saturday for a cost of $30.00. 

       (Checks only accepted, made out to AAUW North Hills Pittsburgh)

-This educational outreach program is free to our community, but we will gladly accept donations to contribute to the cost of honorariums for speakers as well as technical assistance.

Curriculum Vitae for William Crowley, our speaker on “War Crimes”:

Assistant Professor at La Roche University, 2017-present; Department Chair of the Justice, Law and Security Department, 2019-present; Taught eight different courses offered by the Department as well as a Core offering. Created and led a study abroad class to Germany in May, 2019; Faculty Advisor to the Criminal Justice Club since starting at the school. Awarded the Brother Nugent Award for teaching excellence in May, 2019.

Prior to teaching at La Roche, I was a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for over 27 years. I specialized in criminal and national security investigations, tactical operations, media relations and human source development. Certified instructor and licensed attorney and FBI Pittsburgh Division Associate Division Counsel from 1997 until my retirement in 2017, with a focus on criminal law and procedure.

MAJOR ACADEMIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Fall 2017-present – Prepared and taught nine different courses ranging from the program’s introductory course to the Senior Capstone.

Fall 2017-present – Faculty advisor to the Criminal Justice Club since starting at the University. Worked with club members to provide speakers for the community including three FBI agents, a former student recently graduated from law school and a former student recently hired by the FBI office in Pittsburgh. The Club also sponsored a trip to Washington D.C. and numerous murder mystery dinners. 

Fall 2018 – Conceived, created, recruited and led a group of students on a study abroad trip to Germany in May, 2019. 

Fall 2018-Fall 2021 – Served on the Honors Presentations Committee of four Honor students at their request.

Fall 2018-present – Faculty representative on the Academic Affairs and Enrollment Committee of the Board of Trustees. Attended meetings with the Board of Directors and reported back to the Faculty Senate decisions made and policies adopted by the Board.

Spring 2019 – Received the Brother Nugent Award for teaching excellence.

Fall 2019 – Named Department Chair. Redesigned the curriculum of the Criminal Justice

The topic for our third session of Great Decisions is “China and the U.S.”,  and is scheduled for Saturday, February 18th, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.

  • How will the United States respond to China’s growing global presence?

For the past ten years, the United States and China have been locked in a competition for global influence. One major point of contention is the status of Taiwanese sovereignty, which has become even more relevant recently with the possibility that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may prompt China to take similar action regarding Taiwan. How will the United States engage a China which is increasingly seeking to expand its sphere of influence? By David Lampton

  • Our speaker for this topic will be Dr. Soren Fanning from Robert Morris University.

Dr. Soren Fanning is an Associate Professor of World History at Robert Morris University, where he specializes in issues of national identity formation, comparative history, and methods of imperial governance.  Before moving to Pittsburgh in 2010, Dr. Fanning was a high school teacher of both history and world cultures in Chicago, Illinois, and Toledo, Ohio.  He earned his B.A. and M.Ed. from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his Ph.D. in history from Bowling Green State University.  He has spent 22 years teaching at both the secondary and collegiate levels.  Dr. Fanning has published articles on comparative North American history and the role of law enforcement in colonial settlement, and was awarded the RMU Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching in 2017.

  • Our Great Decisions sessions will once again graciously be hosted by LaRoche University. You can attend the session in person, or virtually by registering on the website Zoom link below. The sessions will begin at 9:30 am and end by 11:00 am. 
  • Participants in the Great Decisions program are not required to purchase a briefing book, but we have the two remaining books for sale on Saturday for a cost of $30.00. 

       (Checks only accepted, made out to AAUW North Hills Pittsburgh)

  • This educational outreach program is free to our community, but we will gladly accept donations to contribute to the cost of honorariums for speakers as well as technical assistance.

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.

When: Feb 18, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

What comprises economic warfare? How have these measures been used recently against Russia?

Waging economic warfare consists of a variety of measures from implementing sanctions to fomenting labor strikes. Such tools are utilized by states to hinder their enemies, and in the case of the United States have been used as far back as the early 19th century. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, economic warfare has been the main means for the west to challenge Russia. How effective will these sanctions be at convincing Russia to cease its war? By Jonathan Chanis

  • Our speaker on the topic “Economic Warfare” is Daniel Hansen, Ph. D. from Carnegie Mellon University

Daniel Hansen is a postdoctoral fellow in the Institute for Politics and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon University. He served in the US Marine Corps Reserves from 2005 to 2012. He earned his B.S. in Political Science from Arizona State University with a focus on international and Arabic studies. He earned his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 2018. From 2015 to 2017 Dr. Hansen also served as the lead editorial assistant for the publication “International Interactions”.

  • The topic for our fourth session of Great Decisions is “Politics in Latin America”, and is scheduled for Saturday, March 4th, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. (In person or virtual-link below)
    • Electoral results in Latin America over the last four years have led many observers of the regional/political scene to discern a left-wing surge in the hemisphere, reminiscent of the so-called “Pink Tide” that swept the area some 20 years ago. But how much do these politicians actually have in common? What implication does their ascendency have for the region?
  • Our speaker for this topic will be Tania Ramirez Farias from the University of Pittsburgh. Tania is broadly interested in social movements’ outcomes and, in particular, in the influence of contentious politics in environmental justice and in the making of policies for climate change mitigation and adaptation and conservation initiatives in multiple political contexts in Latin America. Before coming to Pittsburgh, she had been undertaking research on protest and lack of protest around natural resource extraction and- more specifically- around large-scale mining in the Andean region of Peru. She has experience teaching methodology for social research, environmental sociology and fieldwork.  
  • Curriculum Vitae:

https://www.sociology.pitt.edu/people/ant-26

The topic for our seventh session of Great Decisions is “Iran at a Crossroads”, and is scheduled for Saturday, March 25th, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. (In person or virtual-link below)

(Exploring the foreign policy concern – “Many Iranians have lost hope of a better future, and the country seems at a crossroads. How should the United States deal with it?”)

Our speaker for this topic will be Professor Ross Harrison from the University of Pittsburgh.

Ross Harrison’s Bio

Ross Harrison is a Senior Fellow and Director of Research at the Middle East Institute. He is also on the faculty in the Political Science department at the University of Pittsburgh, where he teaches Middle East politics and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East. For over 15 years, Harrison was on the faculty of the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. 

Harrison authored Strategic Thinking in 3D: A Guide for National Security, Foreign Policy and Business Professionals, which has been a required strategy text at the U.S. National War College, as well as at many civilian universities. He co-edited with Paul Salem a 2017 book, From Chaos to Cooperation: Toward Regional Order in the Middle East and in 2022 Salem and Harrison released the 2nd edition of Escaping the Conflict Trap: Toward Ending Civil Wars in the Middle East.  Harrison is currently under contract to write a book on Iran’s foreign policy. Harrison has been widely published in policy related journals such as The National Interest, Al Monitor, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Orient, Al-Jazeera, Orient, and Parameters, and his work has been cited in The New York Times.