Free lecture series: Great Decisions

Great Decisions is a national program of the Foreign Policy Association. It’s a non-partisan citizen education effort that includes a free public lecture series.

In North Carolina, the Office of International Programs at UNC Charlotte is the state coordinator.

The eight topics for 2022 are:

Changing Demographics
Outer Space
Climate Change
Russia and the U.S.
Myanmar and ASEAN
The Quad Alliance
Drug Policy in Latin America
Industrial Policy
Biden’s Agenda

The Office of International Programs at UNC Charlotte coordinates a local community lecture series annually. The Charlotte Great Decisions Lecture Series consists of five weekly sessions and is an opportunity for citizens to meet, discuss and learn about some of the issues facing our world.

Each week a local expert from nearby colleges and universities provides additional perspective on the topic of interest and answers questions regarding the information presented in the Briefing Book and through the lecture. A registration form is available here.

If you have questions, please email globaleducation@uncc.edu.

The 2022 lectures will be virtual and will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays from January 26th to February 23rd, 2022. Please register so that you’ll receive the Zoom link.

Wednesday, January 26th, 2022, “Drug Policy in Latin America” 
Greg Weeks, Ph.D., Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, UNC Charlotte
(Co-sponsored by the Young Professionals@International House)
U.S. drug policy in Latin America has not been very successful in stemming the flow of drugs into the United States. It has also generated resentment in Latin America, which sees the problem as one stemming mostly from U.S. demand. No matter what measures are used, supply rises to meet demand. There are no simple answers to this problem, and it’s hard to be optimistic, but Latin American countries have pushed back in various ways.

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, “Climate Change”
Mark Kelso, Ph.D., Professor, Political Science and Sociology Department, Queens University
(Co-sponsored by the Young Professionals of the World Affairs Council of Charlotte)
Climate change has been a political issue in the United States and around the world for decades. Today, we are at an inflection point, which will determine whether significant action will be taken against this problem. Political decisions, both in the US and globally, will determine our course. In this presentation, the key factors that influence the politics of climate change will be identified and discussed, and possible solutions (to climate change, as well as its politics) will be evaluated.

Wednesday, February 9th, 2022, “Changing Demographics”
Michael Ewers, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, UNC Charlotte
(Co-sponsored by Charlotte Country Day School)

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, “Russia and the U.S.”
Steve Sabol, Ph.D., Professor, Department of History, UNC Charlotte
(Co-sponsored by Charlotte Sister Cities)

Wednesday, February 23, 2022, “Industrial Policy and the Military/Industrial Complex”
Mark Wilson, Ph.D., Professor, Department of History, UNC Charlotte
(Co-sponsored by the International House)
As we observe pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, along with the rising economic and military power of China, there is new interest in the subject of industrial policy. Our current discussions may be illuminated by a review of the long-run history of US industrial policy, over the last two centuries. As we undertake that review, it is rewarding to pay special attention to the history of the US defense sector. By thinking more deeply about the record of the military-industrial complex, as well as the broader long-run history of US industrial policy, we can have a better-informed discussion of policy options for the 2020s and beyond.