The 2021 Great Decisions discussion series, which began in February, continues through the end of March. Produced by the Foreign Policy Association of America, Great Decisions is the country’s largest discussion program on world affairs.
Your World Affairs Council of the Monterey Bay Area is offering two discussion groups that use FPA’s materials to guide this eight-week-long program. One group is moderated by Judith Glickman and Boyd Haight. The other group is moderated by John Hetz, and is offered in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at CSUMB.
Both groups meet online on Monday evenings from 4:00 – 5:30 pm. Both groups follow the same schedule, which is printed below.
- February 1 – Global Supply Chains and National Security
- February 8 – Persian Gulf Security Issues
- February 15 – No Class for Presidents’ Day
- February 22 – Brexit and the European Union
- March 1 – Struggles Over the Melting Arctic
- March 8 – China’s Role in Africa
- March 15 – The Korean Peninsula
- March 22 – Roles of International Organizations in a Global Pandemic
- March 29 – The End of Globalization?
Schedule is also shown in the WACMB Calendar block nearby. To add a reminder to your personal calendar, click the desired session to expand it and click "copy to my calendar" at the bottom of the listing.
The Foreign Policy Association produces a Briefing Booklet to be used with Great Decisions. The Booklet costs $32 plus shipping, and is highly recommended for those in the program. To order, either call the Foreign Policy Association at 1(800) 477-5836 or go to their website at https://www.fpa.org/great_decisions/?act=gd_materials. Briefing Booklets are no longer available for purchase locally; they must be ordered from the Foreign Policy Association.
After the conclusion of Great Decisions, WACMB will resume its regular discussion group schedule. Like the Great Decisions groups, there will be two of these regular discussion groups: one offered entirely through WACMB, and one offered in partnership with the OLLI program at CSUMB. If you are interested in attending a discussion group, please send an email to info@wacmb.org to indicate your interest.
WACMB Great Decisions Group
This group will be moderated by Judith Glickman and Boyd Haight. Please register in advance by sending an email to WACMB at our new email address: info@wacmb.org. Once registered, you will be sent Zoom links for each session of the discussion group, and information about how to view the video documentaries that provide additional context for the discussions. Participants should plan to view the videos on their own prior to the meetings.
WACMB/OLLI Great Decisions Group
This group will be moderated by John Hetz. Please register in advance online at https://olli.csumb.edu/courses/. Registration opens on January 21 at 10:00 am. Once registered, you will be sent Zoom links for each session and information about how to access the video documentaries, which you will view on your own prior to the meetings.