The Columbus community and students interested in political science are invited to register for the “Great Decisions Series” hosted by the Academy of Lifelong Learning at Pitman Institute, Mill Race Center, and Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC). The program is an eight-week series, held at Mill Race Center that explores global affairs and foreign policies.

The Great Decisions Series encourages and enhances citizen awareness and prompts group discussion on current foreign policy issues. Headquartered in New York City, the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) was developed by private and non-partisan members interested in developing an educational program on world affairs. To date, the FPA is the oldest and largest educational program on global issues. The organization has established groups in 880 cities throughout the country, totaling approximately 350,000 contributors.

The primary purpose of the Great Decisions Series is to inform citizens on current issues as related to American foreign policy. The educational information empowers citizens with the factual knowledge while providing an ability to make informed decisions on the affairs covered during sessions, and to participate in the foreign-policy process.

Dr. Ryan Neville­Shepard, assistant professor of communication studies at IUPUC, says “the program promotes citizen awareness and discussion about timely foreign policy issues.”

Each year, a knowledgeable panel of experts are recruited to discuss each topic. In-depth articles on each subject are written by experts from across the world and compiled into a 100 page softbound Great Decisions Briefing Book. Before the series, the book is made available to participants for purchase. The eight topics for this year includes:

• Middle East Alliances
• The Rise of ISIS
• The Future of Kurdistan
• Migration
• The Koreas
• The United Nations
• Climate Change
• Cuba and the U.S.

For a brief description of each topic, see: http://www.fpa.org/news/index.cfm?act=show_announcement&announcement_id=393

Great Decisions Series 2016--Tentative Schedule

The cost for the series, including the book, for members of the Mill Race Center, is $25. The cost for non-members is $35. The series is free to IUPUC students, faculty, and staff.

For information, visit www.iupuc.edu or contact Professor Ryan Neville-­Shepard at (812) 348-7235 or nevshep@iupuc.edu.

The Mill Race Center is located in Mill Race Park at 900 Lindsey Street in Columbus.