NGCSU lectures to focus on global topics

DAHLONEGA - From U.S.-China relations to Global Crime, a six-week series of public lectures are planned starting Monday in Gainesville and Cumming.

The Great Decisions Forum 2010 is sponsored by North Georgia College and State University (NGCSU). Great Decisions is an annual discussion program produced by the Foreign Policy Association and this year it will be led by six North Georgia professors.

Admission to the series is free and no registration is required.

NGCSU officials say the series will take participants "beyond the headlines to explore timely global issues impacting our economy and world politics, facilitated by the university's experts in economics, foreign policy, criminal justice and other topics."

Great Decisions, entering its 56th year, is a discussion program produced by the Foreign Policy Association and has been adopted as a national flagship education program by the World Affairs Councils of America.

In Gainesville, the series will be held on Mondays at the Gainesville Civic Center. The series will be held on Wednesdays in Cumming at the new Hampton Park Library, located at 5345 Settingdown Road.

Each session will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and will begin with a presentation by the faculty member representing that night's topic, followed by a question-and-answer period. Briefing books providing in-depth articles about each of the topics may be ordered online, but are not required for participation.

The series begins with "U.S.-China Security Relations," led by Dr. Chris Jespersen and set for March 15 in Gainesville and March 17 in Cumming. In addition to serving as the dean of the university's School of Arts and Letters, Dr. Jespersen also teaches history at the school. He is the author of "American Images of China, 1931-1949" and has been a fellow at the East-West Center in Hawaii, established by Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding between the United States and Asian countries.

Other discussions in the series include: "Global Financial Crisis," led by economics professor Dr. Joel Potter; "Russia and Its Neighbors," led by assistant criminal justice professor Dr. Anna Rulska; "The Persian Gulf," led by assistant professor of political science Dr. Jonathan Miner; "Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution," led by assistant professor of political science Dr. Craig Greathouse; and "Global Crime," led by professor of criminal justice Dr. Brent Paterline.

For more information about the Great Decisions series or to order a briefing book, go to www.greatdecisions.org. For more information about the participating faculty members, go to the School of Arts and Letters Web site http://www.northgeorgia.edu/ArtsLetters/.