COURSES – FALL 2025 / Contemporary Issues / AMERICAN UPHEAVALS
Coordinators: Michael Wellner, Terri Hicks
Each week’s class will focus on one (or more) different important social and political issues, including the all-important 2024 election, that have a major impact on the state of our country, and its future.
Discussion topics will include the US Constitution, the Supreme Court, changes in news reporting and the media in general, the impact of mobile phones on our children, social and income inequality, our immigration problem, free speech rights, the “woke” culture, our international relations, and, of course, politics.
B WEEK / WEDNESDAY / 10:30 AM-NOON / ROOM 15-17 / RECORDED
| Upheaval in American Values | ||
| Date | Presenter | Title |
| Sep 10 | Irene Winkler, Howard Salik, Ann O’Shea, Marian Friedmann, Laura Lopez | Upcoming NYC Mayoral Election |
| Sep 24 | Michael Wellner | Effects of Cell Phones on Children. Based on the book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt |
| Oct 08 | Emily Mines | Crime: Perceptions, Trends, Realities, and Current Events |
| Oct 22 | Andrew Bata | NYC Transit — One of the joys of living in NYC is the ability to get around easily, quickly, and inexpensively (at least for us seniors). Today we’ll learn a bit about the system’s history, the current state of affairs, and plans for the future. |
| Nov 05 | Guest Speaker: Ned Parker | Recent Violence Against the Judiciary |
| Nov 19 | Hedy Shulman | Are We Losing Our Democracy? |
| Dec 10 | Sandra Abramson | Corruption in Our Federal Government, and Campaign Finance Reform |
Other Classes: