UPHEAVALS IN AMERICAN CULTURE – FALL 2024 VIDEOS
Lead Coordinator: Michael Wellner
Upheavals in American Culture is a contemporary issues course which examines, among other things, changes in news reporting and the media, 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.
NOTE: To view a video click on the link below its description. Once the video window comes up (in a new tab), click on the start button to begin.
UPHEAVALS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
The Upcoming Election
Presenter: Maureen Berman, Michael Wellner
Presentation Date: September 11, 2024
Whatever your political leanings may be, the upcoming election is sure to be one for the ages! We will start this class by taking a poll of everyone present asking for your prediction about the election outcome … and more!
Join us as we review all that’s taken place since we last met, and contemplate the next sixty days, and the possible outcomes of the election, and what they mean for the future of our country.
UPHEAVALS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
The Unintended Consequences of Healthcare Legislation: A physician’s perspective concerning the shift to value-based payment (Part 1 of 2)
Presenter: Connie DiMari, MD, MS
Presentation Date: September 25, 2024
An upheaval is now occurring in the way in which medical care is delivered and paid for in the US.
Our healthcare legislation’s “triple aim” is
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The goal is for all traditional Medicare beneficiaries to be in a value-based care (accountable care) relationship by 2030. But what does this really mean? Have these programs actually improved care or lowered costs? Why is there a shortage of primary care physicians? And why are some physicians and patients turning to concierge care?
UPHEAVALS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
Upheavals in the Workplace
Presenter: Debbie Honorof
Presentation Date: October 9, 2024
Because we live in a rapidly changing, hyper-connected, global economy, today’s workplace is very different than in previous decades. New technologies are being introduced in record time, the pandemic has forced employers to offer remote and hybrid work, artificial intelligence is moving into the workplace at a record pace. And new generations of workers are challenging employers to improve their work/life balance, increase corporate social responsibility, and provide more opportunities to learn new skills. Today’s presentation will focus on the current workplace, how we got here, and what the future holds. And we look for your input, too: please ask your family members and friends who are still working what changes and challenges they have seen in their own workplaces.
UPHEAVALS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
Election Polling
Presenter: Steve Allen
Presentation Date: October 23, 2024
Ever since October 2012, Steve Allen has presented a class just prior to the Presidential election on the science and impact of election polls. He’ll examine what we know about the possible outcomes of this election from current polling data and also discuss the following issues:
- What does the history of election polls tell us about the accuracy of forecasts?
- How could we improve public understanding of polling results and forecasts?
- How do election polls impact the decisions of politicians and of the public?
- Would the country be better off if we paid less attention to polling results?
UPHEAVALS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
Yesterday’s Election
Presenter: Maureen Berman, Terri Hicks, and Michael Wellner
Presentation Date: November 6, 2024
Assuming that not everyone stayed up all night last night to watch the election results, today’s class will review where we stand this Wednesday morning. Will we know who won the Presidency? And what about control of the House and Senate? And what does all this mean for the future of our country? Is the next Civil War a possibility? Join us for a review and update on one of the most important elections of our lifetime.
UPHEAVALS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
The Unintended Consequences of Healthcare Legislation: A physician’s perspective concerning the shift to value-based payment (Part 2)
Presenter: Connie DiMari, MD, MSsc
Presentation Date: November 20, 2024
An upheaval is occurring in how medical care is delivered in the US. Small independent practices are vanishing, burdened by rising administrative tasks, the costs of health information technology, and stagnant Medicare reimbursement. Hospitals, health systems, and corporations now employ 80% of physicians. The shift from fee-for-service to value-based payment models is under-appreciated among the factors that accelerated the corporatization of medical care.
UPHEAVALS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
Film as Philosophy in the Movies of Terrence Malick
Presenter: CWE/CCNY Professor Martin Woessner
Presentation Date: December 11, 2024
Terrence Malick is one of American cinema’s most celebrated filmmakers. His films — from Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978) to The Thin Red Line (1998), The Tree of Life (2011), and, most recently, A Hidden Life (2019) — have been heralded for their artistry and lauded for their beauty, but what really sets them apart is their ideas. Discussing his recently published book, Terrence Malick and the Examined Life (Penn Press, 2024), CWE historian Martin Woessner will survey Malick’s career, showing how a how a young philosophy student searching for personal meaning at Harvard and Oxford in the 1960s eventually became a famous director of Hollywood pictures. Using Malick as a case study, Woessner will explore the idea that philosophy is perhaps best understood not as an academic subject, overseen by experts, but rather a way of life, open to each and every moviegoer.