Russia-Ukraine war is central theme for College of Wooster's Great Decisions series this year
WOOSTER − Great Decisions of Wayne County will return to The College of Wooster campus with three speakers and two film showings centering on “Russia’s War Against Ukraine: Causes and Consequences.”
The lectures will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Gault Recital Hall in Scheide Music Center. Admission is free and open to the public.
The first program is Thursday, featuring retired Lt. General of U.S. Army and former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe Mark Hertling presenting on “Russia’s Illegal War in Ukraine: The Changing Campaign.”
Hertling had a 37-year in the Army that included commanding every organization from platoon to field army. He commanded the 1st Armored Division in Iraq during the troop surge of 2007-2008 before becoming the commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and the Seventh Army.
More:Grammy Award winning guitarist Jason Vieaux to perform at Wayne Center
Hertling is now a senior adviser to Mission Readiness, a nonprofit, bipartisan organization of retired military leaders who call for smart investments for America’s youth, and an advisory member to Operation Gratitude, a California-based organization that supports service members, first responders and health care providers. He is a national security and military analyst for CNN.
The second lecture will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21, with Michael Bociurkiw presenting “On the Ground in Ukraine: Reflections from a Year of War Reporting.” Bociurkiw is a global affairs analyst, speaker and journalist. With over two decades of experience, Bociurkiw has been a frequent commentator on BBC World Television, BBC World Service Radio, CNN, Bloomberg TV, CTV, CBC and Al Jazeera.
The Great Decisions series will feature two showings of the documentary film "When Spring Came to Bucha," which is set in the aftermath of Russian occupation in the small Ukranian town of Bucha. The film will be shown at Gault Recital Hall Fridays, Feb. 24 and March 3.
The film follows the stories of those left to pick up the pieces of their lives in a decimated landscape and shrunken community.
The final speaker, Vitaly Chernetsky, will present Monday, March 6. Chernetsky is professor in the Department of Slavic, German and Eurasian Studies at the University of Kansas and past president of the American Associate for Ukranian Studies. His topic will be “Ukranian Culture and the War Response: Ideas, Memories, Hopes.”
Chernetsky’s research focuses on modern and contemporary cultures (literature, film, popular culture) of Ukraine, Russia, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. He is the author of the book “Mapping Post Communist Cultures: Russia and Ukraine in the Context of Globalization,” the co-winner of the book prize of the American Association for Ukranian Studies.
The Great Decisions lecture series is a joint venture between The College of Wooster and the Wooster community. It began in 1981 and has run annually with the primary purpose of bringing experts to the region on various issues pertaining to foreign policy and international affairs.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Russia-Ukraine war is focus of College of Wooster Great Decisions
