Weekly global discussion course debuts at the Summit County Library

The more people know about what’s happening in the world, the more they can become better citizens, says Susan Murphy, manager of the Summit County Library’s Coalville branch.

“There is so much going on right now, and I think it’s important for people to stay educated,” Murphy said. “That way we can make educated choices in our lives.”

The Summit County Library will help community members stay on top of world issues by introducing the Great Decisions Discussion Course, a free, nine-week book club that will meet Mondays at 6 p.m., starting Sept. 13, at the library’s Kimball Junction branch.

Preregistration is required. Registration can be completed by calling 435-336-3069 or emailing [email protected].

Discussions will include topics such as global supply chains, national security and the roles of international organizations in a global pandemic. (See accompanying schedule).

The Great Decisions Discussion Course is one of the United States’ largest discussion programs on world affairs, and offers a different curriculum every year, Murphy said.

It was launched in 1954 by the Foreign Policy Association, and each year a panel of experts chooses eight topics for discussion, Murphy said.

“Hundreds of libraries across the country host discussion groups, but this will be the first time the course will be offered at the Summit County Library,” she said. “We’re doing it at Kimball Junction, because we don’t know how many people will enroll, and more people will go to the Kimball Junction Library.”

Before Murphy became the Coalville branch manager, she joined the Great Discussions group a few years ago through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which is affiliated with the University of Utah.

“I was so blown away, and I wondered why we didn’t have something like this in Park City and Summit County,” she said. “We have so many cultural opportunities up here, and certainly so many recreational opportunities, but we don’t have a lot of educational opportunities like this course.”

Once Murphy landed the branch manager job, she pitched Great Discussions to Summit County Library Director Dan Compton, who gave the green light and secured a Community Library Enhancement Fund grant to fund the book club.

“We thought Great Decisions would be an excellent fit for our community, since so many of our library patrons are voracious readers of nonfiction,” Murphy said. “Many patrons have also asked that we host a nonfiction book club and hopefully this course will scratch that itch.”

Compton was able to secure a grant to fund the program, which features a Great Decisions briefing book for each participant, according to Murphy.

“Everyone will read a chapter on the corresponding week’s topic at home before the class, and then we’ll meet and watch a 30-minute documentary that features world leaders talking about those topics,” she said. “Once the documentary is over, we’ll discuss, as a group, what we’ve learned and what we think.”

Each class, which comes with light refreshments, will run between 60 to 90 minutes, depending on how long the discussion lasts, Murphy said.

“The goal is to watch the documentary and discuss it in person, but if we need to go virtual because of COVID, we have a plan for that,” she said. “And we will let club members know ahead of time.”

Murphy plans to continue offering the Great Decisions Book Club as long as there is interest.

“This program is designed to be balanced and non-partisan, and we would like to run it again in 2022,” she said. “Our goal is to have a lot of class participation, along with an open and fun learning environment. And we absolutely welcome diverse viewpoints and opinions.”