MONMOUTH, Ill. — The topic of “The Media and Foreign Policy” will kick off the 24th year of the Great Decisions program at Monmouth College on Jan. 21. Lee McGaan, chair of the department of communication and theater arts, will introduce the topic at 7:30 p.m. in the Tartan Room of the college’s Stockdale Center.

Following his opening remarks, there will be approximately one hour of group discussion. All eight Great Decisions programs this semester are free and open to the public.

Since 1981, Great Decisions has operated as a forum where the public and the academic community can freely meet in a congenial setting and talk about world affairs.

“Great Decisions looks at important issues in world relations and poses difficult questions about how U.S. foreign policy should address those issues,” said Simon Cordery, assistant professor of history, who is in charge of this year’s program along with Bill Urban, the Lee L. Morgan Professor of History and International Studies. “We invite everyone to attend and offer their input so we can all learn more about these very important questions.”

For those who don’t mind a little homework, Cordery said a companion guide called “Great Decisions 2004” is available in the Monmouth College bookstore. It includes eight chapters, each of which takes about a half-hour to read. The final topic, “The Philippines,” will be discussed March 17.

“The book is optional, but I encourage people to read it because it presents an excellent and well-balanced introduction to each topic and does so in a very non-partisan way,” Cordery said.

Great Decisions is a nationwide program sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association, a non-partisan, non-governmental association that works to increase Americans’ understanding of significant foreign policy issues.