The “My Generation” symposium included poetry performances by GPC students. (Photo by Bill Roa)

The symposium was titled “My Generation.”

But the mostly “millennial” students attending Georgia Perimeter College’s Newton Campus during the four-day, fall semester program also looked at the generations that came before them.

“It’s important for students to study the generations so that they can understand how their culture, concerns and values are similar and different to those of past generations,” said symposium chair Jane Hercules, a communications instructor at the campus.

Students, faculty and staff all got involved in the project.

The millennial generation is generally defined as those born between 1980 and 2000. The work of students fitting that category, as well as earlier eras, was featured in music presentations, poetry readings and an art show. Faculty members and students discussed various topics, including popular music, generational literacy, energy, sustainability, history, African-American poetry, science fiction, genetics and food. Also, there was a screening of the movie, “Social Network.”

“It was a great opportunity for our students to be a part of this fantastic learning experience,” said Mela Kissoon-Persaud, president of the Newton Campus Student Government Association. “The theme ‘My Generation’ was a perfect choice for the Newton Campus, as it allowed the non-traditional and traditional students to briefly experience each other’s genre.”

Community panelist Bill Fisher, right, and Rebecca Rakoczy, co-director of the GPC Reads collegewide reading project, speak as part of the Newton Campus event. (Photo by Bill Roa)