Grades 4-12

Through the Visiting Scholars Program, scholars, university professors and experts in their fields make a wide assortment of special presentations in Delaware classrooms. They collaborate with schoolteachers to shape innovative custom programs.

Review the following presentations to find a presentation to schedule for your class. Scheduling and presentation arrangements must be made directly with the relevant scholar. Simply click on the presenter's name to access his/her contact information. You can also review our entire index of Visiting Scholars.

Refer to the Planning a Visiting Scholar's Presentation page for important requirements and deadlines you must observe when scheduling a scholars visit. Use the Visiting Scholars Request Form to formally schedule a classroom visit.

Introducing New Visiting Scholars Program Topics

Presenting Scholar: Michael Dixon

• Duck & Cover: Remembering the Days of Sputnik, Conalrad & Fallout Shelters
  This program examines Civil Defense from World War II to the time when planning for survival of an all-out nuclear attack started fading into the past. Opening with an examination of World War II era blackout drills, plane spotter stations, and air raid wardens, the program quickly moves to the era when the stakes became higher – the nuclear age. This was a time when air raid sirens wailed, signaling practice drills, Conalrad interrupted radio programs, government officials planned for the worst, and people contemplated building family fallout shelters. Vintage audio and video footage, such as Bert the Turtle telling schoolchildren to duck and cover, helps engage the audience in the program. In this post 9/11 era this is a timely time topic and the audience is encouraged to share their memories and discuss the historical concepts of civil defense.
  
  
• Oral History for Students
  One’s memories of everyday life experiences have historical importance. Collecting oral histories allows living people to provide valuable insights into the past before memories are lost into the mist of time. This program introduces students to oral history methods, the techniques for capturing these stories and experiences. The basic tools and methods for recording individuals talking about their past, in their own words and styles, are introduced. By collecting and saving oral histories, we create a collective memory of life and build a foundation for future research.
  
  
• The Crime and the Time: The History of Criminal Justice in Delaware
  This slide-illustrated lecture offers an intriguing look at the evolution of crime, punishment, and police work in Delaware from the colonial era to the mid-twentieth century. This fast-paced talk examines old county jails, headline-grabbing criminal escapades of long ago, discontinued methods of punishment, and unheralded peace officers. Topics may include the whipping post, hangings, and lynchings. The goal of the program is to look at how crime and policing methods have changed by using many little-known stories of this often unexplored aspect of history.
  
  
• The Mason-Dixon Line: The Story Behind the Boundary
  Born as the result of a bitter territorial dispute over royal land grants, the Mason-Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 to settle the boundaries for Pennsylvania and Maryland. After 1820, when the Missouri Compromise created political conditions which made the line important to the history of slavery, it became associated with the division between the free and slave states. Today the line is still seen by many as a symbolic dividing line for regional attitudes and customs. This program explores the story of the line, which runs through our land and our history, along with the perceptions that have developed about the boundary.
  

Other presentations by Michael Dixon:

• From the Printing Press to the Internet: A History of Journalism and Mass Communications
• Uncovering the Past: A Practical Introduction to Historical Research for Students

Presenting Scholar: Joel Glazier

• The History and Impact of the Beatles
  The Beatles were together as a musical group for less than 8 years. Their influence went beyond the world of popular music and impacted Western culture in areas of fashion, politics, entertainment and their impact has lasted beyond just the "1960's generation." This presentation will provide a history of the group and the changes that not only were brought about by 4 talented performers but also how the times changed them. The Liverpool England quartet became the agents of change to popular culture around the world and some of that impact is explored in this presentation. The presentation with discussion/questions can be tailored for a specific aspect or audience. Slides, audio and actual artifacts from the group's musical career will be shared.

• Is Paul McCartney Dead? Mystery/Rumor
  In the fall of 1969, a rumor spread across American college campuses and then into mainstream news media that one member of the world's most popular music group, The Beatles, was dead. The rumor unfolded into a mystery about an alleged cover- up of this death and the details of the mystery were found in hidden clues on the group's record album covers and within the song lyrics. The rumor led to hysteria among some followers of the group and this presentation will present some of the more popular "clues" which will engage the audience into exploring music, lyric and art interpretation that involves classic literature, history and even '1960's conspiracy theories." The clue interpretation is more compelling than the actual answer to "Is Paul McCartney Dead?"

Presenting Scholar: Adly Gorrafa

• Islam at the Crossroads
  (NOTE: Visits are limited to grades 9-12 for this topic.) Since 9/11/2001, Islam, a 14-century-old religion, has been thrust into the center of Western thought. Sensational events resulting from a global rise in fundamentalism have brought Islam to a crossroads: do we continue to let misperceptions guide the attitudes of the West towards Islam, or do we share our knowledge in the hopes of enlightening those whom we meet? The speaker, a US Muslim, shares his knowledge of the historic foundation of Islam, its use and abuse by driven segments of Muslims, the recent global rise in fundamentalism and how Islam is likely to move on beyond its current crossroads.

Presenting Scholar: Ed Okonowicz

• Meet the Presidents
  Presidential history is a mixture of mystery, superstition and legend.  But the facts associated with the country's 43 chief executives may prove more fascinating than fiction. Find out through a number of interesting and outlandish tales in this presentation-that begins with a brief quiz for members of the audience-which will help them discover and compare their PKL "Presidential Knowledge Level."

Presenting Scholar: Daniel Pritchett

• Ladies and Gentlemen: The Presidents of the United States
  Mr. Pritchett uses portraits, photographs, cartoons, and words from famous presidential speeches to illustrate both a presidential trivia quiz and a lecture trip through the history of the American presidency, focusing especially on the issues of slavery, civil rights, war, and peace. This look at American history through an examination of the lives and words of our chief executives can be interesting to audiences of all ages, to history buffs as well as those who don't especially enjoy history.
  
  
• The Civil War in History and Memory
  The history and memory of the US Civil War still haunt us today, for as William Faulkner once observed, "the past is never dead; it isn't even past." As we approach the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, this talk, profusely illustrated with slides and transparencies, takes a fresh look at our most bloody conflict. Starting with John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, and concluding with a critical look at the aftermath of the war, the talk will examine the scope, devastation, and horrible human toll of this "first modern war." Intended to preserve and protect slavery, the Civil War wound up destroying it, thus making it possible for the US to consider a "new birth of freedom." But with the failure of the US government to fulfill its promises of liberty and equality after the war, the legacy of the war turned out to be very different from what the victors of 1865 might have expected. 
  
  
• With Malice Towards None: Abraham Lincoln in Words and Pictures
  This illustrated lecture takes us through Lincoln's early life and character, including his remarkable physical strength, love of books (despite his lack of formal education), aversions to hunting, gambling, and drinking alcohol (against the status quo of the day), sense of compassion toward native Americans, and his almost visceral disgust about slavery, even though he grew up and lived in a very racist society and culture. The presentation also illustrates some of Lincoln's most magnetic words and how he used his eloquent speaking manner to transform our country forever.

Presenting Scholar: Susan Turnbull Shoemaker

• A Misunderstood Peace: the Treaty of Versailles
  The Treaty of Versailles is the most maligned treaty in Western history.  The educated public blames its harshness for the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany and ultimately the Second World War.  While the Treaty was harsh and did play a role in crises of the 1920s and 1930s, its actual provisions and the context of the times suggest that a revision of this image is long overdue.  Together we will explore the horrors of the Great War, the Treaty of Versailles and how it compares to other treaties, and how the Treaty failed in the end.

• The Pirate Granuaile and the Struggle for Ireland
  Granuaile, known in English as Grace O'Malley, defied her husbands, culture, and English officials to become the pirate queen of Ireland and "nurse to all rebellions."  A rare woman who transcended the restrictions of her time, she fulfilled her family motto, "Strong by land and by sea."  Her economic and military activities coincided with the growing determination of the Tudor dynasty to bring Ireland firmly under the control of the English crown.  Granuaile chose her own path during an age of piracy, slavery, and conquest.

• Women in the First World War: Dr. Elsie Inglis and the Scottish Women's Hospital
  When the Great War broke out in August 1914, Elsie Inglis, already the founder of the Edinburgh Medical College and one of the founders of the Scottish Women's Suffrage Federation, suggested that women's medical units should be mobilized for service on the Western Front.  She was told by a male official, "My dear lady, go home and sit still."  Instead, Inglis established the Scottish Women's Hospitals Committee.  She and her Committee are credited with establishing fourteen all-women medical units that served in France, Serbia, Corsica, Salonika, Romania, Russia, and Malta during the First World War.  Despite Winston Churchill's claim that she would "shine forever in history," Elsie Inglis still does not have her own entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Presenting Scholar: D. Heyward Brock

• Evil Scientists and Good Doctors: Images of Scientists and Doctors in History
• Science in Literature
• Science and Culture
• Shakespeare, Jonson, Donne
• Quill, Pen Typewriter and Beyond: Stories of how Authors Wrote in Times Gone By

Authors may be selected by teacher in agreement with Dr. Brock. Programs are supplemented by hand-outs and /or slides.

Presenting Scholar: Joan DelFattore

• Censorship of Textbooks and Library Books: Literature, History, Social Studies, Science
• Women and Minority Authors
• Modern American Literature
• Religious Expression in Public Schools: What's legal, what isn't and why?
• Psychology and Literature

Presenting Scholar: Linda DeRoche

• American Ethnic Writers
• American Women Writers
• The Art of Film
• The Civil War in Literature
• Why We Love a Mystery
• Women in Literature

Presenting Scholar: Ursula Erhardt

• Portraiture, Landscape and Paintings of Daily Life: Image, Idea and Reality
• Ways of Looking at and Thinking About Art
• The Works and Ideas of Major Artists (selected artists or styles)
• Modern Art (selected artists or styles)
• The Renaissance, Baroque or Modern Periods (selected subjects)

The specific content of the presentation will be determined in collaboration with the classroom teacher. Presentations include slides, using one or two carousel projectors.

Presenting Scholar: William Flayhart

• History:
  • Ancient and Modern
  • Maritime and Naval
  • Egyptian
  • Roman
  • Greek
  • Ancient China
  • French Revolution
  • Islam and the Middle East
• Delaware Built: The American Line
• The Great Ship Titanic
• Medieval History: Castles and Knights

Presenting Scholar: Alan Fox

• Comparative Religion
• Asian Philosophy
  • Daoism
  • Hinduism
  • Buddhism
  • Zen Buddhism
• Religion and Philosophy
• Global Philosophy

Presenting Scholar: Thomas E. Gallagher

• Native Americans at the Time of Columbus
• The Amish
• The Pacific Islanders
• We are not "Red Men": North American Indians
• West Looks at East: The Japanese People
• Multiculturalism: Children Around the World

Programs are usually illustrated with slides.

Presenting Scholar: John Gardner

• From Here and Everywhere: Diversity in Early America
• Meet a Revolutionary Soldier and His Equipment
• Delaware History
• Getting There: Maps and Finding Your Way
• America at War: September 11, 2001 and U.S. History
• Our Next Bicentennial: The War of 1812
• Creating Historical Scenarios and Characters
• 18th and 19th Century American Art and Music
• Have a Ball: 18th Century American Dancing, Parties, and Recreations

Presenting Scholar: Jay L. Halio

• Shakespeare
• Elizabethan Literature
• Contemporary Fiction:
  • Bernard Malamud
  • Philip Roth
  • Isaac Bashevis Singer
  • Jewish-American Women Writers

Presenting Scholar: Sam Hoff

• The Life and Career of George Washington
• The 2000 Election: What Happened and Where do We Go From Here?
• After September 11: Fighting Terrorism in America and Around the World
• Presidential scandals from Washington to G.W. Bush
• American Foreign Policy in 21st Century

Presenting Scholar: Marie Laberge

• U.S. Women's History
  • The Suffrage Movement
  • Civil Rights
• Women's Work Since Colonial Times
• Twentieth Century U.S. History

Presenting Scholar: Mark McLeod

• Vietnam War
• Vietnam since 1975
• World History
• Modern Asia
• Imperialism

Programs may be supplemented with slides. Visits are limited to grades 9-12.

Presenting Scholar: Shuaib Meacham

• Sharing the Power of the Word: Increasing Achievement with Spoken Word Poetry
• Teaching English through Hip Hop Literacy
• The History of African American Writing form Slave Narratives to Hip Hop

Presenting Scholar: Lenore Mussoff

• Communication through the Performing Arts
• Learning about Ourselves through Song, Dance, and Drama
• Why is it Important to Hear the Lyrics of a Song?
• Learning about Language through the Performing Arts

Presenting Scholar: James E. Newton

• Black Americans in Delaware History
• Martin Luther King
• Multicultural and Diversity Issues
• The Education of Black Americans
• The ABC's of Black History
• African-American Art
• Contemporary Issues from the Perspectives of African-Americans

Presenting Scholar: Ed Okonowicz

• Meet the Presidents
• Delaware History through Folklore and Legends
• How to Write a Story
• How to Tell a Story

Presenting Scholar: Charles E. Robinson

• Mary Shelly and Frankenstein
• Coleridge and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
• English Romanticism
• Understanding and Enjoying Poetry
  Your Choice of:
  • Byron
  • Shelly
  • Keats
  • Wordsworth

Visits are limited to grades 9-12

Presenting Scholar: Thomas Rocek

• North American Indians
• Archaeology
• Navajo Indians

Programs include use of artifacts and slides.

Presenting Scholar: Clara L. Small

• The Struggles for Equality
• African-Americans in the 21st century
• The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman
• The Role of African-American Women in American Society
• The Life and Times of Fredrick Douglass
• African-Americans: Where Do We Go From Here?
• The Life and Times of Malcolm X
• The Civil War

Programs are often accompanied by slides.

Presenting Scholar: Stephen C. Taylor

• Teen Ethics
• Racism/Sexual Harassment
• Sexual Morality
• Contemporary Moral Issues
• The Physician/Patient Relationship
• Affirmative Action and Reverse Discrimination
• Ethical Conduct in Business
• Classical Arguments for the Existence of God
• Critical Thinking and Logical Reasoning

Programs typically include custom-designed hypotheticals.

Presenting Scholar: Ron Whittington

• Black Delawarean Participation in the Civil War
• History of the Negro Baseball League