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: 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: 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: Michael Dixon

• From Horses to Planes: A History of Transportation in Delaware
• Rails in Delaware: A History of Railroading in the First State
• Delaware Villages, Towns and Cities: A Historical Look at How and Why Communities Develop & Grow
• 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: 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 Buddism
• 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

• Effects of Progress and Capturing Family and Local History for Future Generations
• Delaware History through Stories, Folklore and Legends
• America's Patriotic Music: From the Revolution to September 11
• Using Storytelling to Preserve One's Memories and Culture
• How to Write a Short Story
• How to Learn and 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 Harrassment
• 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