The African Roots of the Blues

University of the Arts literature professor and Blues guitarist Chris Devenny gave a talk/performance on the African roots of American Blues music on 27 October in the Large Auditorium. The DCCC Student History Club and Public Service and Social Sciences Division sponsored the event.

Professor James Robertson(History) Hosts a Seminar at Temple

James Robertson(History) was selected to present a six week seminar for the Temple University Life Long Learning on the Renaissance and an eight week seminar on the Holocaust for the Kol Ami Synagogue in Elkins Park. This is the second seminar he has put on for Temple University, having done a six week seminar in the spring on the Holocaust which included four survivors in the group attending the function.

Professor LaMonica(History) Attends Conference in Kansas City

The National World War I Museum

Professor Jeffrey LaMonica(History) attended the joint National Seminar of the Western Front Association and the Great War Society at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, MO on 10 and 11 September. The seminar was entitled The Men and Women of the Great War. Presentation topics included, US Army officer training for African-Americans, US Army Nurses in Europe, and the Austro-Hungarian Army. LaMonica serves as secretary of the Western Front Association.

Professor Bohm(Sociology) Attends Conference on Racism

Professor Adriana Bohm(Sociology) attended the annual Society for the Study of Social Problems(SSSP) Conference in Atlanta, Ga in August. She was one of two people who ran a session entitled "Working Together to End Racism" in which she worked with students of color.

LaMonica(History) Attends WWI Seminar

Professor Jeffrey LaMonica(History) attended the East Coast Chapter of the Western Front Association's Spring Seminar at Fort Meade, Maryland on 5 June 2010. Topics included the US Signal Corps, American tank production, the burial and commemoration of American dead, and the Irish Uprising of 1916. The chapter presented Professor LaMonica with a certificate of appreciation for his service to the organization.

Professor LaMonica poses with the Five of Hearts, a Renault FT-17 tank used by the US Army in World War One on display at the Fort Meade Museum

Human Service Associate Degree Program Growing in spring 2010

Kathy Schank(Human Service) and Her Students

The Department of Public Service and Social Science began the fall semester by unveiling their newest degree option: an Associate Degree in Human Services. Currently there are students enrolled in new Human Service courses, like Foundations of Addictions, Human Sexuality and Theories of Counseling.

Authentic learning opportunities abound when students embrace active, unique and creative approaches to the course content as some students did this semester in Kathy Schank’s Theories of Counseling class. The students formed small groups and were assigned to complete research on different conditions that may lead someone to seek help from a psychotherapist. Students then developed role plays to present for the class that were based on their research findings on topics like anxiety, depression and bereavement. The students were videotaped acting their role play scripts in front of the class.

The students were recently polled about their experience with this assignment and they reported that the information they are learning from the textbook is interesting but this assignment enabled them to directly engage in some of the situations that they may one day encounter as therapists. Students stated that the role plays enabled them to creatively apply techniques from different types of therapy that they had only read before, thereby putting the textbook concepts into action. Some students wrote scripts that were open ended, giving them the ability to really feel the client’s emotions, as one student stated: “I really felt that the client (fellow student actor) pushed my buttons” just as can happen in an actual therapy session. Students also stated that they felt supported by their classmates, as they are all highly interested and engaged in learning the content of the course. They also found this to be a very good fit with the knowledge they bring from their other human service, psychology and sociology courses.

DCCC uses a competency based curriculum model that defines the skills and knowledge expected of our graduates. One of the goals of this assignment was to achieve objectives relating this course content to the college competencies. In particular, College Competency 3 which focuses on career choice and exploration and College Competency 5 where students learn how to use decision making processes to solve problems. These students are now better able to recognize the challenges that we all experience as we struggle with serious life issues and the value of therapy as a solution to our problems. As they advance their knowledge and successfully complete this course their hope is to help to decrease the stigma that seeking therapy stills holds.

Submitted by: Kathy Schank, MSS, LCSW, BCD

The History of Cable Television

The DCCC Student History Club invited DCCC alumnus Joseph DiJulio to speak about The History of Cable Television on 22 April.

Scholarly Reflections of Africa

DCCC's Black and Woman's History Committee members Ife Williams(Political Science) and Albert Fu(Sociology) held a discussion on Scholarly Reflections of Africa on 22 April.


Dr. Ife Williams(Political Science) discussed her attendance at
the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa


Shelia Santoro talked about visiting her daughter in Tanzania


DCCC student Kelly Brennan described her study abroad experience in Egypt

Roberta Jackson spoke about her visits to Liberia and Swaziland

Air Power in World War I

The DCCC Student History Club held a seminar on Air Power in World War I by Steven Suddaby, editor of French Strategic and Tactical Bombardment Forces of World War I on 9 March. Suddaby spoke about the history and development of aircraft, how aircraft changed war tactics, and how aircraft was a crucial part of the Allied victory in the Great War.

Suddaby presented images of kite balloons used to observe enemy lines miles away. He explained how balloons were tethered to the ground with ropes and sent Morse code through cable lines. Balloon crews directed the fire of artillery batteries on the ground.

Airplanes were originally used to take aerial photos of enemy territory. Suddaby explained how this set off the development of camouflage. Ground forces threw nets over railways and built wooden vehicles to fool enemy observation planes.

Suddaby talked about the development of aviation in ground and naval tactics. Naval observation aircraft helped Allied navies overcome the German submarine threat.

Suddaby concluded that aviation had a substantial impact on the outcome of World War I and dictated how armies and navies fought future wars.

Adriana Bohm(Sociology)

The Gender Question-Is It Over?

Dr. Adriana Bohm(Sociology) facilitated a discussion with faculty and students about gender issues in American society on 30 March 2010 at the main campus.

Dr. Bohm during the question and answer portion of her talk

Haiti Relief

Kudos to the DCCC Student History Club for raising over $500 in four days for Haiti Relief!

Jeff Salavitabar (Business)

Jeff Salavitabar (Business) hosted Business Survival: Tough Economic Times with Ed Herr on 9 April 2009.

Ed Herr Visits DCCC