According to Daniel Cano (Class of '77, B.A., English; '84, M.A., Spanish), all one needed to make it as a journalist in 1920s Los Angeles was the ability to read and write, and a good mentor. In Cano's case, all that was needed to become an award-winning novelist was his desire to become a writer and his education at California State University, Dominguez Hills and Santa Monica College (SMC), where he now teaches literature, composition, and creative writing. This fall, Cano received the 12th International Latino Book Award for historical fiction with his third book, “Death and the American Dream.” The Los Angeles native says that the protagonist of his 1991 “Pepe Rios,” which was ... Read More
College of Arts and Humanities
Winston Hewitt: Endowed Scholarship and Gift of Art Preserve Professor’s Legacy
Winston Russell Hewitt (1922- 2006) may have been the founding chair of the modern languages department at CSU Dominguez Hills, where he taught French literature from 1966 to 1982, but art was his true passion; he ultimately retired from teaching in order to devote his life to painting. After his death in 2006, executors of the Winston Russell Hewitt Foundation chose to honor his passion for art and love of CSU Dominguez Hills with the creation of the Winston Hewitt Art Scholarship. This semester, six students became the first recipients of the $200,000 scholarship, one of the largest established at the university, and on Nov. 10, they were recognized at an opening reception for ... Read More
Teatro Dominguez: Local Second Graders Learn From Multicultural Theatre
There are few better ways to start the day than to watch kids having fun, unless you're an actor from California State University, Dominguez Hills who gets to perform for an auditorium full of second-graders. Theatre major Eduardo Frias got to do just that recently. On Nov. 9, he and 18 fellow Teatro Dominguez members wrapped up a five-week tour performing “The Storytellers” for Carson area second-graders. In the folktale play, Frias portrayed a young boy who learns patience. “Telling folktales to children uses their experiences and what they are exposed to, so they can relate to the story,” said Frias. “Using talking animals, insects, birds… it's a way to get children's attention. ... Read More
Anthropology Students Help Present Cambodian Culture in Long Beach
For the second year, students in Susan Needham's ethnographic field methods class will assist Cambodian artisans in presenting the 2nd Cambodian Arts & Culture Exhibition in the Long Beach community of Cambodia Town, Inc. which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 20 at MacArthur Park in Long Beach. Along with discovering a new culture, the students have found connections to their own experiences through learning how seemingly obscure traditions are preserved and nurtured for the generations to come. Lillian Justice has been working with Dosokhum Roth, a former Buddhist monk, to present the art of yoan, sacred drawings that serve as protective talismans and prayers to be ... Read More
Dance Students Perform Faculty and Guest Choreography in “Dancers without Borders”
More than 60 dance students will perform a variety of dance styles in original choreography by faculty members of the California State University, Dominguez Hills Department of Theatre Arts and Dance–and two guest artists– during the “Dancers Without Borders” concert on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 19 and 20, at 8 p.m. in the University Theatre. Dance program coordinator and assistant professor of dance Doris Ressl and dance lecturer Michelle Funderburk will present two new modern works with water themes. “River Currents” by Funderburk is a fast-paced athletic dance, while Ressl's “Border Crossing” deals with the breaking down of borders in the spirit of peace and acceptance. Dance ... Read More
