Gang life. Homelessness. Poverty. Senior criminal justice and forensic chemistry major Philip Malley had heard of these topics before, but it was not until he saw the issues himself that he truly understood them.

“I really didn’t know what to expect,” Malley said. “I got a first-hand experience on what you only see in the headlines … It forces you to look at the world in a different way.”

Malley, Webster, N.Y., was among 15 students who took part in The University of Scranton’s first interdisciplinary service learning travel course Jan. 2 to Jan. 8 in Los Angeles. The trip was part of the “Special Topics: Gangs & Urban Health in LA” course taught by Harry Dammer, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Sociology/Criminal Justice Department, and Catherine Lovecchio, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing. Jason Downer, N.S.J., also took part on the trip to lead the group in reflections. 

To read the full article, available on TheTimes-Tribune.com, click here. (The article was written by Cory Burrell ’14, Simpson, a student correspondent.)