Notre Dame Arts & Letters

Notre Dame Arts & Letters

@artslettersnd.bsky.social

Official BlueSky account for the College of Arts & Letters at the University of Notre Dame☘️📚🎨✍️🎥 Study everything. Do anything.

228 Followers 10 Following 56 Posts Joined Nov 2023
1 week ago
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Three majors and two career development programs help junior Natalie Magura find her perfect professional path Natalie Magura is determined to make the most of her undergraduate years.

As a first-year, Natalie Magura's appetite for edification took her across disciplines as she added majors in sociology, economics, and political science — then she just needed a career plan. That's where Beyond the Dome and Consulting Connect came in.

https://bit.ly/4l33FLO

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2 weeks ago
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Office Hours: Kate Marshall on the books, the artifacts, and the people that inspire her writing and leadership Stepping into Kate Marshall’s office is a bit like stepping into a one-room museum, with antique typewriters, artifacts of early cinema, and book-making tools among the pieces on her shelves.

English professor and Franco Institute director Kate Marshall discusses important pieces in her office that are relevant to her writing, her leadership, and her personal life in the latest installment of "Office Hours."

https://bit.ly/4aAzYxW

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2 weeks ago
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From Shakespeare to the C-suite: How studying the liberal arts helped English major Mike LaMena ’95 become a wealth management CEO “There’s a value in generalists in a world that’s increasingly specialized.”

Mike LaMena ’95 was always envious of his fellow Notre Dame students who knew what career they wanted to pursue from the start. Like many, he thought the ladder to success was linear.

But over time, LaMena discovered that career paths often have many loops and lateral steps.

https://bit.ly/3MMtSRY

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3 weeks ago
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Democracy Initiative director advances nationwide dialogue on civics education through new AAAS publication

A new guide from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences will help higher education institutions prepare students for engagement in the democratic process. Democracy Initiative director David Campbell led the group of experts who developed the report.

https://bit.ly/4aBTzwx

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3 weeks ago
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‘A greater understanding of truth’: English professor studies medieval poetry to converse with the past

Assistant English professor Ann Killian, OP, writes and teaches about medieval literature and devotional culture. She's particularly interested in the social life of poetry — not just what was written down, but how it affected people in the past.

https://bit.ly/4tEyyKq

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1 month ago
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‘Seeing the synapses click’: Electronic music professor pushes the limits of creativity in himself and his students …

The most essential tool in David Bird's office isn't a microphone or a synthesizer, but the computer on his desk — that's where the magic happens.

A specialist in electronic music, the assistant music professor pushes the boundaries of performance with each composition.

https://bit.ly/3Mf6ZGE

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1 month ago
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A department on the rise: Notre Dame political science turns heads with big hires, impactful research, and vibrant centers and institutes …

In the most recent U.S. News and World Report rankings, Notre Dame's political science department made a significant jump — up 10 spots.

It's a demonstration of their conscious effort to strengthen in one area without sacrificing quality in others.

https://bit.ly/3ZfSt4i

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1 month ago
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Notre Dame philosophy professor to lead new collaborative research on critical thinking pedagogy Paul…

Notre Dame has been awarded nearly $4 million in a four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to fund a new initiative that will incorporate tools and strategies for teaching critical thinking into college classrooms around the country.

https://bit.ly/4tho7fg

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1 month ago
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Office Hours: Jason Ruiz on the art, the lighting, and the items that make his Bond Hall space his own …

Interior design aficionado and Institute for Latino Studies director Jason Ruiz discusses inspiring pieces in his office in the first installment of a new A&L story series called “Office Hours” that gives personal tours of our faculty's workspaces around campus.

https://bit.ly/3Z7gURi

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1 month ago
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Biological anthropologist explores how cells that are not our own may unlock secrets about our health During pregnancy, maternal and fetal cells migrate back and forth across the placenta, with fetal cells entering the mother’s bloodstream and tissues. They can settle in maternal organs such as the thyroid, liver, lungs, brain and heart — and can persist there for decades.

We all carry little pieces of our family with us. Literally.

In a phenomenon called microchimerism, studied by a Notre Dame anthropologist, fetal and maternal cells migrate back and forth across the placenta, creating a lifelong link between mothers and their descendants.

https://bit.ly/4rpioTa

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1 month ago
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Key to human intelligence lies in how brain networks work together, Notre Dame neuroscientists say Modern neuroscience understands the brain as a set of specialized systems. Aspects of brain function such as attention, perception, memory, language and...

Notre Dame neuroscientists are at the forefront of research on the brain's organization and integration, discovering how neural systems work together to create intelligence.

https://bit.ly/45AAVDu

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1 month ago
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Historian John Deak to recapture the past as new member of Commission for Modern Austrian History

John Deak is helping write the next chapter in the story of one of Austria’s oldest historical research institutions. The associate professor of history recently became one of the first non-Austrian members of the Commission for Modern Austrian History.

https://bit.ly/4sUEEWy

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1 month ago
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A ‘cross-pollination of ideas’: Interdisciplinary research collaborative brings virtue ethics into AI …

Tom Stapleford and Patrick Gamez argue that if AI will actually help humanity, we need more than just regulations — we must consider how AI can facilitate human well-being.

To accomplish that goal, the duo created the Generative AI Research Innovation Collaborative.

https://bit.ly/4r55VUn

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1 month ago
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Alumnus John Babbo ’24 on philosophy, fellowship, and a call to priesthood When John Babbo first stepped onto the University of Notre Dame’s campus, he imagined himself studying great books and cheering in the student sec...

When John Babbo first stepped onto Notre Dame’s campus, he imagined himself studying great books and cheering in the student section. He didn’t imagine that the ideas he encountered would eventually lead him toward the priesthood.

Read his story: https://bit.ly/4qu4uPv

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1 month ago
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Notre Dame sociologist examines human interaction to explain organizational dynamics

Sociologist Timothy Hallett understands interactions — how they create culture, sustain organizational success, and fuel conflict.

He embeds himself in the operations of organizations to learn how the institutions shaping our lives are inhabited by people acting together.

https://bit.ly/4pHBcLW

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1 month ago
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Italian studies students retrace travels of renowned writers in weeklong trip to Rome, Florence, and Naples Eighteenth-century German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once wrote that, “only in Rome is it possible to understand Rome.” A group of Un...

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once wrote that “only in Rome is it possible to understand Rome.”

Students in the Italian studies course The Literature of the Journey to Italy discovered that to be true.

Read about the class's fully-funded literary odyssey through Italy: https://bit.ly/4pPDysw

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2 months ago
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American studies professor's research and teaching on religious history aims to broaden and deepen understanding of U.S. Catholicism …

Anthony Petro never thought he’d end up at a Catholic university.

But only a few months after joining the Department of American Studies, he says Notre Dame's unique intellectual environment drives his research, which aims to deepen understanding of U.S. Catholicism.

https://bit.ly/4spuJYF

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2 months ago
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The top five most-read Arts & Letters stories from 2025 As we look to the new year, we reflect and celebrate the top five most-read stories from the College of Arts & Letters in 2025.

“What does my heart actually desire?” Lane Poche often asks himself. “What actually brings me life?”

This graduate's journey to answer the big questions is just one Arts & Letters story highlighting the power of the liberal arts. Read this year's top 5: https://bit.ly/44AMyde

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2 months ago
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Scott Jackson encourages actors to more deeply engage with their art — not get lost finding the “right" way to act. It's how he teaches some of theatre's most prominent plays.

This is just one of many A&L stories shared on camera in 2025. Watch the top 5: https://bit.ly/4j4Yk5j

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2 months ago
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Merry Christmas from the College of Arts & Letters! May your day be filled with faith, laughter, and love.🎄✨🎶💚📖

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2 months ago
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Theatre historian honored for work that highlights the hidden stories of disability arts For a historian, finding 20 boxes of archived source material is a pretty big deal. And when Patrick McKelvey found more than 150 boxes of papers stemmi...

Patrick McKelvey's award-winning book "Disability Works: Performance After Rehabilitation" invites readers to think more deeply about disability and culture, sharing the untold history of art and performance preceding the Disability Rights Movement.

https://bit.ly/48FmIHj

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3 months ago
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‘I want to teach as much as I can': Sheedy Award-winner Mark Roche inspires discoveries through discussion Mark Roche, the Rev. Edmund Joyce, C.S.C., Professor…

Mark Roche's pedagogy emphasizes that teaching is best done with students leading the way, and it has earned him the Sheedy Award for Excellence in Teaching.

https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/i-want-to-teach-as-much-as-i-can-sheedy-award-winner-mark-roche-inspires-discoveries-through-discussion/

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4 months ago
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Notre Dame political scientist seeks out the benefits of bipartisanship amidst D.C. conflict James Curry, professor…

Discover how Congress finds common ground and achieves more than meets the eye, as James Curry explores the true benefits of bipartisanship:

https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/notre-dame-political-scientist-seeks-out-the-benefits-of-bipartisanship-amidst-d-c-conflict/

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4 months ago
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English professor wins Barricelli Book Prize for essay collection on persuasion For Yasmin Solomonescu, literary studies isn’t just a place to explore her own ideas — it’s an opportunity to pull in more voices and ...

Yasmin Solomonescu, associate English professor, won the International Conference on Romanticism’s Jean-Pierre Barricelli Book Prize for "Persuasion After Rhetoric in the Eighteenth Century and Romanticism," a "wildly interdisciplinary" essay collection.

https://bit.ly/4hKn9mC

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4 months ago
Clinical psychology Ph.D. student awarded NIH grant, bridging research on alcohol use and self-harm Clinical psychologists often narrow in on just one topic for their research. But the life experiences researchers study don’t always occur separat...

Psychology Ph.D. student Melissa Nance recently won a NIH grant to support her study of alcohol use and self-harm in young adults, connecting two isolated fields.

https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/clinical-psychology-ph-d-student-awarded-nih-grant-bridging-research-on-alcohol-use-and-self-harm/

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4 months ago
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English department chair Joyelle McSweeney becomes Jeopardy champion Joyelle…

If you watched Jeopardy last night, you already know Joyelle McSweeney is today's returning champion.

She racked up a final score of $17,700 to win the game, fulfilling her mother's lifelong dream.

Read more about her victory: https://bit.ly/3LK8sUs

And watch her next episode at 7:30 p.m. on CBS!

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4 months ago
Person standing at a podium with a smile, on the set of the game show Jeopardy!

Let's play some Jeopardy! Starting with Notre Dame for $1,000:

A 2022 Guggenheim fellow, the chair of the Notre Dame Department of English, and one of tonight's Jeopardy! contestants.

!!!!🛎‼!!

Who is Joyelle McSweeney?

Tune in at 7:30 p.m. EST on CBS to watch her compete!

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4 months ago
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Two Franco Humanities Fellows write and connect through National Humanities Center residency …

Supported by @francoinstitutend.bsky.social, Notre Dame associate professors Brian Krostenko and Alex E. Chávez kickstarted a year of writing and research through the @natlhumanities.bsky.social Summer Residency Program.

Learn about their upcoming books: https://bit.ly/47smUb0

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4 months ago
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‘Ready to meet the future’: Dynamic research, key hires, and student engagement fuel Notre Dame English department’s rankings rise …

Notre Dame's Department of English ranked No. 21 on U.S. News and World Report’s list of the Best English Programs this year — 13 spots higher than before.

Those who’ve been a part of the department’s success know it's been a long time coming.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4qoVJ9B

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4 months ago
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Joseph Blanco ’92 has experienced career shifts that required him to learn new skills and industries. He attributes his ability to take on changes to his humanities education.
https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/search-for-the-truth-economics-and-government-major-joseph-blanco-92-on-processing-change

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