A philosophy professor once told me the truly adult decisions are the ones we make in the face of an unforeseen future. Maybe this is why for some a tattoo is a rite of passage. It marks a significant event, an obstacle overcome, a new beginning or a personal commitment. It marks a memory to be remade daily. Continue reading “I Got a Tattoo”
Tag: program of liberal studies
Curriculum Problems are Faculty Problems
In the midst of discussions over curricular developments at Notre Dame, I am mindful of a remark made by Otto Bird, the founder of the Program of Liberal Studies: “In the 1950s I was a member of the Faculty Hiring Committee, a body appointed by the administration to put pressure upon the department heads to seek for and hire the best candidates they could find for positions that became open. As it turned out, I became the one member of the committee who asked the candidate, when he was not a Catholic, about his ability and willingness to live and function in a Catholic university.”
These remarks came out in his 1990 memoir “Seeking a Center: My Life as a Great Bookie,” in which he noted that Notre Dame is a better university than it was in 1950 “measured by the secular standards of non-Catholic universities … Yet it certainly is not as manifestly Catholic as it was.” One might argue over the merits of a less manifest Catholicism — like arguing over the merits of a less incarnate God — but he also writes of PLS: “I do not think that the program today is as good as it was in its first years. In theology and philosophy it has been watered down … There is … less in the way of discipline and rigor … As a whole the program is less ‘intellectualistic’ than it was in the beginning.” I suspect that these remarks could also be applied to the “core curriculum” offered at Notre Dame as a whole. Continue reading “Curriculum Problems are Faculty Problems”
Studying Death
The following column was published in The Observer on Thursday, September 4, 2014.
When students first read how Athens put Socrates to death they either balk at the injustice of the Athenians or at the uncalculating stubbornness of Socrates. Socrates was charged with corrupting Athens’ youth and refused to yield when faced with death. I myself sided with Socrates as my PLS Great Books seminar grappled with the story. My professor helped me to understand the other side: “If your children were abandoning their jobs and educations to follow an old man around, asking bothersome questions to strangers, what would you do? What would Notre Dame do if a professor convinced a bunch of students to stop attending class and, instead, sit out on the quad and talk about being all day?” Continue reading “Studying Death”
Compliance Questions
The following column was published in the Irish Rover on Thursday, March 20, 2014.
On February 12, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals held an oral argument in Notre Dame’s case against the HHS mandate. Among the more surprising moments was Judge Posner’s question to Notre Dame attorney Matthew Kairis, asking whether the use of birth control was a mortal or a venial sin. Even more surprising was the admission of ignorance by Kairis, a graduate of Notre Dame’s Program of Liberal Studies, followed by Judge Posner’s answer that it is a mortal sin.
Forgotten Notre Dame
As I complete my undergraduate years, I am faced with the hard truth that one day I will be forgotten to campus. I have given hundreds of hours of service to this University, and in a few weeks the life and love I have put into this place will slowly become disassociated with me. Yet, something will remain, even if it will go beyond the memory of those walking around on campus. Continue reading “Forgotten Notre Dame”
My Senior Thesis
The following was a sample column submitted with my application to be a columnist for Notre Dame’s student newspaper, The Observer.
In the Spring of 2011, if one were to wander to the 13th floor of the library in the middle of the night, one might have found a pretentious-looking sophomore, crammed into a desk with thirty books, a 6-inch spicy Italian, and a Starbucks double shot. One might come across post-it notes on the back of his desk, bearing a correspondence between this student and the library’s cleaning staff. One note would say something like, “Don’t worry about leaving the books here. Good luck on finals!” It was a lovely correspondence—something characteristic of much of the staff of the University of Notre Dame. She agreed to not re-shelve the books until he was done with his paper. Continue reading “My Senior Thesis”
The Great Books at Notre Dame
In November 2010, I presented a paper for the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture’s annual Fall Conference. After several requests, I have reproduced this paper below, with some minimal edits and revisions. Regarding discussions of my experiences in the Program, it must be noted that I only took three of the required classes. My personal experience in the Program was quite minimal. Continue reading “The Great Books at Notre Dame”
