Notre Dame College of Arts and Letters


The College of Arts and Letters is the oldest and largest college within the University of Notre Dame. As the liberal arts home for all Notre Dame students as they take core curriculum courses, the College plays an integral role in Notre Dame's mission to serve as the world's preeminent Catholic research university. Grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition, the Arts and Letters education offered by the College features up to seventy majors and minors, and thirty graduate programs.
The Dean of the College of Arts and Letters is Sarah Mustillo.

History

The College of Arts and Letters is the oldest in the university, and it was founded in 1842 with the University itself.

Facilities

The main center of the College is O'Shaughnessy Hall, which hosts classrooms, art galleries, a coffee shop, and administrative offices. It was built in 1953 by Ellerbe Associates in Tudor Gothic style. Ground was broken for in July 1951 and the cornerstone
was laid in May, The wings of the building meet at a central six-story tower. In addition to classrooms, the building also featured music rooms and 4 art galleries, which were later incorporated into the Snite Museum of Art. The high-beam decorated ceiling was painted by Alphonse Schmitt. The building was the gift of philanthropist Ignatius Aloysius O'Shaughnessy and cost $2,300,000. Its Great Hall, which is decorated and sculpted on the outside, features a crucifix by Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović, a bust of Dean Charles E. Sheedy, and 7 stained glass windown, representing the seven liberal arts. The Great Hall also hosts two tapestries that were rediscovered and restored in 2014 when the Hall was restored to its original appearance. One tapestry is of German or Belgian production from the 17th century, while the other one is from 18th century France. It was featured in the movie Rudy.

Departments

The Humanities
The Arts
The Social Sciences

The Center for Social Concerns

The College of Arts and letters is also affiliated with the Notre Dame Center for Social Concerns. Its mission is to enact Catholic teaching through community-engaged research, teaching, and learning. The Center gathers, forms, and nourishes community-engaged scholars in the study, practice, and renewal of the Catholic social tradition.

Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies

Established in 1991 with a gift from Donald Keough, the institute focused on the study of Ireland and Irish culture, language, immigration, and history. In 2006 it was renamed after a further donation from Irish businessman Martin Naughton. At the undergraduate level, it offers many courses and a minor in Irish Studies. It also offers a minor for Ph.D. students of English or History. The institute is located of the University's Global gateway in Dublin, which is based at O'Connell House, a late eighteenth-century building on Merrion Square, which enables students to study abroad in Ireland. The institute also runs Irish internships which offer Dublin-based summer positions. In the summer, Institute hosts The IRISH Seminar, a weeks-long seminar that focuses on Irish cultural, intellectual, and political debates.

Medieval Institute

The College of Arts and Letters is affiliated with the Notre Dame Medieval Institute, that is regarded among the best center for Medieval Studies. It is ranked number #6 by U.S. News & World Report.
The institute was formally founded in 1946, but it was created on a pre-existing program of medieval studies that dated back to the 1930s.
Its rare book collection contains holds microfilms and photographic copies of nearly all of the Latin and vernacular materials and many of those in Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic housed in the great Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan. This collection was conceived in 1960, when the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Giovanni Montini visited campus for an honorary degree. Starting in 1962, the library acquired microfilm of over 35,000 manuscripts.
Additionally, the institute's collection also features the Astrik L. Gabriel Universities Collection, which collects book, journals, and other sources on the histories of universities worldwide.

Eck Institute for Global Health

A university-wide enterprise, the Eck Institute for Global Health recognises health as a fundamental human right and works to promote research, training, and service to advance health standards and reduce health disparities for all. The EIGH builds on the University’s historical strength in infectious disease research while broadening the scope of our expertise to include: Epidemiology, Molecular biology and microbiology, Computational science, Maternal, child, and community health, Genetics and genomics, Biochemistry, Non-communicable diseases, Social sciences
Our team of interdisciplinary researchers and their students holistically address health disparities around the world.

Institute for Educational Initiatives

The Institute strives to improve the education of all youth, particularly the disadvantaged. Its teaching, scholarship, and service reflect Notre Dame's commitment to advance K-12 schooling. Distinguished scholars and practitioners, including Institute Fellows across the University, pursue interdisciplinary collaborations to make a difference in crucial areas of education reform, with particular attention to Catholic schools. Resources for educational excellence include a wide array of distinctive graduate-level programs that form teachers and leaders. The Notre Dame Institute for Educational Initiatives was founded in 1996 under the direction of Prof. Maureen Hallinan.

Institute for Latino Studies

Since its creation in 1999 the Institute for Latino Studies has played a vital role in fostering understanding of the U.S. Latino experience. Building upon the history of Latinos at Notre Dame and the outstanding intellectual legacy of Julian Samora, a pioneering Latino scholar and professor of sociology, the Institute supports scholarly initiatives in Latino studies as a key component of Notre Dame’s academic mission. By teaching and preparing leaders, advancing research, and strengthening community, the Institute is true to the mission, tradition, and distinctively Catholic values of Notre Dame.

Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies

The University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies is one of the world’s leading centers for the study of the causes of violent conflict and strategies for sustainable peace. Kroc institute faculty and fellows conduct interdisciplinary research on a wide range of topics related to peace and justice. The Kroc Institute also offers degrees at every level, with an undergraduate program, a master’s in International Peace Studies, and a Ph.D program.

Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies

The College of Arts and Letters is also affiliated with the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. The Institute provides a forum for integrated and multidisciplinary research and teaching on Asia. It also supports innovative projects that combine teaching, research, and social engagement, creating a unique model of rounded education on Asia. The Institute also promotes general awareness, understanding, and knowledge of Asia through organizing public events.

Research Centers and Affiliations

In addition to its affiliations with Interdisciplinary institutes, faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Letters also conduct research projects with a variety of research centers. These include the Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights, the De Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, the Center for Italian Studies, the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity, the Center for the Study of Social Movements, the John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values, the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy, the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities.
The College of Arts and Letters is also affiliated with a number of research centers within the university that are dedicated to the furtherance and study of the Catholic categories fundamental to the core values of the University of Notre Dame. Such centers include the Center for Philosophy of Religion, the Center for the Study of Religion and Society, the Center for Theology, Science, and Human Flourishing, and the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism. In line with these values, the College is also affiliated with Christian writers, including American theologian and author Frederick Buechner. Winners of the Frederick Buechner prize for Excellence in Preaching are selected by faculty from the Department of Theology.

Deans