News and Stories

News from November 2007

Study reveals impact of U.N. weapons bans

Since 1990, the United Nations has banned the transfer of arms to Iraq, Somalia, al Qaeda and 24 other nations and groups worldwide. Although these measures did not completely stop the flow of weapons, they did change the behavior of some targets...

Published November 30, 2007 by Joan Fallon

Holland completes book series on British theater history

Peter Holland, McMeel Family Professor in Shakespeare Studies and acting dean of the Graduate School at the University of Notre Dame, recently published the final two volumes of his five-book series "Redefining British Theatre History."

Published November 29, 2007 by Shannon Chapla

ND Expert: Oprah, Obama and "celebrity politics"

Oprah Winfrey's decision to campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama before the Iowa caucuses "elevates celebrity politics in America to a new level, maybe even a previously unexplored stratosphere," according to Robert Schmuhl, professor of American studies...

Published November 28, 2007 by Dennis Brown

English professor wins international book award

Kathryn Kerby-Fulton, the Notre Dame Professor of English, recently was awarded the John Ben Snow Prize from the North American Conference on British Studies for "Books Under Suspicion: Censorship and Tolerance of Revelatory Writing in Late Medieval England."

Published November 26, 2007 by Shannon Chapla

An artist of perfectly indistinct vision

Notre Dame artist Rev. Martin Lam Nguyen, C.S.C., had been stirred by the scriptural readings at Mass that morning and said so to his friend. "Did you hear the passage from the Book of Wisdom? That's what I'm hoping to get at."

Published November 26, 2007 by Michael O. Garvey

Phil Donahue to screen new film

Television talk show host and University of Notre Dame graduate Phil Donahue will screen his first film, "Body of War," at the Browning Cinema of the University's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at 7 and 10 p.m. Dec. 7 (Friday).

Published November 26, 2007 by Joan Fallon

In land of wealth, why are believers poor givers?

Christian Smith, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Sociology and director of Notre Dame's Center for the Study of Religion and Society, is featured in this story from Scripps Howard News Service on the charitable giving practices of American Christians.

Published November 24, 2007 by Terry Mattingly (from Scripps Howard News Service)

NEH makes Byzantine challenge grant

One of the ambitions of the University of Notre Dame's Spirit of Notre Dame capital campaign is the establishment of an endowment for Byzantine studies within the Medieval Institute. That ambition was quickened earlier this year when...

Published November 21, 2007 by Michael O. Garvey

Lubke wins award from psychology research organization

Gitta Lubke, John Cardinal O'Hara, C.S.C., Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, has received the 2007 Raymond B. Cattell Award for early career accomplishment from the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology (SMEP).

Published November 21, 2007 by Son Nguyen

Conference to examine "Dialogue of the Cultures"

Pope Benedict XVI's address at the University of Regensburg last year included a proposal which was largely overlooked in the often violent controversy which followed it.

Published November 21, 2007 by Michael O. Garvey

Senior Andrea Laidman named Mitchell Scholar

Andrea Laidman, a senior from Alden, N.Y., has been named a 2008-09 George J. Mitchell Scholar. The prestigious Mitchell scholarships are awarded annually to 12 Americans, under the age of 30, to pursue a year of post-graduate study at any university in Ireland.

Published November 20, 2007 by William G. Gilroy

Strategic Academic Planning Committee selects research proposals

The first phase of the Strategic Academic Planning Committee (SAPC) process, a major new initiative to advance the scope, excellence and visibility of Notre Dame's research enterprise, has been concluded and the second, and conclusive, phase of the effort soon will be underway.

Published November 20, 2007 by William G. Gilroy

Afsaruddin's new book examines legacy of first Muslims

Asma Afsaruddin, associate professor of Arabic and Islamic studies, is the author of a new book titled "The First Muslims: History and Memory," which explores how competing images of the earliest Muslims shape current Muslim discourses on critical issues.

Published November 19, 2007 by Shannon Chapla

Institute for Latino Studies report details integration in Chicago

As the Latino population has become the largest racial and ethnic minority in the Chicago area, many municipalities have been challenged to foster diverse and cohesive communities. To promote immigrant integration...

Published November 19, 2007 by Shannon Chapla

Milton scholar publishes new book

Stephen M. Fallon, professor of liberal studies and English at the University of Notre Dame, is co-editor of "The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton," a new book that celebrates the genius of the 17th-century English poet...

Published November 16, 2007 by Shannon Chapla

Democracy expert to lecture on stabilizing Iraq

Larry Diamond, a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, will deliver a lecture titled "Can Iraq Be Stabilized?" at 6 p.m. Nov. 27 (Tuesday) in the Hesburgh Center auditorium...

Published November 16, 2007 by Elizabeth Rankin

Renowned historian wins AHA book awards

Sabine G. MacCormack, Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor of Arts and Letters at the University of Notre Dame, has been awarded two American Historical Association (AHA) book prizes for "On the Wings of Time: Rome, the Incas, Spain and Peru"...

Published November 15, 2007 by Shannon Chapla

ND team wins "Collegiate Idol" business competition

An aftermarket product that transforms an ordinary window into an energy-efficient window won its inventors the $10,000 grand prize in the inaugural "Indiana Collegiate Idol" business competition.

Published November 14, 2007 by Carol Elliott

Notre Dame Expert: "Beowulf" movie proof of epic poem's lasting power

The digitally-rendered cinematic translation of "Beowulf," one of the oldest surviving poems in the English language, points to the epic's timeless themes of heroic adventure and its moving portrayal of both glory and the cost of heroism, says English Professor Katherine O'Brien-O'Keeffe...

Published November 14, 2007 by Susan Guibert

Father Scully honored as outstanding educator

Rev. Timothy R. Scully, C.S.C., professor of political science and director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame, has been recognized as an outstanding teacher with a Crystal Apple Award from Michigan State University's College of Education.

Published November 13, 2007 by Julie Hail Flory

Peace scholar receives award from Swedish city

The Swedish city of Uppsala has announced it will award Notre Dame professor Peter Wallensteen a 2007 honorary medal "for his commitment to peace and peace research, which has generated appreciation and respect nationally and internationally."

Published November 13, 2007 by Joan Fallon

Notre Dame Expert: Presidential polling not always accurate predictor

Current polls tell us that Sen. Hillary Clinton clearly is the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, and Rudy Giuliani has taken the lead among Republican candidates. But with a year to go before elections, can we be sure that these will be the two names on the ballot for president?

Published November 12, 2007 by Susan Guibert

Study abroad programs rank sixth nationally

The University of Notre Dame has the sixth-highest percentage among American research universities of students participating in study abroad programs, according to a recently released report from the Institute of International Education (IIE).

Published November 12, 2007 by Shannon Chapla

ND Expert: Mark Noll comments on Robertson endorsement of Giuliani

Televangelist Pat Robertson's recent endorsement of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for president is "curious for a number of reasons," according to Mark A. Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History...

Published November 9, 2007 by Michael O. Garvey

She's an art historian, not an Elvis historian

Don't call her the Elvis expert. "I'm more than that," says Erika Doss, art historian and new chair of the Department of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Published November 9, 2007 by Carol C. Bradley

PLS scholars publish two books

A married pair of humanities scholars at the University of Notre Dame, Michael and Marian Crowe, have published a pair of very different books.

Published November 7, 2007 by Michael O. Garvey

Vatican U.N. representative to speak on Catholic-Islamic relations

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations, will speak on "Catholicism and Islam: Points of Convergence and Divergence, Encounter and Cooperation" at 8 p.m. Nov. 15 (Thursday)...