The interplay between Catholicism and contemporary culture will be examined in a panel presentation titled “Sex and the City of God” from 7:30 to 10p.m. Feb. 28 (Wednesday) in 101 DeBartolo Hall at the University of Notre Dame.
The title of the presentation is an amalgam of the popular television series “Sex and the City” and St. Augustine’s book “The City of God.” After viewing a “Sex and the City” episode titled “The Domino Effect,” six panelists will present theological, economic, feminist, legal and student perspectives on issues related primarily to sexuality and relationships. The program will conclude with open discussion between the audience and panelists.
Topics to be explored include the Catholic view on sex, love and marriage; the hopes and dreams of young American women; men, commitment and marriage; the economics of living in large cities, especially for young, single women; and life outside the so-called “Notre Dame bubble.”
“At Notre Dame, we do not encourage students to hide from controversial and powerful currents in contemporary culture; nor do we want them to embrace those currents without reservation,” said M. Cathleen Kaveny, the panel moderator and John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law and a professor of theology at the University. “We want to give them the intellectual and spiritual tools they need to engage those currents both critically and constructively. It’s part of how we live our dual commitments to academic excellence and to the ongoing vitality of our Catholic intellectual, spiritual and moral tradition.”
The panelists, all from Notre Dame, in the order in which they will speak, are:
- Rev. Mark Poorman, C.S.C., vice president for Student Affairs and associate professor of theology
- Eileen Hunt Botting, director of the Gender Studies Program and Rolfs Assistant Professor of Political Science
- John Cavadini, associate professor and chair of theology
- Margaret Brinig, Fritz Duda Family Professor of Law and a specialist in economics and family law
- Emily Weisbecker, a senior majoring in English and anthropology and the author of “Loyal Daughters,” a play that examines issues of sexuality on campus which was presented last semester
- Jennie Bradley, a 2004 alumna with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and theology and now a student at Harvard Law School
The presentation is sponsored by the president’s ad hoc committee on gender relations and is free and open to the public.
Originally published by at newsinfo.nd.edu on February 19, 2007.