Latest News

Latest News » Q and A

A Q&A with Roy Scranton about climate change, Notre Dame’s Environmental Humanities Initiative, and ‘ethical pessimism’

Author: Carrie Gates

Categories: Research, Q and A, General News, Faculty News, Centers and Institutes, and Catholicism

"We think homelessness is bad — but what about homelessness when there’s 5 inches of rain in one day? Or when it’s 108 degrees out? It exacerbates every problem," said Roy Scranton, the associate professor of English, director of the Creative Writing Program, and founding director of the University’s Environmental Humanities Initiative. "And if we don’t start thinking about it now, in forward-looking, adaptive ways, it’s going to be unmanageable. We need to be thinking now about how to live ethically in a world of catastrophe."

Read More

Q&A with psychology professor Jessica Payne: Sleep is critical for processing emotions and shoring up memory

Author: Tracy DeStazio

Categories: Research and Q and A

"If you wake up before you head into REM sleep, and there’s a little bit too much stress or too much cortisol (a primary stress hormone) in your system, then you might find yourself awake, anxious and ruminating the rest of the night," said Payne. "And sleep deprivation itself is a stressor. When you’re sleep deprived, you produce more cortisol, which then makes it harder to sleep — it becomes a vicious cycle."

 

Read More

Q&A: Three Notre Dame students share why they're majoring in psychology

Author: Shannon Rooney

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, Q and A, and Centers and Institutes

Sophia Alvarez's favorite class is CogSci Goes to School, which examines how cognitive science informs educational practices; it includes tutoring in area schools. Ryan Van Kirk enjoyed Childhood Maltreatment Practicum, which involves mentoring a child in the foster care system. For Chris Walsh, Drunk on Film fostered meaningful discussions about the normalization of binge drinking in our culture.

 

 

Read More

Classes for the Curious: Moby-Dick & 19th-Century America

Author: Liam Price

Categories: Undergraduate News, Q and A, and General News

Sophomore history and political science major Michael Donelan considers Moby-Dick & 19th-Century America with Jake Lundberg to be one of the most exciting courses he has taken while at Notre Dame. In this Q&A, he discusses the appeal of the small, seminar-style class in which students explore Herman Melville’s 1851 masterpiece as a gateway into learning about life in 19th-century America as a whole.

Read More

Medieval studies helped prepare Alex Miller '92 to be a strategic business executive

Author: Lucy Grinnan

Categories: Q and A, Centers and Institutes, and Alumni

"We must decide the type of world that we want to live in and make sacrifices and changes to achieve that outcome," said Miller. "Leaders that can grasp just how much has changed between the Middle Ages and the present day will find it easier to find that 'true north' moral conviction to be passionate stewards for change."

Read More

Philosophy, theology, and classics major Daniel O'Brien on why research is rewarding and how he got started working with a professor

Author: Shannon Rooney

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, and Q and A

The Class of 2024 member said the project has highlighted the countless hands throughout the centuries who laboriously hand-copied manuscripts for their preservation. "The idiosyncrasies of Greek handwriting is a world I had not been exposed to before, and being able to read it is a unique experience, not to mention a very important skill to have in my field."

Read More

Four 2022 grads share how Romance languages and literatures enriched their lives

Author: Shannon Rooney

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, Q and A, Internationalism, Centers and Institutes, and Alumni

Irma Ibarra, who spoke Spanish and English when she arrived in South Bend, majored in Italian, studied in Rome, took Beginning French, and wishes she had taken a Portuguese course. Studying French helped Kyle Dorshorst gain a deeper appreciation of French music, literature, art, and culture. Maria Teel loved that her language skills could bridge gaps between people, including at the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. When Fouad El Zoghbi came to Notre Dame, he spoke French, English, and Arabic. Then he studied Spanish. Learning a new language, he said, expands your mind in unimaginable ways.

 

Read More

A Q&A with Catherine Brown Tkacz ’83, the Medieval Institute's first Ph.D. alumna, on how rigorous historical inquiry promotes equal dignity of women

Author: Annie Killian

Categories: Q and A, Graduate Students, and Alumni

Catherine Brown Tkacz recovers positive traditions about women that have been largely forgotten since what Brad Gregory aptly calls the Unintended Reformation. She said at least 11 biblical women have been recognized as prefiguring Christ in his passion, a dynamic way of emphasizing that everyone, male and female, is called to be holy.

Read More

A Q&A with Nicholas Roberts, history Ph.D. alumnus

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Research, Q and A, Internationalism, Graduate Students, and General News

Nicholas Roberts completed his Ph.D. in history at Notre Dame in May, focusing on modern Islamic history. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in music performance and history from Syracuse University in 2009 and his Master of Arts in global, international, and comparative history from Georgetown University in 2014. This fall, he is joining Norwich University as assistant professor of Middle Eastern history. In this interview, he discusses why he chose Notre Dame, his research on the history of the Omani Empire in the Indian Ocean, and why places like the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian Ocean should be more of a focal point in historical narratives.

Read More

Q&A with Luiz Vilaça, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology

Luiz Vilaça is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology and a Ph.D. fellow in the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. His research focuses on the sociology of law, organizations, and politics. In this interview, he discusses how state organizations build the autonomy and capacity to investigate corruption, how Brazil startled the world by dismantling multiple schemes of bribery and kickbacks, and why it's important to examine these anti-corruption investigations from a sociological perspective.

Read More

Q&A with Claire Scott-Bacon, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychology

Author: Carrie Gates

Categories: Research, Q and A, Graduate Students, and General News

Claire Scott-Bacon is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychology’s clinical program and was recently awarded a Distinguished Graduate Fellowship from the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study. Her research focuses on issues related to the structure and assessment of criminal personality in clinical, forensic, and legal settings. In this interview, she discusses her work and its impact on the high rate of wrongful convictions and criminalization of mental health-related crimes in the United States.

Read More

Q&A with Patrícia Rodrigues-Niu, Ph.D. student in anthropology

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Research, Q and A, Internationalism, Graduate Students, and General News

Patrícia Rodrigues is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology and a fellow in the Kellogg Institute for International Studies focusing her research on the historical and anthropological bases for indigenous claims to territory and legal protection of archaeological sites and ecological resources in Brazil. In this interview, she discusses her research on the Wauja people in Brazil, why she chose Notre Dame, and how the anthropology program's emphasis on transdisciplinarity makes it distinctive.

Read More

How palm oil explains state-building in Colombia: A Q&A with political science Ph.D. candidate Camilo Neito-Matiz

What does palm oil — cheap, easy to produce, and endlessly versatile — explain about state-building in a region wracked by violence? Plenty, according to Ph.D. candidate Camilo Nieto-Matiz, a comparative political scientist who studies how states increase their capacity in subnational peripheries, poor areas with little state presence, in times of conflict. In other words, he examines how governments undertake fundamental tasks like providing security, collecting taxes, and building schools and roads ­— all of which are necessary for development, democracy, and political order.

Read More

Q&A with Christopher Baron, associate professor in the Department of Classics

Author: Carrie Gates

Categories: Research, Q and A, Internationalism, General News, and Faculty News

In this Q&A, Christopher Baron, an associate professor of classics and concurrent associate professor of history, discusses his research on Greek historians living in the Roman Empire and how we grapple with similar questions today, as well as the strange and interesting things he's learned while editing an encyclopedia on Herodotus — the "Father of History."

Read More

Q&A with Katie Bugyis, assistant professor in the Program of Liberal Studies

Author: Emily Mahan and Carrie Gates

Categories: Research, Q and A, General News, Faculty News, Centers and Institutes, and Alumni

Katie Bugyis, who received a bachelor's degree in history and a Ph.D. in medieval studies from Notre Dame, recently joined the faculty as an assistant professor in the Program of Liberal Studies, concurrent assistant professor in the Department of Theology, and faculty fellow of the Medieval Institute. In this Q&A, she discusses her return to Notre Dame, how she became interested in medieval studies, and why the Program of Liberal Studies is the best home for her teaching and research.

Read More

Q&A with Leslie Lockett, alumna of the Ph.D. program at the Medieval Institute

Author: Brandon Cook and Karrie Fuller

Categories: Q and A, Graduate Students, General News, Centers and Institutes, and Alumni

In this Q&A, Leslie Lockett, an associate professor of English and director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at The Ohio State University, discusses early medieval concepts of the mind, what initially hooked her on the Middle Ages, and her advice for graduate students who would like to follow her career track.

Read More

Q&A with John McGreevy, outgoing dean of the College of Arts and Letters

Author: Kate Garry

Categories: Research, Q and A, General News, and Faculty News

John T. McGreevy has been the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Dean of the College of Arts and Letters since 2008. After two five-year terms as dean, he has decided to move on. Effective July 1, he will become the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History and begin a yearlong research leave. This summer, he shared his thoughts as outgoing dean, his hopes for the future of the College, and his excitement about incoming dean Sarah Mustillo, professor and chair of the Department of Sociology.

Read More