‘Culture and Thought’ Archives
Vampire hype: Professor discusses immortal fiends
In this year’s Center for Ethics and Culture fall conference “Younger than Sin: Virtues of Humility, Wonder, and Joy,” Professor Daniel McInerny from Baylor University presented his lecture entitled, “Sucking the Life from Our Children: Hollywood and the Romance of the Living Dead.” Professor McInerny addressed a packed audience of academics, laymen, and students as he discussed the [...]
Prof. Esolen discusses Christ-like child-likeness as solution to materialism
In a world of ceaseless conflict, strife, and oppression, where even basic disagreements have descended into what Alasdair MacIntyre calls, “the interminability of public argument,” Professor Anthony Esolen claims to have found the problem. In a lecture titled, “The Mighty Child: Visions of Youth in Dante and Shakespeare” during the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture’s annual [...]
Dia de Los Muertos Festivities Return
The traditional celebration of Dia de Los Muertos took place at Notre Dame with OFRENDA intact, VINUETE and mariachi music playing, and ballet folklorico performances in full swing. Sponsored by the Institute of Latino Studies, Snite Museum of Art, Kellogg Institute for International Studies, and Multicultural Student Programs and Services, the Dia de Los Muertos festivities brought together [...]
Professor Edward Hums’ Last Lecture: Finding ourselves and others on the journey to Emmaus
“It’s okay to do C work,” proclaimed Professor Ed Hums during his installment of Notre Dame’s “The Last Lecture Series.” Though the audience of curious students, professors, and other Notre Dame staff members laughed at this suggestion, Professor Hums defied the usual negative attitude toward mediocrity as he discussed the holistic journey Notre Dame offers each student. “You got [...]
Stratford Caldecott lectures on beauty, truth, and education
In a "Beauty for Truth's Sake" sponsored by the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy, Stratford Caldecott stressed the need to focus on beauty in order to find truth. Caldecott is the editor of Second Spring, a British journal of faith and culture. The lecture, which was loosely based on Caldecott's book of the same name, explored the relationship between beauty and truth and what that relationship [...]
The Badin Art Show: oily truths and green dogs
Thanks to the 2010 Badin Art Show, artwork currently adorns the walls of Badin Hall’s large social space, transforming the room into a gallery full of expression, beauty, and inspiration. Music and conversation resonate throughout the gallery, creating a relaxing atmosphere for appreciating artwork. Small groups of admirers cluster in the background, enjoying hors-d’oeuvres while slowly [...]
The Column: Architecture is Everywhere
In previous articles, I have covered a sampling of the historic fabric of campus (wherein, to be precise, fabric refers to the fabricated or man-made components thereof, not textiles). I have also addressed the general practice of traditional building today. Another key aspect remains to be discussed. There is, I suspect, widespread confusion about the distinction between a building [...]
Film Review: Paris: Moving through Windows and into the Heart
Everyday stories compose a dynamic mosaic in Cédric Klapisch’s film Paris. Set in the contemporary French capital, this film grapples with the social issues of the ordinary citizens who ultimately define the city. Klapisch explores several motifs that contribute to an overarching question: What does it mean to be truly alive? These motifs are present in juxtapositions such as tension [...]
The Column
As we have all just returned from a week outside the bubble, I thought it appropriate to devote this article to the state of traditional buildings in the broader architectural world. Over the break, I had the privilege of attending the Traditional Building Show and Conference in Chicago. Held annually by Restore Media, the publisher of a number of trade- and consumer-oriented magazines about [...]
Baylor professor addresses catechesis in Flannery O’Connor
Ralph Wood, professor of theology and literature at Baylor University, spoke on the catechesis of Catholic author Flannery O’Connor. Notre Dame's Center for Ethics and Culture sponsored this lecture, delivered on September 21, which was third in its literary series “Strangers in a Strange Land.” Wood began by noting that catechesis is not always a [...]
Langan addresses Orestes Brownson, the American Experiment at HCC
Orestes Browson’s work, even with its complications, offers a better lens through which we can understand the American system than that of the more popular John Courtney Murray. This was the theme of Professor Jeffrey Langan's address to the faculty and students of Holy Cross College in his lecture entitled “Orestes Brownson and the American Proposition.” Held on September 15, the event [...]
The Balance Between the Angel and the Beast
In the Center for Ethics and Culture’s ninth annual Catholic Culture Literature Series, “Strangers in a Strange Land,” Notre Dame professor of philosophy John O’Callaghan delivered the second lecture on the "philosophical novelist," Walker Percy. On the evening of September 14, O’Callaghan explored the central themes that are found in the novels of Walker Percy, a convert to [...]
The Column: The Rebirth of Collegiate Gothic, Neoclassical, and French Empire style
Neo-gothic motifs present in the historic buildings of Notre Dame have been the focus of my prior articles. The informed use of these details has contributed to a campus in harmony with the ideals of an academic and athletic community. By no means, however, is neo-gothic the only style suited to our endeavor. The core buildings of God Quad exhibit a broad [...]
The Incomparable Ralph
“The Catholic faith is the best thing that ever happened to the human race.” -Ralph McInerny In a lecture given on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 7 in Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Hall, Notre Dame philosophy Professor David Solomon recounted the life and works of Ralph McInerny, the late philosopher-novelist-poet and professor emeritus of the university. The evening’s lecture was the [...]
The Column: The Architecture on South Quad: Memory and Innovation in a Living Tradition
In the last issue I introduced the concept of architectural criticism and began our exploration of the historic buildings on South Quad. I hoped to convey the understanding that a neo-gothic building can succeed by quoting and interpreting the unique characteristics of different periods in gothic architecture. Unfortunately, you may have come away with the impression that every neo-gothic [...]