From Vikings to Freud: The College of Arts and Letters
By JACQUELINE BROWDER
Assistant Scene Editor
Does the thought of dissection make you sick? Not wild about accounting? As a child, did you have trouble creating a sturdy structure with your Lincoln Logs? Have no fear — the College of Arts and Letters may be just what you're looking for.
The College of Arts and Letters is the oldest and largest unit of the University of Notre Dame, embracing the humanities, the social sciences and the fine and performing arts. Approximately 2,500 undergraduates and 750 graduate students are enrolled in its degree programs, organized into 18 departments and the Medieval Institute.
It's been said that you can't underestimate the value of a good liberal arts education. Arts and Letters Dean Mark Roche affirms, "These disciplines are both ends in themselves and useful in teaching students the formal skills that will be applicable beyond their specific discipline. We explore the complex structures of the contemporary self and contemporary society — its organization, efficiencies and political structures."
The College of Arts and Letters allows students to explore their creative capacities, whether though creative thinking, dramatic performance or through critical analysis of a text. The areas of study are extensive and classes are often crosslisted to allow students to take classes in the college, but outside their major.
However, creative thinking doesn't always equal big bucks in the post-graduate world. Many Arts and Letters majors nearing graduation fear that a more "practical" major would give them an edge in a working environment. Roche disagrees. "Notre Dame liberal arts majors have found challenging employment at Fortune 500 companies, prestigious consulting firms and financial service giants.
"What they may lack in nuts and bolts of business, they compensate for with their ability to draw on a breadth of general knowledge, to think creatively and communicate effectively and to adjust to evolving or unexpected circumstances."
Notre Dame's College of Arts and Letters gives students the opportunity to think creatively by offering a tremendous amount of variety in its classes. Here are just a few of the college's offerings.
Interested in the Vikings? Take HIST 240. Feel like royalty? Try HIST 241, "Caesars Emperors and Czars." Did Valentine's Day get you in the mood for romance? There's an English class dedicated to "Love in the Middle Ages" (ENG 335). For future ESPN sportscasters, the Film, Television and Theater department offers a class in Broadcast Journalism (FTT 308). Notre Dame may not condone fraternities and sororities on campus, but you can learn about the Greeks in CLAS 450, "Greek and Roman Mythology."
Want to know more about political theory, foreign policy or the motives behind the Cold War? You might want to take a few Government courses. Or you can learn about the "Anthropology of Reproduction"(GSC 448) — if you're curious about that sort of thing — through the Gender Studies Department. You can even channel the musician inside and learn to play jazz guitar (MUS 213).
For future lawyers or, possibly, future convicts, the Sociology department offers a class in Criminology. Or you could get out your broomstick and take "Witchcraft and Occult" (ANTH 418) through the Anthropology department. For those contemplating their weekend's activities, the Theology department offers a class entitled, "Sin and Redemption" (THEO 225).
Thinking existentially? Take PHIL 222. Oedipus complex? You can work on that in Abnormal Psychology (PSY 354). Or you can impress people at parties with your vast knowledge of books if you're a PLS major. You can even crosslist yourself into the business world and take an Economics course.
Throw pots in a ceramics class (ARST 210) or learn Japanese and figure out what Pokemon is all about. Or, through the American Studies department, you can "Witness the Sixties"(AMST340) and find out what your parents were up to in their youth.
The College of Arts and Letters offers a multitude of diverse courses, encouraging students to think creatively and comprehensively in several areas of study. Whether business, law school or post-graduate study calls, "[Arts and Letters students] have learned the basic skills that are requisite for success in any enterprise," says Roche. "They learn to think on their feet and out of the box."
All Scene Stories for Monday, February 19, 2001
