Course Recommendations for Spring 2021

College of Arts and Letters:

Professor Aldo Tagliabue will teach “Ancient Heroes: from Achilles to the Avengers” and “The Ancient Novel and Early Christian and Jewish Narrative” for the Classics department. Tagliabue is known to his students as a particularly thoughtful and passionate professor, and he enthusiastically shares his expertise on narrative.

Professor Kirk Doran is a faculty advisor to the Rover and will teach “The Economics of Innovation and Scientific Research,” this spring. He is a committed professor and Catholic scholar who genuinely cares about the success of his students.

Fr. Gregory Haake, CSC will teach “France (Paris and Angers): Atelier,” “Art of Interpretation,” “Expressions of France from the Middle Ages to the Revolution” and a 1-credit course titled, “Sorin Translation and Digital Exhibit.” A past student notes Fr. Greg’s ability to reveal to his class that in literature there is “a hidden beauty available to those who look. His humility is something to imitate and serves him as he strives for personal holiness and to lead others to holiness as well.”

Professor Nicholas Teh is a faculty advisor to the Rover and will teach “Image, Embodiment, and the Imagination,” this spring in the Philosophy Department. He is devoted to the Catholic mission of the university and specializes in the philosophy of physics and science.

Professor Therese Cory will teach a college seminar titled “Image and Truth” and a “Joint Seminar in Philosophy and Theology: Augustine and Aquinas on Knowing God.” She is an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas. For you budding Thomists out there, don’t sleep on Professor Cory.

Professor Daniel Philpott is a Rover faculty advisor and will teach “Christian Political Thought,” this spring for Political Science. He is an incredibly genuine, humble, kind, and intelligent professor who cares about his students and seeks to foster a true understanding of the material. Prof. Philpott does a wonderful job of presenting how Christian beliefs and teachings can inform our participation in the political system.

Professor Mary Keys will teach “Politics and Conscience” for Con Studies and Political Science students and a writing intensive Social Studies University Seminar for First Year students. A Tolkien and Augustine scholar, Professor Keys continues to draw students with her versatile approach and easy presence.

Professor Vincent Muñoz is a Rover faculty advisor and will teach “Constitutional Law” for Con Studies and Political Science students. Members of his classes appreciate that he is down-to-earth, approachable, and an entertaining lecturer. As always, this class promises to address current issues and challenge students to voice difficult questions.

Professor Patrick Deneen is a faculty advisor to the Rover and will teach “Political Theory,” “The Political Philosophy of Education,” and a Social Studies University Seminar. Professor Deneen has helped countless students bridge the gap between private and public life by showing young Catholics how they might best engage with the world today.

Professor Thomas Stapleford will teach “Fundamentals of Natural Science” and a one-credit “Junior Reading Course” for those PLS students who want to slow down on a group of seminar texts. Professor Stapleford is popular for his kindness and genius, and he consistently demonstrates interest in his students. Over winter break, he is even guiding a reading of “Designing Your Life” for PLS students who would like guidance navigating their existential crises.

Professor G Felicitas Munzel will teach “Great Books Seminar IV” and “Metaphysics and Epistemology” for PLS. Professor Munzel was undaunted last semester as she led students through difficult texts and inspired in them new confidence—and a sense of humor. Areas of her expertise include philosophy, metaphysics, and Kantian moral philosophy.

Professor John Cavadini is a Rover faculty advisor and a cherished member of Notre Dame’s theology department. He will teach “The Catholic Faith” and “Augustine’s City of God.” Students agree that with Professor Cavadini bookish material comes to life and becomes a matter of the heart, and even when Zooming at a distance his classes are a delight.

Fr. Terry Ehrman, CSC is a faculty advisor to the Rover and will teach “Theology and Ecology” and “Science, Theology, and Creation” for science or theology credits. Fr. Terry is an excellent resource for students interested in learning about the relationship between science and the Faith.

Sr. Ann Astell will teach “From Bernard to Bernadette: The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception” and “Introduction to Medieval Theology.” Sr. Ann’s theology electives are always popular because of her piety and knowledge of the Blessed Mother and the saints.

Fr. Paulinus Odozor, CSSp will teach “African Literatures and the Moral Imagination,” this spring. He is a devoted scholar of moral theology and an inspiring witness to the Faith.

Professor John O’Callaghan will teach “Science and Catholicism,” and “Aquinas on Justice, Pardon, and Mercy,” in the Philosophy Department this spring. Prof. O’Callaghan is a senior advisor to the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture and director of the Jacques Maritain Center.

Professor Christian Smith will teach “Environment, Food, & Society,” this spring in the Sociology Department. Prof. Smith specializes in, among other things, the sociology of religion and religion in modernity. His classes provide a faithful analysis of pertinent social issues through the lens of Catholic teaching.

Fr. Bill Miscamble, CSC, a faculty advisor to the Rover, will teach “Presidents and Presidencies from FDR to Obama” and “Catholics and US Public Life from JFK to the Present” for History and Con Studies students. Fr. Bill has a talent for relaying the narrative of history in a grounded, thorough, and humorous way. His Australian accent and tales of Moreau Seminary are welcome bonuses.

Law School:

Professor Gerard Bradley (faculty advisor) is a professor of law and teaches Legal Ethics and Constitutional Law. He directs the Natural Law Institute and served for many years as the president of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars.

Professor Nicole Stelle Garnett (faculty advisor) is a professor of law whose teaching and research focuses on property, land use, urban development, local government law, and education policy. She is a Fellow of the Institute for Educational Initiatives and the Senior Policy Advisor for the Alliance for Catholic Education.

Professor Richard Garnett (faculty advisor) is a professor of law whose teaching and research focuses on freedoms of speech, association, and religion and constitutional law. He is the founding director of Notre Dame Law School’s Program on Church, State, and Society, is a Fellow of the University’s Institute for Educational Initiatives, and consults regularly with the Alliance for Catholic Education.

College of Engineering:

Professor Craig Lent will teach a popular EE elective, “Physicalism and Catholicism: Are you a machine?” Professor Lent blends technical quantum physics with Catholic demonstrations of free will and creation for a very interesting course.

Professor Vijay Gupta will teach “Introduction to Reinforcement Learning,” a domain of artificial intelligence that “seeks to teach an autonomous agent to take successful actions within an environment.” Prof. Gupta’s primary goal of the courses he teaches is to engage with students and promote their learning, and he generally does this without the need for overly burdensome exams or multi hour homework assignments. Participation in his lectures will make for a very fun semester of learning.

College of Business:

Professor Laura Hollis (faculty advisor) will teach “Business Law: Contracts and Agency” as well as “Introduction to Entrepreneurship.” Professor Hollis’s background in English, entrepreneurship, and public policy enriches and rounds out her classes.

Dean Martijn Cremers (faculty advisor) will teach “Corporate Governance & Catholic Social Teaching,” this spring. He will explore how Catholicism and Catholic Social Teaching can inform the operation of firms.

School of Architecture: 

Professor Philip Bess will teach “Catholicism and The City: Good Urbanism as Human Flourishing, Environmental Stewardship, and Sacramentality.” The course is available for theology and Con Studies elective credit as well as in Architecture. Bess shares with students his passion for Catholic and classical humanism, which is at the heart of the School. One project he is currently devoting time to is After Burnham: The Notre Dame Plan of Chicago 2109, which will consider the possibilities for applying classical humanism to metropolitan Chicago for a transformative bicentennial of the 1909 Plan of Chicago. Areas of Bess’s expertise include Architectural History and Theory, Sports Stadium Design, and Urban Design.

Professor Duncan Stroik will teach “Issues on Sacred Architecture.” He is an accomplished architect and professor of sacred architecture whose work for the Catholic Church has been remarkable.

*This is by no means an exhaustive list of all courses and professors who support and further the Catholic mission of the University of Notre Dame. This is a list compiled by the Irish Rover with individual recommendations from our staff. For a more complete list of professors, please refer to www.ndcatholic.com/profiles, a project of the Sycamore Trust.*