The College of Arts and Letters is the oldest and largest college within the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

. The Dean of the College of Arts and Letters is Sarah Mustillo.

History

The College of Arts and Letters is the oldest in the university, and it was founded in 1842 with the University itself.

Facilities

The main center of the College is O'Shaughnessy Hall, which hosts classrooms, art galleries, a coffee shop, and administrative offices. It was built in 1953 by Ellerbe Associates in

Tudor Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

style. Ground was broken for in July 1951 and the cornerstone was laid in May, The wings of the building meet at a central six-story tower. In addition to classrooms, the building also featured music rooms and 4 art galleries, which were later incorporated into the

Snite Museum of Art The Snite Museum of Art is the fine art museum on the University of Notre Dame campus, near South Bend, Indiana. With about 30,000 works of art that span cultures, eras, and media, the Snite Museum's permanent collection serves as a rich resource ...

. The high-beam decorated ceiling was painted by Alphonse Schmitt. The building was the gift of philanthropist Ignatius Aloysius O'Shaughnessy and cost $2,300,000. O'Shaughnessy was an oil tycoon and philanthropist; he was made Knight Commander Order of St. Gregory on June 17th 1958 by

Pius XII Pius ( , ) Latin for "pious", is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia. It may refer to: People Popes * Pope Pius (disambiguation) * Antipope Pius XIII (1918-2009), who led the breakaway True Catholic Church sect Given name * Pius B ...

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

made him

papal count The papal nobility are the aristocracy of the Holy See, composed of persons holding titles bestowed by the Pope. From the Middle Ages into the nineteenth century, the papacy held direct temporal power in the Papal States, and many titles of papal ...

in 1967, and the

National Conference of Christians and Jews The National Conference for Community and Justice is an American social justice organization focused on fighting biases and promoting understanding between people of different races and cultures. The organization was founded in 1927 as the Natio ...

bestowed upon him its Brotherhood Award in 1971. Its Great Hall, which is decorated and sculpted on the outside, features a crucifix by Croatian sculptor

Ivan Meštrović Ivan Meštrović (; 15 August 1883 – 16 January 1962) was a Croatian sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic personality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pavle Bilinić's ...

, a bust of Dean Charles E. Sheedy, and 7 stained glass windows, representing the seven

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

. The Great Hall also hosts two tapestries that were rediscovered and restored in 2014 when the Hall was restored to its original appearance. One tapestry is of German or Belgian production from the 17th century, while the other one is from 18th century France. It was featured in the movie

Rudy Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch polit ...

. Offices for most of the faculty of the College are housed in Decio and Malloy Halls, which are situated just West of O'Shaughnessy Hall. Corbett Family Hall, which is part of the Campus Crossroads expansion of the

Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, the home field of the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. It was built in 1930 under the guidance of Knute Rockne, regarded as one of the greatest co ...

, houses the Departments of

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

and

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

. Corbett is a 280,000-square-foot building, and is located on the East side of the stadium, between the

Dan Devine Daniel John Devine (December 23, 1924 – May 9, 2002) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the Univers ...

(Gate A) and

Ara Parseghian Ara Raoul Parseghian (; hy, Արա Ռաուլ Պարսեղյան; May 21, 1923 – August 2, 2017) was an American football player and coach who guided the University of Notre Dame to national championships in 1966 and 1973. He is noted for bri ...

(Gate B) gates, facing the

Edmund P. Joyce Center The Joyce Center, formerly the Athletic & Convocation Center, is a 9,149-seat multi-purpose arena in Notre Dame, Indiana just north of South Bend. The arena opened its doors in 1968. It is home to the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish basket ...

. The second floor houses the Department of

, with research laboratories, offices, study and meeting rooms, classrooms, and social events spaces . The third, fourth, and fifth floors house the Department of

's offices, more than 30 research labs, and classrooms. The third floor is mostly

cognitive psychology Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of mental processes such as attention, language use, memory, perception, problem solving, creativity, and reasoning. Cognitive psychology originated in the 1960s in a break from behaviorism, which ...

, the fourth floor is mainly

behavioral psychology Behaviorism is a systematic approach to understanding the behavior of humans and animals. It assumes that behavior is either a reflex evoked by the pairing of certain antecedent stimuli in the environment, or a consequence of that individual ...

, and the fifth floor is mainly a mixture of relationship psychology and others. The anthropology and psychology departments, both in the College of Arts and Letters, were scattered around campus and without a single location before the opening of Corbett. The departments of Art and Art History, and Design is housed in the Leo and Edna Riley Hall of Art & Design. The building, which built in 1917 as a chemistry hall, was renovated in 1982 thanks to a donation from Allan Riley, real estate investor and 1957 graduate. The department also houses its graphic and industrial design programs in the recently renovated West Lake hall. The Department of

Film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

, and

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

is housed and has its performance and recital spaces in the

DeBartolo Performing Arts Center The Marie P. DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC) is a performing arts venue located on the south end of the University of Notre Dame campus and open to the South Bend, Indiana, and wider community. The 150,000 square foot facility, which open ...

, in addition to using several other facilities such as Washington Hall and the Martin Media Center in Corbett Hall and others. The Departments of Philosophy and Theology are housed in Malloy Hall. The

Music department A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

is housed in O'Neill Hall, also part of the Campus Crossroads project and on the Notre Dame Stadium. The fifth and sixths floors of O'Neill Hall are dedicated to the

Sacred Music Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as ritual. Relig ...

Program and house departmental offices, teaching studios and practice rooms. The third floor hosts the Michuda Family Visiting Artist Rehearsal Hall as well as seminar rooms, two mid-sized classrooms, and large lecture hall, and the music library, which was relocated from the

Hesburgh Library Theodore Hesburgh Library is the primary building of the University of Notre Dame's library system. The present-day building opened on September 18, 1963, as Memorial Library. In 1987, it was renamed Hesburgh Library, in honor of Rev. Theodore Hesb ...

. The first floor also hosts LaBar Family Performance and Rehearsal Hall, both 2,200-square-feet. The recital hall has 175 seats, offering a more intimate atmosphere than other spaces on campus. It features a traditional stage, fixed seating, and a formal atmosphere for classical concert music. The Performance Hall instead is more an interdisciplinary performance space, accommodating alternative types of musical events in combination with other media, such as projected text visual images, acting, lighting, and dance. It has flexible seating and staging options in a “black-box” style setting that can host avant-garde performance and experimentation.

Departments

The

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

* Africana Studies *

American Studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture. It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography and critical theory. Sch ...

(includes

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

) *

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

(includes

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

Studies) *

East Asian East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea a ...

Languages and Cultures *

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and

Russian Language Russian (russian: русский язык, russkij jazyk, link=no, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language mainly spoken in Russia. It is the First language, native language of the Russians, and belongs to the Indo-European langua ...

s and Literatures *

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Language and Literature *

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

* Program of Liberal Studies *

Romance Languages The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European language fam ...

and Literatures *

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

The

Arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...

Art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

Art History Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

Design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

* Film, Television, and Theatre *

Music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

The

Social Sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

Centers, Institutes, and Affiliations

The Center for Social Concerns

The College of Arts and letters is also affiliated with the Notre Dame Center for Social Concerns, which studies poverty, injustice, and oppression.

Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies

Established in 1991 with a gift from

Donald Keough Donald Raymond Keough (September 4, 1926 – February 24, 2015) was an Irish-American businessman and Chairman of the Board of Allen & Company LLC, a New York investment banking firm. He was elected to that position in April 1993. Keough retired ...

, the institute focused on the study of Ireland and Irish culture, language, immigration, and history. In 2006 it was renamed after a further donation from Irish businessman Martin Naughton. At the undergraduate level, it offers many courses and a minor in Irish Studies. It also offers a minor for Ph.D. students of English or History. The institute is located of the University's Global gateway in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, which is based at O'Connell House, a late eighteenth-century building on

Merrion Square Merrion Square () is a Georgian garden square on the southside of Dublin city centre. History The square was laid out in 1752 by the estate of Viscount FitzWilliam and was largely complete by the beginning of the 19th century. The demand for ...

, which enables students to study abroad in Ireland. The institute also runs Irish internships which offer Dublin-based summer positions. In the summer, the Institute hosts The IRISH Seminar, a weeks-long seminar that focuses on Irish cultural, intellectual, and political debates.

Medieval Institute

The College of Arts and Letters is affiliated with the Notre Dame Medieval Institute, that is regarded among the best centers for

Medieval Studies Medieval studies is the academic interdisciplinary study of the Middle Ages. Institutional development The term 'medieval studies' began to be adopted by academics in the opening decades of the twentieth century, initially in the titles of books ...

. It is ranked number #6 by U.S. News & World Report. The institute was formally founded in 1946, but it was created on a pre-existing program of medieval studies that dated back to the 1930s.https://medieval.nd.edu/assets/48717/mi_library_brief_history.pdf Its rare book collection contains holds microfilms and photographic copies of nearly all of the Latin and vernacular materials and many of those in Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic housed in the great

Biblioteca Ambrosiana The Biblioteca Ambrosiana is a historic library in Milan, Italy, also housing the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Ambrosian art gallery. Named after Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan, it was founded in 1609 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, whose agen ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. This collection was conceived in 1960, when the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal

Giovanni Montini Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

(future Pope Paul VI) visited campus for an honorary degree. Starting in 1962, the library acquired microfilm of over 35,000 manuscripts. Additionally, the institute's collection also features the Astrik L. Gabriel Universities Collection, which collects book, journals, and other sources on the histories of universities worldwide.

Eck Institute for Global Health

A university-wide enterprise, the Eck Institute for Global Health (EIGH) promotes research, training, and service to advance health standards and reduce health disparities. The EIGH includes

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

Molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

and

microbiology Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...

Computational science Computational science, also known as scientific computing or scientific computation (SC), is a field in mathematics that uses advanced computing capabilities to understand and solve complex problems. It is an area of science that spans many disc ...

Maternal ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestat ...

, child, and community health,

Genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

and

genomics Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of biology focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes as well as its hierarchical, three-dim ...

Biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

, Non-communicable diseases, Social sciences.

Institute for Educational Initiatives

The Notre Dame Institute for Educational Initiatives was founded in 1996 under the direction of Prof. Maureen Hallinan.

Institute for Latino Studies

Created in 1999, the Institute for Latino Studies focuses on understanding of the U.S. Latino experience. Building upon the history of Latinos at Notre Dame and the legacy of

Julian Samora Julian Samora (March 1, 1920 – February 2, 1996) was an American teacher, scholar and community activist who helped to pioneer the field of Latino Studies. Samora was the first Mexican-American to ever receive a doctorate in sociology; and, ...

, a pioneering Latino scholar and professor of

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

, the Institute supports scholarly initiatives in Latino studies.

Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies

The University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies is a center for the study of the causes of violent conflict and strategies for sustainable peace. Kroc institute faculty and fellows conduct interdisciplinary research on topics related to peace and justice. The Kroc Institute offers an undergraduate program, a master’s in International Peace Studies, and a Ph.D program. It was founded in 1986 through the donations of

Joan B. Kroc Joan Beverly Kroc ( Mansfield, previously Smith; August 27, 1928 – October 12, 2003), also known as Joni, was an American philanthropist and third wife of McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc. Early life Joan Beverly Mansfield was born on August 27, 19 ...

, the widow of

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

founder

Ray Kroc Raymond Albert Kroc (October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984) was an American businessman. He purchased the fast food company McDonald's in 1961 and was its CEO from 1967 to 1973. Kroc is credited with the global expansion of McDonald's, turnin ...

. The institute was inspired by the vision of Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh CSC, President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame. The institute has contributed to international policy discussions about peace building practices, including the

Colombian peace process The Colombian peace process is the peace process between the Colombian government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC–EP) to bring an end to the Colombian conflict, which eventually led to the ...

Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies

The Institute provides a forum for integrated and multidisciplinary research and teaching on Asia. The Institute promotes awareness, understanding, and knowledge of Asia through organizing public events.

Research Centers and Affiliations

In addition to its affiliations with Interdisciplinary institutes, faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Letters also conduct research projects with a variety of research centers. These include the Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights, the De Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, the Center for Italian Studies, the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity, the Center for the Study of Social Movements, the John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values, the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy, the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities. The College of Arts and Letters is also affiliated with a number of research centers within the university that are dedicated to the furtherance and study of the Catholic categories fundamental to the core values of the University of Notre Dame. Such centers include the Center for Philosophy of Religion, the Center for the Study of Religion and Society, the Center for Theology, Science, and Human Flourishing, and the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism.

Deans

*1919–1923 Joseph Leonard Carrico *1923–1935 Charles C. Miltner *1935–1936 T. Bowyer Campbell *1936–1940 Charles C. Miltner *1940–1943 Francis J. Boland *1943–1951 Francis P. Cavanaugh *1951–1969 Charles E. Sheedy *1969–1975 Frederick J. Crosson *1975–1981 Isabel Charles *1981–1983 Robert E. Burns *1983–1991

Michael J. Loux Michael J. Loux (born August 17, 1942) is an American philosopher and George N. Shuster Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame. He is known for his works on metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that ...

*1991–1997

Harold W. Attridge Harold William Attridge (born November 24, 1946) is an American New Testament scholar known for his work in New Testament exegesis, especially the Epistle to the Hebrews, the study of Hellenistic Judaism, and the history of the early Church. He i ...

*1997–2008 Mark W. Roche *2008–2018

John McGreevy John T. McGreevy (born 1963) is an American historian who has been serving as Charles and Jill Fischer Provost of the University of Notre Dame since July 1, 2022. He was formerly the dean of the College of Arts & Letters at the University of Not ...

*2018–present Sarah Mustillo

References

External links

* {{Coord, 41, 42, 01.1, N, 86, 14, 08.7, W, region:US-IN_type:edu, display=title

College Of Arts And Letters A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

Liberal arts colleges at universities in the United States Educational institutions established in 1842 1842 establishments in Indiana