UNDERGRADUATE Seminars
The
Erasmus Institute seeks to encourage a new generation of scholars
interested in Catholic intellectual traditions
through its summer seminars for advanced undergraduate students. Each seminar is comprised of twelve participants,
selected through a competitive application process.
The seminars run concurrently for two weeks during the month of
June (June 13-27, 2009). There are
no fees, and on-campus accommodation and transportation costs
are covered. The Institute will also provide a $500 stipend to
participants.
Catholic Intellectual Traditions will be led by Joseph Wawrykow, Associate Professor in the Department of Theology. The seminar will examine some of the principal themes in the tradition through close reading and discussion of selected texts. A scholar of Thomas Aquinas, Professor Wawrykow has written two books, co-edited two others, and has published articles and encyclopedia entries on various topics in medieval theology. After receiving his B.A. and M.A. at the University of Manitoba, he studied at Yale for his Ph.D., and from there came to Notre Dame. He has won awards for his teaching both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and is known for his ability to make complex theological ideas both comprehensible and exciting.
Humanities and Social Sciences will be led by Brad Gregory, Associate Professor in the Department of History. In an effort to remedy the early specialization that keeps many college students from asking big, even ultimate questions, the seminar will introduce its members to major contemporary trends in disciplines in both the humanities and social sciences. Professor Gregory is an historian of early modern Christianity who received his Ph.D. from Princeton and came to Notre Dame from Stanford in 2003. He has published an award-winning book on Christian martyrdom in early modern Europe and edited a collection of writings by Mennonite martyrs. In 2005, he was awarded the inaugural Hiett Prize in the Humanities, which recognizes and honors the extraordinary promise he has shown as a young scholar.
Each seminar will meet for three hours on the weekday mornings. Following the seminar meetings, the student participants and faculty leaders will join together for lunch in the campus dining hall. Afternoons and evenings are free for reading, informal conversation, and meeting with the two faculty leaders.
Two Notre Dame graduate students will serve as docents to the seminar participants, residing at the campus dorm in order to facilitate conversation about ideas, academic careers, and the graduate school experience.
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