Hooding & Honors Convocation 2013

Another lovely spring day to celebrate the 56th class of Humanistic Studies grads at their hooding ceremony! This year's Thomas More Award winner was Jean Osberger. Congratulations to all!

More pictures are here or in the slideshow below: https://plus.google.com/photos/105886126431602070090/albums/5874912029125979057?authkey=CLv8oa-mr4KDQg.

HUST'las

Senior bonding, clever-like, with the 2013 custom shirt: "Everyday I'm HUSTlin".

Spring 2013 - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Front row seats!

Ambreen, Rachel, & Jean

Kerry, Molly, Jessica & Tara 

Top: Colleen & Anna

Bottom: Lucy, Clare & LWA

HUST huddle

Our annual trip into Chicago landed squarely and appropriately in the middle of HUST week this year. The entire cohort of HUST majors was able to attend, making this year's trip especially memorable--well, that, and the shell casings and fake blood raining down on us from the stage (Julius Caesar...lots of fighting).

Henrietta Lacks events

Several events are happening on campus related to the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which details the biographical and cultural history of the discovery of HeLa cells (used to find treatments for cancer, HIV, etc.), cells which were taken without permission from a young African-American women in the 1950s. There's been a great deal of buzz about the book on campus: it was a national bestseller, it was chosen by the SMC book club as their selection for last year, it's been taught in several classes on campus (in my Lives and Times, in Political Science, Philosophy, Biology, and others) and, most importantly, there are several events happening on campus related to the book. If you haven't read it, I'd highly recommend it. It's a fast-paced, moving, thought-provoking book that proves that we can't so easily separate issues of science and the human, social justice and medical development, in ways that we so often try to do.

Upcoming events include a visit and presentation by members of the Lacks family and a lecture by the author of the book, Rebecca Skloot (details below). And, for those who just can't get enough, Saint Mary's has an alumnae book club called "One Book One Saint Mary's" (modeled after a national trend for college and university book clubs) with regional meetings / groups. The selected book this past year for clubs across the country and the world was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and the South Bend chapter will be discussing the book with yours truly and Prof. Kathryn Haas (Chemistry). Feel free to join us, and please do spread the word for any friends who didn't get to discuss the book in a class.

RSVP for Skloot lecture (HUST students only)

Friday, February 1

"One Book One Saint Mary's" Book Club Discussion

Wednesday, February 6

6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Student Center Lounge

Open to alums and SMC students/faculty/staff

Lacks Family Presentation

Tuesday, February 12

7:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Carroll Auditorium

* free & tickets required *

Rebecca Skloot Lecture (& book signing!)

Wednesday, February 27

7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

O'Laughlin Auditorium

* RSVP to LWA & tickets required *

I hope to see many of you at these events! Please let me know if you have any questions.

A brief video to give you a taste of what to expect:

A Successful Lecture

Many thanks to those alumnae, especially the members of the National Advisory Council and the participants in the "Success After HUST" Speed Networking event, who visited campus and attended the 2012 Christian Culture Lecture with James Carroll last week. It was a remarkable success. We are so very appreciative of your commitment to Saint Mary's and to Humanistic Studies. 

Christian Culture Lecture 2012

James Carroll

“ The Reforming Dimension of Christianity in
Western Culture: Vatican II and Beyond”

Tuesday, September 25, 2012
7:30 p.m.
O'Laughlin Auditorium
Saint Mary's College

Tickets are required for this free event and are available at the Moreau Center Box Office, online, or over the phone. Box Office Hours: Monday through Friday,
9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information call (574) 284-4626 or visit moreaucenter.com

About James Carroll

James Carroll, “one of the most adept and versatile writers on the American scene today” (Denver Post), is the award-winning author, columnist for The Boston Globe, and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Suffolk University in Boston. He has authored ten novels and seven works of non-fiction, including the National Book Award winning An American Requiem; the New York Times bestselling Constantine's Sword, now an acclaimed documentary; House of War, which won the first PEN-Galbraith Award; and Practicing Catholic, which Hans Kung calls "brilliantly written, passionate, and vivid." His most recent book isJerusalem, Jerusalem: How the Ancient City Ignited Our Modern World, which was named a 2011 Best Book by Publishers Weekly. He lectures widely, both in the United States and abroad.

About His Lecture

Flowing from the Biblical tradition of prophetic self-critique, Christianity thrives on an inbuilt mechanism of self-criticism. Contemporary debates - for example within Catholicism - over power, sexual morality, gender, and change itself are not violations of tradition, but fulfillments of it. Reform continues.

Presented by the Department of Humanistic Studies. The Christian Culture Lecture honors Professor Bruno Schlesinger and is made possible by the generosity of Dr. Susan Fitzgerald Rice ’61 and her husband, Dr. Donald B. Rice.

RSVP - Success After HUST

All spots for the "Success After HUST" event have been filled. We thank you for your interest and encourage you to stay connected with the Department by checking this blog, signing up with our LinkedIn group, sharing your story, and emailing the faculty.