Institute for Social Concerns Newsletter | January 2025
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Happy first day of classes!
2025 is the Year of the Wood Snake and promises wisdom, transformation and growth. Keep an eye out for many opportunities for all three at the Institute this spring.
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| SOCO Students
Get Proximate
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Guided by instructors from the Institute, Proximities courses will ask students to briefly but intensely engage with a question of justice in a specific time and place.
This year, these questions involve healthcare in Minneapolis, Minnesota; restorative justice in Los Angeles, California; environmental health in New Orleans, Louisiana; and justice at the border in Tucson, Arizona.
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With the support of the Integrating Virtue Together framework, Engineering Working Group faculty have revised almost a dozen courses to be explicit about developing character through engineering.
Building on this momentum, SOCO and the Provost’s Office are hoping to reach even more Notre Dame faculty with a new initiative, Learning Becomes Service: Expanding Character Education Programs at the University of Notre Dame, supported by a grant from the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University.
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Notre Dame Magazine: "Letting the Light In"
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Institute faculty Connie Snyder Mick's article in the Winter 2024-2025 issue considers how our shared brokenness binds us in the fight against poverty, injustice, and metastasizing despair.
“Have you ever been in a fight?” the prison security instructor asks me, and only me, apropos of nothing in the middle of what could loosely be called a lecture...
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Cultivating Purpose with Young People
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Anna Moreland, chair and director of the Villanova University Honors Program and Thomas W. Smith, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at The Catholic University of America, discuss their new book, The Young Adult Playbook: Living Like It Matters.
Monday, Jan. 27, 2025
noon–1pm, online via Zoom
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New Mural Celebrates Building Services Staff
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Come celebrate the opening of a new mural and Photovoice exhibit in Geddes Hall! The exhibit is a collaboration between staff members in Building Services and students in the Institute's Art and Social Change course.
Wednesday, January 29, 5–7pm, Geddes Hall, McNeill Gallery
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Join us for conversation with community leaders as we seek to better understand and respond to pressing issues in South Bend. First up: gun violence, moderated by Notre Dame psychology professor Taylor Nicoletti.
Friday, Jan. 31 from 12:30–2pm, Geddes Hall. Lunch provided.
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| Pulitzer Prize-winner, journalist,
poet, translator, and contributing writer for The New Yorker will deliver the Institute’s Junior Parents Weekend Lecture. Introduction by Rev. Hugh R. Page, Jr., vice president for institutional transformation.
Friday, Feb. 14, 4pm, Geddes Hall, Andrews Auditorium. Reception and book signing to follow.
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A New Series
on Catholic
Social Tradition
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Join us on Friday afternoons for lectures by distinguished scholars in the field of Catholic social teaching, who will share their insights and provide critical conversation on matters of justice and the common good.
All lectures will be in Geddes Hall, Andrews Auditorium at 5pm
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The Labor Café convenes the Notre Dame community for casual conversation on contemporary questions about work, workers, and workplaces. Participants choose the concrete topics, all people are welcome, and all opinions are entertained.
Friday, Jan. 31, 5pm, Geddes Hall, Coffee House.
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CST Minor Brunch and Info Session
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Join us for brunch and learn how understanding human dignity, the common good, and solidarity shapes students in the Catholic Social Tradition minor.
Sunday, Feb. 9, 11:00am–12:30pm, Geddes Hall, Coffee House
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| Alumni Book Club: Those We Thought We Knew
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Register now for the Institute's next book club to discuss David Joy’s Those We Thought We Knew.
Monday, Feb. 10, 7pm EST,
Online via Zoom
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Catholic Social Tradition Conference
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| This year’s CST conference takes up Vatican II’s invitation to discern “the signs of the times” and to attend to the roles of church and state within civil society with a view toward the common good.
This interdisciplinary conference invites historical, constructive, and comparative approaches as we consider the ecumenical, interfaith, and transdisciplinary challenges of religious nationalism.
All sessions will take place in McKenna Hall.
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Above: Local artists Jason Haney (left) and David Martin sketch the pencil outline for a new mural in Geddes Hall, honoring the labor of Notre Dame Building Services staff over the years.
Below: Celebrating the day of Epiphany in Cyprus, the McNeill Common Good Fellows were able to celebrate with the community at the Holy Church of St Lazarus. The Fellows are in Cyprus to learn about the challenge of migration here and work with Caritas Cyprus on one of their select immersive experiences.
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As an interdisciplinary academic institute, the Institute for Social Concerns leverages research to respond to the complex demands of justice and to serve the common good. This series, ReSEARCHING for the Common Good, highlights some of the scholars in our community.
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Pavithra Rajendran is a J.S.D. candidate at Notre Dame Law School from Kandy, Sri Lanka.
She previously served as a lecturer in Public and International Law in Sri Lanka. She describes her professional personality as "socio-legal academician" and "multi-faceted feminist."
After earning LL.B and LL.M degrees from the University of Columbo, a Fulbright award brought her to Notre Dame to earn a second LL.M, focusing on human rights. Her experiences here inspired her to return and pursue doctoral studies in the Law School. Her research focuses on integrating gender-sensitive frameworks into criminal law and justice systems through semi-scientific methodologies.
Pavithra is a 2024-25 Graduate Justice Fellow at the Institute for Social Concerns.
How do you see your work advancing the common good?
My studies focus on traditionally vulnerable populations in a global context, with case studies from Sri Lanka and the U.S., but applicable to post-colonial, peace-seeking countries in the global south. Through my work, I aim to promote four key practices for the common good: First, empowering marginalized women to seek justice by focusing on gender-sensitive criminal law and justice frameworks. Second, challenging stereotypes and assumptions to help policymakers and activists adopt more effective strategies for gender justice. Third, advocating for gender-sensitive justice reforms that promote fairness and equality. Finally, providing insights into violence against women (VAW) in diverse contexts, such as rural vs. urban settings, to inform global discourse and shape international policies. My work will serve as a model for integrating local experiences into universal frameworks.
How did you become interested in gender justice?
My choice to focus on gender justice as my major research area stems from a blend of personal and professional experiences. One significant influence has been my participation as a resource person in pro bono legal aid activities, awareness programs, and training sessions in my home country. I observed a notably high number of women attendees compared to men, seeking guidance on their intertwined legal issues and eager to learn how the law can protect their rights. Their willingness often stemmed from bitter experiences, which deeply moved me and underscored the urgent need for more work in addressing VAW. VAW remains a prominent factor in perpetuating women’s vulnerability, even in the modern era, driving my commitment to this vital area of research.
What has it meant to be a Graduate Justice Fellow?
For me, being a Graduate Justice Fellow means embracing a broad, interdisciplinary understanding of justice. As a socio-legal researcher and trained attorney, I had my own definitions of justice, but through my connection with the Institute for Social Concerns and a diverse group of individuals from various disciplines, I’ve learned that justice is not a one-size-fits-all concept. It cannot be understood from a single perspective. I view it as an ongoing process — an effort to understand justice through collaboration and continuous learning, always striving for deeper insights without ever being fully satisfied.
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