This past month, 40 Christendom students made the long trek from Front Royal, Virginia, to Indiana to attend the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and Culture’s fall conference. This year marks the seventh time students have attended the annual conference, giving them the valuable opportunity to engage with other academics on the crucial philosophical, political, and theological ideas that impact the world today.
Christendom students have opportunities to attend conferences throughout the academic year, taking what they learn in the classroom out into the broader academic world. This annual conference, hosted at Notre Dame, is one of the more popular in the country, drawing some of the most renowned academics in the world together to discuss issues of ethics and culture with fellow academics and college students.
Students traveled to this year’s conference, which focused on the topic of Creation, with political science and economics professor Dr. Joseph Brutto, who earned his Ph.D. from Notre Dame before coming to teach at Christendom. He sees attending conferences, such as these, as hugely beneficial for Christendom students as they grow in their knowledge of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition.
“Attending academic conferences allows our students to take ideas that they have learned in the classroom and engage with professors and students from other colleges and universities,” says Brutto. “It also allows students to defend their views and respond to the criticisms of others. Finally, conferences such as these provide unparalleled networking opportunities that can assist students in finding jobs as well as gaining admissions to graduate schools and professional programs.”
Over the course of the three-day conference, students were able to attend numerous talks, including from Elizabeth Lev on “Creation, Complementarity, and Saint John Paul II in Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling” and from Alasdair MacIntyre on “The Apparent Oddity of the Universe: How to Account for It?” These addresses were challenging but also enlightening for the students, exposing them to new ideas on a topic so key to a Christendom education.
For philosophy major Jacob Stevens, this was his second time attending Notre Dame’s annual conference. The chance to connect and learn with other students drew him back to the conference, which he sees as complementary to the rest of his studies at Christendom.
40 Christendom students traveled to Indiana for the conference, eager to engage with their peers and other renowned academics.
“There are many students all over the country who wish to engage in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, and the conference is a perfect way for all these students to connect and share what they have received together,” said Stevens. “Our core curriculum makes every Christendom student, regardless of major, more easily able to understand and critique the lectures given at these conferences. Our classes in philosophy, theology, history, and literature prepare us to become connoisseurs of Catholic culture and traditions. This conference seeks to be both Catholic and interdisciplinary, which fits perfectly with the education offered by Christendom.”
Fellow senior Maggie Black agreed with Stevens’ take, further seeing conferences — like the Notre Dame conference — as a great challenge for Christendom students. For Black, who has done numerous political internships, this was her second time attending the conference as well. While the conference attracts students from across the United States, Black believes that Christendom students excel at it because they can think critically about new topics while being grounded in the classical tradition.
“It is important for Christendom students to attend academic conferences because it gives them the opportunity to be exposed to new ideas presented in a unique way by experts in a variety of fields,” says Black. “The Christendom education prepares students for conferences such as these by providing a well-rounded education grounded in truth. Christendom’s mission and adherence to an authentic Catholic identity, as exemplified in its students, does not go unnoticed at conferences such as this one which demonstrates the college’s commitment to its founding principles.”
For the 40 students who traveled to Notre Dame, the opportunity to engage with renowned academics, such as MacIntyre, was enough reason to attend the conference. However, they were able to grow in their own education and be challenged to defend their beliefs as well — truly putting their Christendom education into action as they prepare to “restore all things in Christ” both now and following graduation.