Global Citizenship Series: November 2024

Our Global Citizenship series continues in November 2024—an excellent month for all in the Notre Dame community to embrace and practice global citizenship.

A glance at University calendars reveals an exciting number of events and conversations occurring on campus, in a variety of spheres, on topics that are truly “global.” Several of the programs we highlight this month reveal the power of storytelling; others call attention to the connections, often fragile, between people.

What are you curious about? Whether you want to learn more about a culture, a point in time, an idea, a conflict, a strategy for global change, or the fruits of an artist’s creativity, let your curiosity be the entry point for a new appreciation, new knowledge, or a new perspective—perhaps even one that challenges your own.

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebrations

Notre Dame Staff of International Descent (NDSID) Celebrates Día de los Muertos
Friday, November 1, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Information Technology Center, Room 226

Day of the Dead Social at the Institute for Latino Studies
Friday, November 1, 2:00-3:00 pm
315 Bond Hall

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a day of celebration for the people of Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Central America, and more recently for Mexican Americans. Rather than grieve over the loss of a beloved family or friend, people choose to commemorate the lives of the dearly departed and welcome the return of their spirits.

Ofrendas (altars) honoring the departed are created and all are invited to bring photos of beloved family members and friends who have passed away to add to an altar.
This year, there are two Día de los Muertos celebrations on campus. The first, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. is sponsored by Notre Dame Staff of International Descent (NDSID), Adelante ND, the Institute for Latino Studies, and the Office of Information Technology (OIT). Food and beverages will be provided by OIT.

Then, the Institute for Latino Studies will hold its celebration from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in its offices at 315 Bond Hall. Complementary coffee, hot chocolate, and pan de muerto will be served.

Godzilla Fest, continued

Godzilla and Climate Change: A Monstrous Warning of Nature's Revenge (panel discussion)
Friday, November 1, 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
1050 Jenkins Nanovic Halls

Godzilla Fest is a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the 1954 release of the film Godzilla by Toho Studios in Tokyo. The giant monster, who attacked Japan after being awakened by hydrogen bomb testing, went on to become a global icon. Godzilla has starred in 38 films and has appeared in comic books, games, novelizations, advertisements, toys, and more.

The king of the monsters has also been widely interpreted as a symbol for the destructive nature of humankind—from nuclear war to climate change.

On Friday, panelists Professors Jeffery Angles, Brooke McCorkle, Jessica McManus Warnell, and Yuki Miyamoto will discuss environmental messages in the Godzilla films and books. Amanda Kennell, assistant professor of East Asian languages and cultures, will moderate.

The Michigan Man Who Translated Godzilla
Saturday, November 2, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
St. Joseph County Public Library: Francis Branch (The Pasture Room), 52655 N. Ironwood Road, South Bend

Celebrate Godzilla's 70th anniversary with a talk by Western Michigan professor Jeffrey Angles, an award-winning translator of the Japanese novellas Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama.

Screening of the 1954 original Godzilla film
Sunday, November 3, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
St. Joseph County Public Library: Main Branch (Community Learning Center, Leighton Auditorium), 304 S. Main Street, South Bend

Celebrate Godzilla Day and the 70th anniversary of Japan's iconic monster with a screening of the 1954 film. Come in costume and enter the Godzilla Look-Alike Contest.

Godzilla Fest is organized by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, the St. Joseph County Public Library, and the Browning Cinema at Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.

The Political Life of the Novel: Brandon Hobson, Amir Ahmadi Arian, and Isabella Hammad in Conversation with Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi

Thursday, November 7, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
IRR Sojourner Commons, 300 O’Shaughnessy Hall

In an event that is both in-person and online, Literatures of Annihilation, Exile, and Resistance, an initiative at the intersection of the arts and human rights, will host a panel of critically acclaimed authors Amir Ahmadi Arian, Isabella Hammad, and Brandon Hobson in conversation with Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi. The readings and discourse will explore the facets of “The Political Life of the Novel.”

This event is hosted by the Initiative on Race and Resilience and co-sponsored by the MFA program in Creative Writing, the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, the Graduate School, the Institute for Social Concerns, and the Department of English.

Seeds of Compassion: Nurturing Early Childhood Development Globally in Catholic Communities

Saturday, November 9, 12:00-2 p.m.
205/206 McKenna Hall

This forum/dialogue will center on evidence-based solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing vulnerable youth around the globe.

The three panelists will be professor and director of the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child, Neil Boothby, in conversation with Dr. Carrie Quinn, pediatrician and executive director of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center and co-chair of the University of Notre Dame’s For Good initiative, and Wendy Angst, professor and director of the Powerful Means initiative and Impact Consulting Minor at the Mendoza College of Business. All three serve children and their families in different vocational capacities, but their work is aligned through the science of early childhood development (ECD) and how it complements Catholic social teaching. The panel conversation will touch on various themes, such as Notre Dame’s unique position to be a strong agent of global change in unifying scientific knowledge with the wisdom of the church, strategies to bolster ECD programs for children enduring crisis, and how Catholic social teaching underscores the imperative to serve marginalized children, while scientific insights guide the methodologies to achieve this. Moderated by Nicole McNeil, professor of psychology and director of the Center for Educational Research and Action.

Peaceful Co-Existence Among Israelis and Palestinians: Vision for a Shared Future

Monday, November 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
141 DeBartolo Hall

Part of the University’s 2024-2025 Forum on the topic “What do we owe each other?”, this discussion is the second installment of the Israel-Palestine Series, co-led by Mahan Mirza, executive director of the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion and teaching professor, and Tzvi Novick, Abrams Jewish Thought and Culture professor of theology, with support from Notre Dame Jerusalem.

The program is described as “a conversation among Israelis, Palestinians, and others who care deeply about the region and seek to break through the status quo and overcome division and polarization. Supported by the work of the OneVoice Movement, part of the PeaceWorks Foundation, these peacemakers advocate for a shared future that unlocks the full potential of both peoples. They also seek to empower voices that foster depolarization in discourse about the region in the United States in order to build support for the notion that Israeli-Palestinian coexistence is possible.”

The Israel-Palestine series as a whole addresses such issues as “the multiple narratives at play in the region; the application of international law; the role of universities in Israeli and Palestinian civil society; the distinctive vision of a Catholic university in relation to the conflict; peacebuilding in the midst of extreme polarization; and possible ways forward.” In addition to hosting public events to facilitate a wide-ranging and inclusive campus-wide dialogue, Professors Mirza and Novick are also teaching a year-long undergraduate course as part of the series.

A Fable of Tomorrows (2024) by Sarah Edmands Martin: The Art and Scholarship of Academic Storytelling

Wednesday, November 13, 12:30-1:45 p.m.
1050 Jenkins Nanovic Halls

Sarah Edmands Martin, assistant professor of design, will give a multimedia presentation on her recently released A Fable of Tomorrows (2024), an artwork in the genre of “speculative design” consisting of video projection, interactive sculpture, and video game design at the center of which is a fable from the future. Created while on a 2024 research Fulbright in Norway, the work materializes how human memory, digital computation, and temporality are revealed through fables, riddles, and archives.

The work is traveling around the world. Experience it here at Notre Dame as part of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies’ series on the Art and Scholarship of Academic Storytelling.

The Activism of Imagination: Fictions of Europe Between Utopia and Disenchantment

Thursday, November 21, 5:00-6:30 p.m.
Rare Books Room, Hesburgh Library

Against the backdrop of political, economic, and social problems that reinforce the idea of Europe’s existential crisis, Professor Nicoletta Pireddu (Georgetown University) will draw attention to constructive aspects of the Europe-building discourse often muffled by a rising Euroscepticism. In particular, she will explore the contribution of literature both as the repository of a European cultural memory and as a forerunner of crucial components of the ongoing European integration design. Using a selection of modern and contemporary Italian fiction, in dialogue with a broader literary and intellectual discourse at pivotal junctures of the European project, she will address the role of utopia not as a compensatory wishful projection but, rather, as creative thinking propelled by the critical and transformative power of imagination.

This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Italian Studies and the Nanovic Institute for European Studies.

Modern Roads to Rome Lecture: "Literary Echoes. The Round-up and Deportation of the Jews of Rome," by Mara Josi

Tuesday, November 26, 5:00-6:30 p.m.
Notre Dame Rome (in-person and via Zoom link)

As part of the Modern Roads to Rome series, the Notre Dame Center for Italian Studies and Notre Dame Rome are sponsoring a lecture led by Dr. Mara Josi. Mara Josi is an assistant professor at University College Dublin. She has been setting up interdisciplinary frameworks which merge notions of Holocaust and cultural memory studies with literary and trauma theory. Her first book, Rome, 16 October 1943. History, Memory, Literature (2023), was awarded the Premio Internazionale Ennio Flaiano di Italianisti.

A variety of music and social events

Finally, we draw readers’ attention to the calendars of the Department of Music and the Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures. As is true every month, you can find many opportunities to engage with composers and musicians from around the world as well as inventive, easily accessible activities hosted by Notre Dame’s language departments and their associated Fulbright Language Teaching Assistants.

Here's a sampling:

Department of Music

Trio Azura, Sunday, November 3

Pianist Renata Gutman, Thursday, November 7

Notre Dame Glee Club, Friday, November 8

Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra, Friday, November 15

Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures

Chinese Singing Club, November 4 (and several other days)

Slavic Tea Party, Thursday, November 14

Brazilian Portuguese Name Pronunciation Workshop, Tuesday, November 19

Originally published by Mary Hendriksen at global.nd.edu on October 31, 2024.