Welcome to the School of Arts & Sciences

Dr Steven Lovell-Jones Dean School of Arts & Sciences, Sydney Steven.Lovell-Jones@nd.edu.au Phone: (02) 8204 4102

On behalf of all staff I would like to welcome you to the School of Arts and Sciences.

Whether you are a continuing student or newly enrolled it is our hope that you will find studying the humanities and social sciences an experience which will connect you to a long and valued tradition.

We will be with you as, perhaps for the first time, you become familiar with an aspect of human history which has until now remained hidden from your view or as you study journalism and the making of film.

When you engage with new ideas in sociology or focus on that which defines human behaviour within the discipline of psychology the School will be there for you to learn the theory which acts as a support for the practical application of your chosen areas of study.

As you commit to your studies and to Notre Dame's core Christian principles the academics and staff of the School of Arts and Sciences commit to assist you in preparation for life as a graduate and as a member of society focussed on working towards the common good.

The motivation of the School is to help in the formation of graduates deeply connected to the University community and informed by their respective disciplines.

We do this together by forming relationships grounded in the promotion of a culture of intellectual rigour, a commitment to social justice and the pastoral care of all students.

As I have come to learn more about our staff and students I now understand that Notre Dame does not, for example, teach you about history rather, you are taught to be historians. It is likewise, for all our other subject areas from creative writing to the analytical appraisal of ideologies and your participation in the world of the Polis and beyond.

Moreover, as you study the Humanities and the Social Sciences it is our hope that each of the selected subject areas will reveal something to you about what it means to be a Person. In other words, that your study experience will not just be focussed on the next essay or the next exam but also serve you as an education for life itself. It is in this context that some of you will hear me talk of a degree in Arts and Sciences as a "living" degree.

At times you may hear others say that life at university is not the "real world". It is our hope for you that you develop an understanding of Notre Dame as a real and living community made up of real and living human beings. As such it is difficult to view this community with all of its hopes and dreams, its pace and activity, and relational connections as something other than real.

Finally, please enjoy your university experience and enter into the life of Notre Dame as you would with any community that welcomes you with good will and anticipation of your pursuit of excellence.