RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Catherine Barr Windels Scholarship at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford

Student stands outside a Blackfriars sign in Oxford.

Endowed by Villanova alumna Catherine Barr Windels ’75 CLAS, this scholarship annually helps one or more students to study abroad at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford.

Since 2005, the Department of Humanities has been developing an exchange relationship with Blackfriars, the Oxford home of the Dominican friars. With a tradition stretching back to 1221, Blackfriars was officially designated in 1994 as a permanent private hall for undergraduate studies at the University of Oxford. Students live, eat, worship and study with the friars, as well as with a distinguished array of students and affiliated Catholic scholars.

As an institution of interdisciplinary learning with particular strengths in philosophy and theology, Blackfriars is a natural partner for Villanova’s Department of Humanities. The Oxford tutorial system complements our emphasis on individual attention and student-initiated inquiry. In keeping with Villanova’s mission for social responsibility, students are also able to participate in the work of the Las Casas Institute for Social Justice, named for the sixteenth-century Dominican defender of indigenous peoples in the new world. Students also have ready access to the intellectual and cultural opportunities that abound in this vibrant university environment.

The Department of Humanities is grateful to Catherine Barr Windels for assisting our students in enjoying this remarkable opportunity, and also for the logistical support and cooperation of Villanova’s Development and Study Abroad offices and the Rector and Fellows of Blackfriars.

Students who are interested in this opportunity can direct any queries to the chair of the Department of Humanities.

Students eat together at a Paideia Seminar.

The Symposium Series

The Symposium Series (formerly the Paideia Colloquia) is a community of students from University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University, Eastern University, and other local universities who gather several times each semester to discuss how the Humanities can humanize us. Run in conjunction with the Collegium Institute for Catholic Thought & Culture, these dine-and-discuss and other events offer a unique intercollegiate opportunity to live out the intellectual life on campus and beyond. Please contact Dr. Veronica Ogle for more information.

Internships

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Internship Program provides students with opportunities to explore careers, acquire professional experience, and prepare for post-graduate employment. Through the program, students have the option of earning credit within their major, concentration, or minor for relevant work experience, or to earn elective credit for work experience unrelated to their primary coursework. You can also contact the chair of the Department of Humanities, who will assist you in meeting the academic requirements of the for-credit internship.

College and University Resources

In addition to resources and opportunities through the Humanities Department, Villanova provides support to undergraduate students in all aspects of their collegiate experience and beyond through the centralized services of the Office for Undergraduate Students, Office of Education Abroad, Center for Research and Fellowships, and Career Center.