Sponsored by the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, the show is free and open to the public.

The productions are the culmination of work conducted in two Spanish courses that provide an opportunity for students to explore Hispanic culture while improving their Spanish language skills. “All of this is …done for a grade, and I would say that, especially in the last weeks, a substantial amount of time is devoted to both projects,” says Elena Mangione-Lora, assistant professional specialist in Romance languages and literatures.

The live theater project is open to all levels of Spanish speakers. This year the project features selections from “Fuente Ovejuna,” a play by the Spanish playwright Lope de Vega.

The film class, by contrast, is geared toward more advanced Spanish speakers, and operates under the direction of Mangione-Lora and Kevin Barry, associate director of the Kaneb Center. This years film, “Locura y Pasión,” is a student-run telenovela, or Hispanic soap opera. The film has some adult themes and is not recommended for children.

Donations will be collected at the show, and all proceeds will be donated to La Casa de Amistad in South Bend.

Isabel Ferreira Gould, assistant professor of Portuguese and Brazilian studies at the University of 91łÔąĎ, has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD).

The grant will support and promote the University’s Portuguese Program and its Kellogg Institute for International Studies from 2006 to 2009. This is the first time FLAD has awarded a grant to 91łÔąĎ.

“This new funding will allow us to enhance undergraduate enrollment in Portuguese language classes, to provide support for student research, to increase awareness in the broader community of Portuguese studies, and to nurture scholarly research on Portugal,” said Gould, a faculty fellow of the Kellogg Institute and the Nanovic Institute of European Studies.

Included in the activities that Gould will pursue are library acquisitions, speakers, an artist-in-residence, faculty and graduate research grants, and prizes for undergraduate excellence in advanced courses.

The grant also will provide funding for an international conference titled “African Portuguese, the Portuguese in Africa,” planned for spring 2008. The two-day conference will cover various subjects, ranging from anthropology to film, and intends to challenge an exclusively Anglophone-centered conception of multiculturalism.

FLAD is a private, financially autonomous Portuguese institution that aims to contribute to the development of Portugal by motivating cooperation between Portuguese and American civil society and providing support to innovative projects in accordance with this goal.

Throughout his life, Joe Kernan has played numerous roles: 91łÔąĎ student and alumnus, naval flight officer, mayor of South Bend, governor of Indiana.

This semester, he adds professor to his impressive résumé.

“91łÔąĎ is a big part of why I love being back home in South Bend,” says Kernan, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government in 1964. “It’s the only place I ever wanted to go to school, it’s the only place I applied.”

But the prospect of becoming an adjunct professor of political science at the University never crossed his mind.

“Having the opportunity to be a member of the faculty here is … something that I never thought, never imagined would happen … I’m so excited to be able to participate and hopefully make a difference.”

Kernan’s one-credit course, titled “The Executive Branch and Public Policy,” explores the practical application of a political science education, while providing guidance to those who might enter into politics after graduation.

“[In class] we will typically talk about a particular topic having to do with public policy, through the perspective of the executive branch, because that’s where I spent all my time,” he said.

Elected mayor of South Bend in 1987, Kernan served for nine years. In 1996, he was elected lieutenant governor and, after Gov. Frank O’Bannon’s death in 2003, became governor.

Although he did not initially intend to run for any office, Kernan was attracted to the subject of political science even in college.

“Fundamentally, my parents had always taught us that public service and politics were important and, as citizens, we have a responsibility to participate. … For me, it goes back to my major, really just because that was what I enjoyed. The courses that I enjoyed are what drew me to it. I guess the fit was somewhat natural.”

Kernan hopes to take what he has learned and translate it into a positive learning experience for his students.

“While there’s a great deal you can learn from books and in the classroom, and it provides a good foundation for moving on into what comes next, practical experience and practical advice can be very helpful,” he said. "Hopefully [the course] helps to give [the students] a flavor of what it’s like and gives them a better idea of where they might want to go, what they might want to try.

“Furthermore, if I can be of assistance in helping to give some advice as to how they might go about getting internships or looking for opportunities after they graduate, I am ready to help in any way I can.”

Thus far, students have reacted positively. John Roos, acting chair for the Department of Political Science, says, “Informally, several students have told me that they are finding it a great experience. Plans are for Joe to offer some talks in the fall, and then repeat this course next spring.”

Kernan, for his part, loves the role he is in right now and looks forward to the future.

“I certainly would like to continue to teach, as long as I’m welcome.”

An interdisciplinary symposium titled “White Privilege: Implications for the Catholic University, the Church and Theology” will be held March 26 to 28 (Sunday to Tuesday) in McKenna Hall at the University of 91łÔąĎ. Sponsored by 91łÔąĎ’s Department of Theology, the symposium is free and open to the public.

Designed to raise consciousness about the dynamics of white privilege as a form of racism, the symposium will seek to identify structures of white privilege within the church, the academy and society. Various theologians will engage the work of prominent scholars of race theory in the fields of law and the social sciences. The format of the symposium will encourage discussion among all participants.

Jon Nilson, professor of theology at LoyolaUniversity, will deliver the keynote address, “Seeking Sadness: Unmasking the ‘Blessings and Bearing the Burdens of White Privilege,” at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. A full schedule is available online at . To register online, visit on the Web.

The event is sponsored by 91łÔąĎ’s Departments of Psychology, Sociology and Africana Studies; Institute for Latino Studies; Institute for Church Life; Office of Student Affairs; Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism; Center for Social Concerns; Catholic Social Tradition Program; Pre-College Program; Graduate School; Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts; College of Arts and Letters; Henkels Lecture Series; and Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion.

Nuala NĂ­ Dhomhnaill, one of Ireland’s foremost Irish-language poets, will read from her work at 4 p.m.Thursday (Feb. 16) in the auditorium of McKenna Hall at the University of 91łÔąĎ. The reading is free and open to the public.

NĂ­ Dhomhnaill, who writes only in Irish, focuses on the culture, myths and legends of Ireland. She juxtaposes modern life with folkloric motifs, mixing a more traditional language and style with contemporary issues. She is hailed as one of the most noteworthy Irish poets of the decade, and her work is internationally known.

Ní Dhomhnaill has held the title Ireland Professor of Poetry since 2002 and has served as the Díseart Writer in Residence since 2005. She has published several collections of Irish poems, including “An Dealg Droighin,” Féar Suaithinseach," “Feis” and “Cead Aighnis,” and also has published collections with translations into English, including “Pharaoh’s Daughter,” “The Astrakhan Cloak” and “The Water Horse.”

NĂ­ Dhomhnaill’s visit coincides with the presence of 91łÔąĎ Distinguished Visiting Professor Briona Nic Dhiarmada, who is teaching a course on NĂ­ Dhomhnaill this semester in the Department of Irish Language and Literature. Nic Dhiarmada recently published a monograph of NĂ­ Dhomhnaill’s work.