<p>This is a huge issue for me...to what extent does religion permeate the curriculum at ND? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Every dorm has a chapel...there is mass offered in them on sunday nights in every dorm to any who want to attend. </p></li>
<li><p>Every student has to take 6 hours of Theology (2 classes) and 6 hours of Philosophy (2 classes) in order to graduate</p></li>
<li><p>There are the usual clubs on campus for those who are of the Catholic faith, ie Knights of Columbus, and clubs for those of other faiths, including a Right to Life group</p></li>
<li><p>During the FroshO weekend, there will be a mass on Sunday morning in the JACC. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>I gather from the tenor of your message that you are someone who is either non-Catholic or worried that the Catholicness of ND is going to be forced upon you. Its been my experience that doesn't happen. Now if you are a social activist, there is not always a lot of tolerance for those on campus to some degree. The G/L/B/Q students at ND have been trying for several years to get a student club "Outreach ND" recognized by the University, but are refused every year because ND asserts there are enough resources in place for them (that's a rather simplistic breakdown, but the exact politics would fill several pages you can look them up online or go look at back issues of the Observer, ND's newspaper, online if you wish)...</p>
<p>Then there's the usual controversy about allowing the Vagina Monologues to be performed, a big controversy over a Queer Film festival held last spring....</p>
<p>Basically, ND is a Catholic institution, that is not going to change. It is not the Catholicism practiced at Georgetown or BC, so don't expect the environments that might be present at those schools....I've truly enjoyed my time there, but some are bothered. Do a little research and you might have a better more informed opinion....</p>
<p>Oh and ND's Catholic character means that all dorms are single sex, and that there are hours when members of the opposite sex are not allowed into the other's dorms. Also pre-marital sex is not condoned and is grounds for disciplinary action including being "kicked off-campus" (out of on-campus housing) if you have had a repetive problem and been sent to ResLife for this or other violations multiple times. In a nutshell part of what makes ND unique is the Catholic character that is found throughout the school...</p>
<p>If you want answers to specific questions, post them and I will try to answer them, but I have never felt as though Catholicism is being forced on students...</p>
<p>ahh thank you Nemo...that makes me feel better</p>
<p>I am not an activist, and for one thing, I don't think I'd have the guts :D Oh, and not Catholic, either, you are right. </p>
<p>Umm...the reason I asked was bc I was homeschooled in 7th grade, and my mom bought this Christian-based curriculum, but it was so steeped in Creationism and blah, blah, blah that I couldn't concentrate on anything but the math for an entire year. Ha! I am not doing well representing myself as a person who believes in God. I really do, it just seems that there should be a certain separation..ie history classes should be strictly <em>history</em>. I would be just fine wi/ theology and philosophy bc I understand that religion belongs in those subjects. I really, really loved ND when I visited in the fall, and now that I have to decide where I'm going next fall, I wanted to make sure that I would be happy if I picked Notre Dame, which I am fairly sure I will :)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Erin-Michelle</p>
<p>Ahhh </p>
<p>Unless you are in English classes or History classes where themes such as God or belief in God are warrent exploration because it is linked with the themes found in the literature or tied to the motivations of the character or event being explored, then you should find it generally fairly removed from the curriculum. In classes such as hard sciences or business, I've almost never found God or Catholicism brought up in discussions. For the most part I've had teachers who were very careful at keeping their own personal views out of discussions (i.e political or religious beliefs). That having been said, there are professors at ND who editorialize a lot. If anything the more pervasive issue is professors who have no problems forcing their liberal (more often) or conservative beliefs on the students. But rarely have I heard about religion being forced. After first semester you choose your classes, and there are ways to get info on professors such as the site NDToday.com which can give you good advice as to what professors to stay away from. Take any of these reviews with a healthy grain of salt though. What some dislikes you might end up enjoying....</p>
<p>Hope this helps</p>