Arts and humanities

Dancers on a stage in silhouette with a blue background, their arms and legs extended in various poses.

We seek the truth, whether it's written in books, painted on canvas, revealed in numbers, or staged beneath the lights—knowing the arts and humanities reveal who we are and who we might become. Notre Dame students and faculty seek to preserve culture and democracy, ignite imagination, and impart ethics and voice to the stories that shape our shared human journey.

A man in a blue suit and white shirt sits at a grand piano, his hands resting on the keys. A reflection of his face is visible on the piano's polished lid.

Arts and Culture

Through music, literature, performance, and visual art, Notre Dame explores how the arts connect and unify us.

A view of the U.S. Capitol building framed by two American flags in the foreground on a cloudy day.

Democracy

Democracy research and scholarship.

A laptop screen with a document about the Ethics of Data Analytics and notes on transparency and the learning industry.

Ethics

Our scholars are exploring how ethical principles inform healthcare, technology, law, and global development—ensuring research leads with integrity and serves the common good.

Discover and engage
  1. Notre Dame professor Alfonso Pedraza-Martinez, with dark curly hair and a beard, wearing a slate blue blazer over an open-collar white shirt against a vibrant blue and green background.

    Podcast

    How a business school is helping the clean water crisis

    Faculty from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business use data analytics, humanitarian operations, and community partnerships to improve access to clean water.

  2. Pope Francis holds a yellow Notre Dame sign while posing with the University of Notre Dame men's and women's basketball teams, coaches, and staff dressed in formal attire on marble steps inside the Vatican.

    Photo Essay

    Notre Dame Basketball heads to Rome for the Eternal City Tip-Off

    From South Bend to the Seven Hills

  3. Golden sunlight glows over the mist-covered surface of St. Mary's Lake at sunrise, reflecting the silhouetted Golden Dome and Basilica of the Sacred Heart in the distance.

    Photo Essay

    October's golden glow

    The month in photos, October 2026

  4. A researcher wearing safety goggles, a lab coat, and blue nitrile gloves uses tweezers to lower tubing into a glass flask filled with clear liquid.

    Article

    Fighting to prevent infections

    Notre Dame researchers have created a novel catheter adaptation that prevents infections before they begin.

  5. Fireworks burst over Notre Dame's Golden Dome and Basilica at dusk.

    Photo Essay

    Happy new year!

    The month in photos, September 2026

  6. A Catholic priest wearing a black clerical shirt and collar reaches up to lay a basketball into a hoop in an indoor gymnasium.

    Podcast

    Bookstore Basketball

    Faith, community, and the court.

  7. A young child in a pink shirt and red skirt drinks clean water directly flowing from an outdoor hand-operated water pump.

    Article

    Fighting for universal access to clean water

    More than 700 million people lack access to clean water, but research from the University of Notre Dame is helping organizations optimize how they manage, maintain, and build water pumps to reduce water scarcity.

  8. Two researchers in red helmets operate search-and-rescue equipment among concrete rubble. One stands holding a controller while another kneels with a yellow tank backpack near a portable console display.

    Article

    Fighting for robotic search and rescue

    Notre Dame engineer develops vine robot to help first responders after disasters

  9. A grandfather kisses the forehead of his granddaughter in a wheelchair wearing sunglasses as they share a quiet, affectionate moment outdoors.

    Article

    Fighting for nonverbal communication

    Notre Dame researchers are developing AI technology designed to help caregivers interpret the nonverbal communication of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.