Villanova University Department of Humanities

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Radnor, PA
Villanova University Department of Humanities

In the Department of the Humanities at Villanova, we seek to enlighten the mind and transform the soul.

In our program, your mind will be developed, disciplined, and deepened through an inquiry into the great human questions. For nearly twenty years, the Department of Humanities has offered students at Villanova an innovative curriculum that seeks to explore the most important questions of human life. Through an integrated series of courses, we ask the big questions about the meaning of life and the

reality of truth, beauty, and goodness in our world, seeking answers that accord with faith and reason.

06/23/2026

We are thrilled to announce that the 2026 Karol Wojtyla Medallion for Excellence in Humanities was awarded to Emmaline Lombardo, a double major in Humanities and Political Science in the Honors Program.

During her four years in Humanities, Emmaline exemplified a contagious love of learning, deep questioning, and intellectual fellowship. Her junior year was spent as a Catherine Barr Windels fellow at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University. Upon her return to campus for senior year she was an inaugural student leader in the Augustinian Ambassadors Program - and the founding feet of Villanova’s new Swing Dance Club. Her yearlong Humanities thesis for the Honors Program was titled, "Constituted for the Kingdom: A Political Eschatology for Our Times."

From Villanova, she heads now to the University of Notre Dame, where she is entering the Master of Theological Studies program (MTS).

Congratulations, Emmaline!

06/18/2026

It's high time for a retrospective on all our wonderful end-of-year celebration and excitements of 2026! These are some fave shots from Senior Dinner 2026, as well as Commencement last month. Happy days with our graduating seniors in the Class of 2026--what a wonderful membership they are!! [Hannah Coulter reference😉]

Stay tuned for more Class of 2026 celebratory announcements in the coming days: the 2026 recipient of the Karol Wojtyla Award for Excellence in Humanities, our 2026 Senior Essay Prize Winner--and the first ever recipient of our new St. Rita of Cascia award 🥁 🥁 🥁

05/14/2026

Last but not least we would like to highlight Cate Donnelly for our senior spotlight! Cate is a Humanities and English major, and wrote her essay on why it is important to recognize Beauty in one's life. Thank you, congratulations, and all best wishes to our 2026 graduating class!

05/08/2026

Today's senior spotlight is Christian Rapattoni! Christian is a Political Science and Humanities major, and after school is planning on going to law school. Good luck, Christian, as we finish up finals!

05/07/2026

On our first day of finals, we would like to highlight Meg Zelch in our senior spotlight! Meg is an Environmental Science and Humanities major, and in her thesis is asking, how does nature contribute to human flourishing? Congrats Meg, and good luck post-grad!

05/01/2026

Next up for our senior spotlight is Emmaline Lombardo! Emmaline is one of our Humanities and Political Science majors in the Honors Program, and after graduation is looking forward to beginning a two-year Masters in Theological Studies (MTS) at Notre Dame, concentrating in systematic theology! Congrats and good luck Emmaline!

04/29/2026

Today's senior spotlight is Andy Smith! Andy is a Humanities and Political Science major, and plans to work in politics after his graduating from Villanova! Congrats, Andy, and good luck as we head into finals week!

04/28/2026

Just two weeks until the Humanities '26 Senior Essays will be submitted! If you've been following our Senior Spotlights, you'll already have a sense of the amazing questions that these essays consider, each student diving deep into a great question that has captivated them during their studies.

Stop by SAC 304 to peruse this year's Senior Essay Poster in person (or check out the online version of the titles & questions here: https://buff.ly/hmTufQK)

Best of luck, everyone, as you bring this good work to completion!!

04/24/2026

Before him stood the Tree, his Tree, finished. If you could say that of a Tree that was alive, its leaves opening, its branches growing and bending in the wind that Ni**le had so often felt or guessed, and had so often failed to catch. He gazed at the Tree, and slowly he lifted his arms and opened them wide.

“It’s a gift!” he said. He was referring to his art, and also to the result; but he was using the word quite literally.

04/22/2026

Next up for our senior spotlight is Jane Butler! In her senior thesis paper, Jane asks, "How can a positive model of special education teach us about how systems of traditional education can be changed to help not only form the person as a whole individual, but also as a member of a strong community?" Congrats, Jane!!

Address

800 E Lancaster Avenue
Radnor, PA
19085

Telephone

+16105196165

Website

https://www1.villanova.edu/university/liberal-arts-sciences/programs/humanities.html

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