Villanova University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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Villanova University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences cultivates knowledge, understanding and intellectual courage for a purposeful life. in Philosophy.
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The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova, the largest and oldest of the University’s four undergraduate colleges, was founded by the Augustinian Order in 1842. Since its creation in 1842, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has distinguished itself from its peers by an unwavering dedication to undergraduate education. A true emphasis on undergraduate education allows students to

study with faculty who are experts in their fields so that they gain a deep understanding of the fundamentals of critical insight, mature judgment, and independent thinking, and a sense of the importance of values and the moral responsibility of caring for others and working for the betterment of society. The academic majors, minors, and concentrations offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reflect the College’s mission to provide all of its students with an interdisciplinary and diversified academic program and core curriculum, which offer its students a scale of well-defined universal values that equips them to be wise critics of the society in which they live. That said, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University is an ideal place to pursue your graduate education. Our extensive program offerings in Graduate Liberal Arts and Sciences include more than twenty master's degrees, more than forty pre- and post-master's certificates, and a Ph.D.

09/08/2026

With a double major in Spanish and Political Science and minors in History and Arab and Islamic Studies, Gabriella “Gigi” Giuliano ’26 CLAS sees the world as her classroom. This year, that classroom is Spain, where she will serve as an English Teaching Assistant through the Fulbright Program.

During her time at Villanova, Gigi complemented her studies in Political Science with extracurricular involvement in student government, serving as class senator. Inspired by her mother, an ESL teacher, Gigi also tutored students in an ESOL classroom in Philadelphia through Community Outreach of Villanova, deepening her interest in English language education. As an interpreter in the Villanova Law School clinic, she saw firsthand the importance of language access.

For Gigi, the most impactful undergraduate experience was the opportunity to study abroad in Prague through Villanova’s Literature and Politics course.

“Getting to study topics I'd previously only learned about in the classroom in the very places where they happened was incredibly meaningful,” she shares. “It gave me a whole new perspective and made the experience unforgettable.”

Now, she will spend the 2026–27 academic year in Spain, contributing to the local community while continuing her professional and personal development.

“My Fulbright assignment aligns closely with my goal of pursuing a career in international law by giving me the opportunity to build cross-cultural understanding and gain firsthand international experience,” says Gigi. “I'm most excited to become part of the community where I'll be living, learn from the people around me, and immerse myself in a new culture.”

Following her Fulbright experience, Gigi plans to attend law school.

09/04/2026

What does it mean to understand a people, a culture, a story that spans centuries and continents? Throughout the year, we’ll spotlight CLAS departments and programs that help students develop a global perspective, highlighting the faculty who bring these subjects to life through their teaching, research and expertise.

Today’s features the new Jewish Studies Program. Open to all undergraduates, the minor encourages students to appreciate differences, engage in challenging questions, address the past to understand the present, and live more ethically in a complex world.

Drawing on her expertise in performance studies, Heidi Rose, PhD, program director and professor of Communication, examines how storytelling, ritual, theatre and everyday life performances shape our world. In her course Comedy as Coping, Dr. Rose invites students to explore the influence of Eastern European Jewish immigrants on American comedy and the ways humor has helped immigrants cope with uncertainty, contribute to a new culture, and find belonging. “I hope the new minor leads students to deeper understanding of self and other, new insights into the history and salience of Judaism and the Jewish people, and an understanding of the many ways of being Jewish today,” she shares.

From English to History, faculty bring perspectives from across the humanities. “Adding Jewish Studies focuses our efforts and draws together scholars in history, philosophy, literature, art, politics and law as well as well as the study of religion and theology,” says Julie Klein, PhD, professor and chair of Philosophy. “The history of medieval Jewish philosophy is incredibly rich, both on its own and as it intersects with Christian and Muslim thinkers.”

For Rebecca Winer, PhD, associate professor of History, the five “c’s” of critical thinking as a historian—change over time, context, causality, contingency and complexity—all nurture Jewish Studies. “History reveals that Jews and Judaism were never uniform, frozen in time, unchanged and unchanging,” she says.

To learn more about the minor, visit the Jewish Studies faculty at the CLAS Majors Fair on Oct. 2 in the Villanova Room, Connelly Center!

09/03/2026

The 2026-27 academic year is off to a great start in CLAS!

09/02/2026

In an ever-changing career landscape, Cory Cousart ’10 CLAS believes that staying curious and open to new opportunities can be key to building a rewarding career.

“I ultimately landed at jobs and industries I knew little about during my time at Villanova,” he says. “Within those roles I have found passion in areas that have led to fulfilling and impactful work.”

Now a Client Solutions Manager at Meta, Cousart finds joy in collaborating with colleagues to solve challenges. “This ability to work on complex problems, loop in cross-functional teammates and drive projects forward autonomously keeps every day at Meta exciting for me.”

During his time in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics Professor Paul Pasles, PhD, became a mentor for Cousart as he navigated his undergraduate journey. “I sought out multiple classes from him across my years at Villanova as I would always learn so much and appreciated his method of teaching and humor,” he says. “I took [his] encouragement to heart as a great sign and ended up declaring as a math major, which was a great choice for me.”

For Cousart, the interdisciplinary education he received at Villanova continues to serve him in his career. “My Villanova CLAS education set me on a path where I can navigate technically complex problems with the logical thinking and problem-solving skills I learned from my mathematics classes,” he explains. “The other liberal arts classes in CLAS gave me a well-rounded education to think comprehensively about the world and developed soft skills that have gone a long way in driving relationships with my clients and colleagues.”

As recent graduates embark on their new paths, Cousart encourages them to keep exploring. “You may uncover topics and problems you are really interested in working on,” he notes.

09/01/2026

Meet Political Science and History major Savie Seebald ’26 CLAS, our latest Fulbright in Focus feature! Over the next year, she will teach English in Thailand, where she’s excited to dive into the local culture and community.

“Receiving a Fulbright is an incredible honor and one of the most meaningful opportunities of my life,” she says. “I was born in Bangkok and adopted as a child, so going back as a Fulbright teacher isn't just a job assignment. It's a chance to reconnect with where I came from and give something back to the country that gave me my start.”

Savie says her Villanova education prepared her to think more critically and take her own ideas more seriously, giving her the confidence to pursue this prestigious grant. “Just as much of my preparation for this Fulbright, though, came from experiences outside of class,” she adds. “Playing Division I tennis, tutoring ESOL students and taking on leadership roles on campus—those experiences taught me how to adapt, how to connect with people whose backgrounds are different from mine and how to build meaningful relationships across those differences.”

As an instructor, Savie hopes to pass along the support she received from faculty who challenged her not to settle for less than her best work. “I want my classroom to be a place where students feel comfortable actually speaking English, not just studying it, so I'm planning a lot of conversation-based and hands-on activities rather than just lecturing from a textbook,” she shares.

“Thank you to the faculty, mentors and staff at Villanova who put time into my application and kept encouraging me along the way, and to my family and friends, who have supported me every step of the way. I wouldn't be here without them, and I'm proud to represent both Villanova and the US as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant.”

08/28/2026

Our feature Teddy Kareta, PhD, assistant professor of Astrophysics and Planetary Science, explains the solar system’s limitless potential for studying objects and processes that we can see, feel and affect our daily lives on Earth.

Dr. Kareta’s interest in studying “nearby” astronomy began in his undergraduate days at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. After attending a lecture by an astronomy professor, he was struck by how much research there was yet to be done.

“In some sense, it felt like the rug had been pulled out from underneath me, hearing somebody say, ‘Actually, we don't really know how old the Earth is. Is it this number, or is it this 100-million-year-earlier number?’ Or that we have an idea on how the Moon—that I’ve been seeing my entire life—formed, but the specific details on how and when, we don’t know exactly,” he says. “These are the kinds of small things you have to realize about the solar system to make you completely rethink the way that you live.”

With a research focus sticking close to home, Dr. Kareta encourages his students to consider capitalizing on unique opportunities to study objects in our solar system as they arise, like 3I/ATLAS—a comet observed by the ATLAS survey telescope in July 2025. Traveling at 140,000 miles per hour, Dr. Kareta and his team worked quickly to analyze the comet’s data and submit their paper for publication in just 11 days.

“It is so different than any other science field in that respect,” he explains. “If this thing's getting discovered this week, and we only have six weeks to study it before it leaves, other people should know what I figured out as soon as I figure it out, because it’s never going to come back.”

This work has inspired students like Hannah Bohlsen ’26 CLAS to look at the carbon compounds in various comets throughout the solar system with Dr. Kareta. By seeking trends in their carbon content and orbital information, Hannah says scientists can hopefully give better context to not only their origins, but those of these extreme interstellar outliers like 3I/ATLAS.

Learn more about Dr. Kareta’s research and teaching at the link in bio.

08/26/2026

Meet our next Fulbright feature Nick Ricardo ’26 CLAS! After wrapping up his studies in History and Classical Studies, he heads this fall to Sofia, Bulgaria, where he will study Bulgarian and Byzantine history of the late 12th and early 13th centuries.

“As part of my History Department capstone course, I began a line of inquiry regarding how civilizations answer dire circumstances which threaten their sense of purpose,” he says. For the Byzantine Empire, he focused on the Fourth Crusade, which saw Constantinople, Queen of Cities, sacked by a fellow Christian force of Latin Catholic crusaders. “These questions regarding identity, legitimacy and religiosity remain potent forces for helping us to understand the agents of the past on their own terms, rather than a modern caricature.”

At Villanova, he says his classroom experiences provided an irreplicable foundation to pursue the prestigious grant. “The core curriculum of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences provided a firm backbone in multidisciplinary research: as I advanced in my pursuit of my degree, the greater the variety of courses within the college I took, the more fascinating connections between history and theology, art history and language, and Latin and Italian syntax I found.”

Off campus, an internship with the Maryland State Archives funded by Villanova’s Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest challenged and expanded his skills in primary source analysis. “No matter how high-quality the resolution of a 13th century mosaic is, there are details which can only be gleaned in person,” he adds. “History ought to be tactile and accessible wherever possible, and my experiences at archeological sites, active digs and archives has only increased this belief.”

Following his Fulbright experience, Nick plans to pursue a master’s degree in medieval studies at Fordham University.

08/24/2026

Each academic year brings new possibilities, and this year is off to an exceptionally exciting start! The opening of Cabrini Campus marks a significant new chapter in Villanova’s history, with several CLAS departments and programs making the beautiful campus their new home.

In Bellesini Hall, the Department of Education and Counseling continues to prepare counselors of distinction and honors Cabrini University's excellence in educating primary and secondary school teachers. Nearly every student at the University takes a course in the Ethics Program, particularly the “The Good Life: Ethics and Contemporary Moral Problems,” in their sophomore year. The building also houses new production studios for the Department of Communication.

Over in Iadarola Center, the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences continues its distinctive research and teaching in areas such as animal learning and behavior, cognition and perception, language, social psychology and more.

In Ortiz Hall, you’ll find a CLAS Administrative Suite to support our college community.

As classes begin this week, we look forward to seeing the vibrant ways these spaces come to life. Here’s to a successful year ahead!

08/21/2026

Across the pond, our feature has spent the summer deepening his scholarship and building new connections in the United Kingdom.

Vincent Lloyd, PhD, professor of Theology and Religious Studies and director of the Center for Political Theology, is serving as the Leverhulme Visiting Professor at King’s College London this summer and will return for a second term from May through August 2027. Through the professorship, Dr. Lloyd collaborates with theology and religious studies scholars at King’s College London, engages in workshops and continues to work on his manuscript project. He also participates in visits and speaking events at other universities across the UK, including Oxford University, Durham University, the University of Leeds and the University of St Andrews.

“I find that spending time in a new context always enriches and invigorates my scholarship, and I find it personally rejuvenating,” says Dr. Lloyd.

At King’s College London, Dr. Lloyd enjoys the opportunity to lead workshops focused on his core academic areas of expertise: political theology, religion and race, and Christian doctrine. He is particularly interested in exploring how topics such as immigration and racial equity are understood in the UK, and how those discussions compare with those in the local Philadelphia region.

Dr. Lloyd is also dedicating time to writing his forthcoming book, "Christianity and Race: A Theology," with co-author Jonathan Tran, PhD, professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School. Together, they explore how issues in Christian doctrine can be more deeply realized when questions of race are considered in all their complexity. “We are thinking about how core concepts like creation, sin, church and redemption can be more rigorously understood—rather than more loosely understood—when racial domination and the lived experiences of racialized communities are taken into account,” Dr. Lloyd explains.

This fall, Dr. Lloyd not only brings new ideas and knowledge back to Villanova but also welcomes a visit from a King’s College London colleague to campus, continuing the exchange of scholarship between the institutions.

08/18/2026

“Beginning on my first day on campus to after graduation, the Villanova community has helped me grow and provided invaluable support, allowing me to pursue the Fulbright grant with confidence.”

Our student feature, Mikaela Anthony ’26 CLAS, is one of 12 Villanovans to receive a Fulbright US Student Grant for 2026–2027!

As an Environmental Science and Political Science major, Mikaela conducted research on riverine anthropogenic litter, served as captain of the Ethics Bowl team and participated in service opportunities, including a spring break Social Justice Experience with Habitat for Humanity in South Carolina. Her experiences as a tutor and an undergraduate teaching assistant sparked a passion for teaching that she looks forward to continuing as an English Teaching Assistant through the Fulbright Program at University St. Kliment Ohridski in North Macedonia.

“I cannot wait to immerse myself in a new community and culture, explore the beautiful mountains and lakes and learn from my students, colleagues and fellow Fulbrighters,” she shares. “I am curious to learn about the similarities and differences in the educational systems and philosophies between the US and North Macedonia and aspire to be a good teacher and mentor for my students.”

She’ll also support The American Corner, managed by the US Embassy in North Macedonia and the Center for Culture, providing access to English-language media and cross-cultural events.

For Mikaela, the education and support she received from Villanova was instrumental to her success. “Throughout my time at Villanova, I was mentored by many amazing professors who facilitated my learning in the classroom, guided me through long-term research projects, developed my professional skills and built my confidence,” she says.

She credits the Villanova Center for Research and Fellowship (CRF) with supporting her bid for the prestigious grant. “From providing comprehensive information on the application process to engaging in multiple rounds of draft review for my application materials to talking through my fears and apprehensions about moving to a new country as I prepare to depart, CRF has been with me every step of the way.”

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