HESBURGH LECTURE SERIES 2013 Program - Alumni Association ...

Julia Douthwaite, Ph.D.
Professor, Romance Languages and Literature; Fellow, Nanovic
Institute for European Studies
Biography
Professor of French at the University of Notre Dame, Julia V. Douthwaite teaches and writes
on the literature and history of the French Enlightenment and the Revolution, and French-
English relations. She teaches a popular seminar called “A Revolution in Fiction,” in which
students see how events of the French Revolution were picked up and retold by authors
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from Mary Shelley to L. Frank Baum. In fall 2011, students of this course participated in a
videoconference with a class at the American University of Cairo (Cairo, Egypt), enjoying a History, Notre Dame
collaborative approach to learning by comparing how the French literature of 1789-94 stacks
up against the stories inspired by the January 25, 2011 events on Tahrir Square. Past recipient
of grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Lilly Foundation, and the
Guggenheim Foundation, her latest book is The Frankenstein of 1790 and Other Lost Chapters from Revolutionary France (Univ.
of Chicago Press, Fall 2012). Other books include The Wild Girl, Natural Man, and the Monster: Dangerous Experiments in the
Age of Enlightenment (University of Chicago Press, 2002), and Exotic Women: Literary Heroines and Cultural Strategies in Ancien
Régime France (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992). Speaking engagements include a radio show on NPR, and frequent
keynote lectures at conferences on literature and history in the U.S., U.K., and France.
In addition to her scholarship and teaching, from 1999 to 2009, Douthwaite held a number of administrative positions. They
included directing a research institute on the Notre Dame campus (1999-2001), directing the Notre Dame study abroad program
in Angers, France (2001-03), and serving as assistant provost for International Studies (2003-09), overseeing all undergraduate
programs of study abroad and launching Notre Dame’s strategic plan for internationalism. She was particularly pleased to launch
in 2008 the M.A. exchange program between Notre Dame and the Université de Rennes 2, and build other ties with premier
institutions such as the University of Bologna and Cambridge University.
Lectures
The French Revolution, or how to keep your head in turbulent times
Combining reflections drawn from 10 years as an administrator with anecdotes of famous faux-pas of the French Revolution,
Douthwaite provides a humorous lecture for busy professionals on how not to lose one’s head in stressful situations.
Rousseau 2012: On the Road to DIGNITY
In 2012, Notre Dame joined campuses worldwide in celebrating Rousseau (1712-1778). A special exhibit, “DIGNITY,” came to
campus and drew record crowds. Created by Amnesty International France, this exhibit made its American debut at Notre Dame.
Based on these events, this lecture focuses on what humanitarianism and Rousseau mean for us today.
The Hesburgh Lecture Series, 2013 Program 31